Well isn’t this a delicious piece of irony.
According to a story courtesy Sportsnet via the Associated Press, former Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson, who was stripped of his gold medal and 100 meters record at the Seoul Games after testing positive for steroids, will be the face of a new anti-doping campaign.
Johnson served a two-year suspension for his first positive test then received a lifetime ban after failing another one.
Now he is promoting an anti-doping campaign, Pure Sport, which has been launched by a sportswear company.
The campaign’s backers say Johnson will ask sports fans to sign a petition demanding action to “improve the waning credibility of world sport,” while demanding a truth-and-reconciliation process across sport.
Johnson will take his message to the Olympic Stadium in Seoul on Sept. 24 — the 25th anniversary of the race where his reputation was shattered.
It’s an odd choice but I guess this is Johnson’s way of trying to right his wrongs after his disgraceful exit from the sport he once dominated. Track and field needs some kind of intervention, the sport is basically a cesspool of cheating athletes.