Fresh Takes on Innovation

It wouldn’t be conceivable to take this amount of drugs while at work, would it? Sportsmen and sportswomen – still considered by many youngsters as role models – totally lose focus and fill themselves up to their necks with whatever they deem necessary to beat their competitors. Whether they want their muscles to grow faster, or to shorten recovery time, feel less pain or increase the level of awareness.

Imagine a sports world where doping were legal… instead of athletes’ names we would be talking about the producers of the substances or the so called doctors prescribing them. On track one: 5α-androst-1-en-3β,17β-diol, on track two: Erythropoietin, on track three: outsider Diamorphine. It could be a fascinating competition though; maybe some of the research efforts would even contribute curing real medical problems.

But as far as I remember the whole idea behind the Olympic Games was fair play and respect towards the opponents; and the audience’s respect and admiration for the athletes’ achievements. Maybe nowadays we are rather asked to revere chemists and researchers than training and discipline.

Well, obviously «citius, altius, fortius» can be interpreted in different ways. The momentary trend seems to be, rather than pushing human achievement (or animal – look at the horses) to its limits, to transcend it: go ever faster, higher and stronger than humanly possible.

What humanity was still missing: Diet water. From Japan. Incredible, but true.