Forty-five athletes from 11 countries have already been ruled out of this year's Olympics -- for doping or other contraventions. This includes about a dozen Greek weightlifters, the entire Bulgarian weightlifting squad, and a smattering of swimmers, fencers, cyclists and runners. Three of these are Chinese athletes: Song Hongjuan (a race walker), Ouyang Kunpeng (swimming) and Luo Meng (wrestling).
So the countdown continues to the opening ceremony at 8 minutes past 8, on Aug. 8 (8/8), 2008. Even the Chinese are resorting to luck to guard against air pollution, terrorism and other possible nuisances.
In Athens the number of doping cases reached a new record, at 26. In Beijing 4,500 tests will be performed, an increase of 20 percent from 2004. International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge predicts 30 to 40 athletes will be caught at this year's Olympics (3). This begs the question: Are the Olympics for real? Because the emphasis ought to be on weeding out the cheats before the games, not once they get there, or worse, one they are standing on the podium with a medal dangling over their hearts.
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