After the Festina affair in 1998, the confirmed doping cases of Alexander Vinokourov and Ivan Mayo during the premier event in 2007, and the exclusion of Belgian Tom Boonen before the start of the 2008 edition due to cocaine use, the Tour de France in recent years has appeared more in the news sections of newspapers than in the sports columns. This year did not escape its share of cheats, with Riccardo Ricco and Dimitri Fofonov getting caught at their own game, using the latest generation of EPO.
The reactions from the people of Nice:
“Doping is a bad thing. It goes against nature, plus it skews all sports performances, especially in cycling. I think if doping exists, it is primarily to seek the best performances but above all to erase the complexes of some. But the most serious thing, if it continues like this, people will lose interest in sports, particularly in the Tour de France…” Sergio, 30, musician.
“What else is there to say besides that doping is bad! They do everything to come first, even destroy their health. When we see some athletes at the end of their careers, we know very well that they don’t have years and years left to live…” Nolwenn, 24, employee at a beauty institute.
“I tend to say that since sports exist, doping exists. Give me the name of an athlete who has never doped?… ” Murielle, 45, unemployed.
“Doping is unhealthy, it skews everything. We often forget that doping is pure cheating like keeping an ace in your pocket in poker. Athletes don’t think; they are too focused on performance, on money. But there is no honor in winning under such conditions. Some sports are in danger like weightlifting or cycling, not to mention the Tour de France…” Marc, 19, high school student.
The opinion of our expert: Jean-Paul Serra, president of the departmental Olympic and sports committee.
“Doping, I believe, is only an evil present in certain disciplines. Athletes consider that this type of use can be essential to achieving incredible performances. They give themselves an illusion of power which in most cases reassures them. But the most concerning is doping in the youth categories; we find that more often, it is the parents who initiate it. Doping, for some athletes like in cycling for example, is a weapon to quickly achieve glory and money. But the problem remains major because no discipline will be able to withstand this devastating plague for sport…”
