3 Aug 2016

Sport: Samoan sprinter expects to face cheating athletes in Rio

2:01 pm on 3 August 2016

Samoan sprinter Jeremy Dodson says it's inevitable that cheating athletes will compete at the Rio Olympics.

The US born sprinter will run the 200m in Rio later this month, where he's hoping to break the 20 second barrier for the first time.

Last week the International Olympic Committee opted against a blanket ban on Russian athletes for the Games after evidence of state-sponsored doping of Russian athletes in the 2014 Sochi Olympics.

A three-member IOC panel will have the final say on which Russian athletes can compete at the Rio Games, reviewing all decisions taken by the international federations.

Jeremy Dodson said the whole Russian situation was a complete mess.

"And what's going on with the authority of track and field and how it's affecting the athletes, I think the athletes don't deserve what's going on right now. The clean athletes, the athletes struggling to make a living, for a lot of these athletes track and field is life and track and field is their dream and for some money politics to go on and distract the view of this sport and take away the credibility of this sport is punishing for the athletes who are just doing it for fun and doing it before they love it," he said.

"A lot of politics into the sport that need to be removed and a lot of athletes need to speak up who are clean and the fact that some athletes aren't speaking up maybe shows they're not clean, shows just how dirty the sport really is.

"I know Justin Gatlin very well, I know Tyson Gay very well. They were great friends of mine, they were great people. As athletes I can't say anything towards them cheating or because I wasn't there...because you can't really be credible about how this sport is. There's a lot of cover ups on drug scandals and then there's a lot of people being thrown underneath the bus - you don't know who to believe anymore- and hopefully something small at this Games can erupt some new movement of athletes and push forward a new sport moving on to the future."

Samoa's Jeremy Dodson in action in Beijing.

Samoan athlete Jeremy Dodson in action in Beijing. Photo: AFP

Jeremy Dodson said he still believed that anyone who is clean should be able to compete and it's a shame that the clean Russian athletes are being punished because of who they are affiliated with.

He said the opportunity to cheat is there for those that want to do it but you it was pointless worrying about what about other athletes are doing.

"When I was first introduced into professional track and field it was always said that you can always make it to finals clean but it order to medal you would have to take something in - that was my first introduction into the corruption of the sport. I've seen athletes, I know athletes who have but my background - I've gone through chemotherapy and I've gone through numerous health conditions - so it's impossible for me to do anything that would damage my body," said the Phoenix-born sprinter.

"You go in knowing that there are some people who are cheating to get a step ahead but you go there because it's your dreams and you go there because you worked hard and so as you go there - especially as a sprinter - you get your own lane, you get to run hard in your own lane and whatever ability showcases at the Olympics that's what you have to be grateful for, whether it's first place or whether it's making it to semi finals.

"You can't focus on other people, you just have to focus on yourself and the goal that you set for yourself and hopefully you will be successful in accomplishing that dream."

Samoan athlete, Jeremy Dodson

Samoan athlete, Jeremy Dodson Photo: Supplied