Âé¶¹´«Ã½AV

Article

Saint or Sinner?: A Reconsideration of the Career of Prince Alexandre de Merode, Chair of the International Olympic Committee¡¯s Medical Commission, 1967-2002

Details

Citation

Dimeo P, Hunt TM & Bowers M (2011) Saint or Sinner?: A Reconsideration of the Career of Prince Alexandre de Merode, Chair of the International Olympic Committee¡¯s Medical Commission, 1967-2002. International Journal of the History of Sport, 28 (6), pp. 925-940. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523367.2011.557912

Abstract
This article explores the role of Prince Alexandre de Merode in heading the IOC¡¯s fight against drugs from the 1960s to 2002. History has not served de Merode very well. He has been presented in simplistic ways that emerge from context rather than evidence ¨C as either a saint or a sinner. IOC-sanctioned accounts cast him in the mould of the saint: a moral and intelligent man who saved sports from doping. In contrast, sports academics have tended to portray him as a sinner: an ineffectual leader who did not develop either the testing systems or the punishments required to prevent doping and who deliberately concealed evidence of high-profile doping cases. This article assesses both representations before presenting information to support a richer and more complicated interpretation.

Keywords
International Olympic Committee; Prince Alexandre de Merode; International Olympic Committee; Olympics History; Doping in sports

Journal
International Journal of the History of Sport: Volume 28, Issue 6

StatusPublished
Publication date30/04/2011
URL
PublisherTaylor and Francis
ISSN0952-3367
eISSN1743-9035

People (1)

Professor Paul Dimeo

Professor Paul Dimeo

Professor, Sport

Files (1)