Category: Sports

Ace tennis player Rafael Nadal announced on Monday that a suit will be filed against the former French minister for accusing him of doping charges. He was forced to take this step inorder to protect his integrity and reputation. A defamation suit will be filed against the Roselyne Bachelot, the former minister in Paris following the offensive interview on French television in March. It may be mentioned here that Bachelot was in-charge of health and sports during her tenure and said on the Le Grand 8 show that Nadal had to take a seven-month long break in 2012 probably because he was positively tested for doping.

The comments from Bachelot came after Maria Sharapova failed to clear the dope test. In a press statement, Nadal said that it is not just to defend my image but also to uplift the values followed all his life. The player also announced that the compensation offered by the judge will be donated to the nongovernmental organization in Paris. There was a roaring support for the athlete from a fellow player and spainards. The Spanish Olympic Committee and the Spanish government representatives also criticized the comments made by Bachelot. Nadal’s coach, Tony Nadal said that Bachelot was an imbecile.

With 14 Grand Slam and Olympic gold media, Nadal is a sports idol in Spain. Meanwhile, the President of the Olympic Committee of Spain Alejandro Blanco informed that an effort to make Nadal the flag bearer for Spain at the Rio de Janeiro Games. Blanco said that Nadal deserves this special honor particularly after the way he was treated by the former French minister.

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Cyclists are turning their bikes into motorcycles to get to the finish line quickly and effortlessly. A few cunning cyclists are adding motors to their bikes. The case called mechanical doping came up after a small motor operated by battery was spotted inside the Belgian cyclist’s bike. But this is only a smaller trick when compared to the recent accusation that happened on Stade 2 this Sunday, a French television sponsored sports program. It was reported that motor doping has at the highest levels in this particular sport. Even top riders are manipulating their bike in the recent past, but riders have always denied these allegations.

The issue is not left at that and retired professional cyclists like Greg LeMond have said that it is a major issue. The International Cycling Union President, Brian Cookson has made technology aided cheating a top priority. Suspicion roots from two causes. Videos are helping to singles out suspicious performance by the riders or their teams. Technology has advanced and small motors run on batteries can be hidden inside the bike that can be controlled with a button under the handlebar. There are smaller motors available that can fit inside the rear hub boosting the performance of the bike.

For this purpose, Stade 2 has placed a thermal imaging camera throughout the route of the Italian professional men’s racing called the Strade Bianche that was held in March especially on the unpaved roads and steep climbs. Engineers say that the pattern can be understood based on the heat generated by the motor. Rear hub glowed in the same color of the cyclists’ legs.

Referees always prefer a non-celebrity life and are always criticized about their exits at the stadiums in certain instances. The focus is on England’s Premier League with the Leicester City moving towards the championship with all the lights on the officials as on the Foxes having a 5 point lead with just four games to go to win the title. Most probably Leicester will cleanly complete the task, but the question remains if the sport is taking sufficient steps to help the referees. The last weeks event will be the final call to add video replays immediately.

Referee Jon Moss is considered to be a good official who send off Jaime Vardy of Leicester in a game with West Ham United but is yet to enter the elite category. Moss had to work in that match because top-rated English referees were on a workshop and will take part at the European Championships this summer. The question remains if even the best of English referees Martin Atkinson and Mark Clattenburg were on the field they would have experienced the same situation as Moss. If an official has a bad day, there is nothing can stop from coming under fire.

However, the video helped to understand the situation on the ground. Situations like the rejection of penalty appeals, yellow and a red card for diving to Vardy, Leicester penalty shot and more are some of the tough situations to handle for the referee. Video assistance could have made this easier. A video replay could put the official in the stronger and credible position no doubt.