Response to Kelly Sotherton, a retired British athlete who admitted to being among the booing crowd.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/athletics/2017/08/06/joined-booing-justin-gatlin/
Dear Kelly,
1. Sorry you lost to drug cheats, but athletes all over the world have lost to drug cheats, yet you and the British fans choose to boo just one particular athlete. There are female athletes competing with testosterone levels equal to a man, athletes representing a country accused of state sponsored systematic doping, athletes representing countries with practically no anti-doping program, numerous other athletes who have severed doping bans...why the mob mentally focused on just one athlete. Did you ever boo a British athlete accused of doping or the actual drug cheats you lost to. Did you ever boo Lyudmyla Blonska? Why so much focus on an athlete who has served his ban, don't you think it would be more productive to focus on current dopers and doping in general?
2. Did you ever consider this event is bigger than you and the British fans. There are thousands athletes, coaches, administrators, visitors and more important friends and family members of athletes from all over the world at the World Championships to participate and/or watch athletic competition. Did you ever consider whether or not they even know or care about your personal issue. What you and your fellow Brits did was highly disrespectful and cruel. Yes Cruel! Did it matter to you that Gatlin's parents were in the stands. -Or, perhaps you think because it's on your soli and in your stadium that make's it ok to behave however you want? How would you feel if Americans booed a particular British athlete for whatever reason.
3. Just to let you know, the IAAF's decision to change the timing of the 100m medal ceremony was probably one the best decisions that organization has ever made. If British fans had booed during the United States national anthem, within hours it would be the top story in every media outlet. Chances are you and your fellow Brits would have booed and without exaggeration, the American public would care less about your personal thoughts about an athlete...the fact that the country we went to war against to earn our nationhood disrespected our national anthem is way the American public would see it. A major international incident was avoided and personally I would have been furious.
4. You say there is a questions of whether there are longstanding benefits of taking drugs. I am sure you are aware Gatlin doped over a decade ago. Do really think 12 years later Gatlin is still benefiting from drugs? If you believe that, name one athlete who successful came back from a doping ban even after just 2 years and won gold medal in a global championship. Gatlin was a world class athlete at age 18, perhaps he is very talented and would have been successful without drugs.
5. Second-chances and Redemption is not an American construct, it is Jedo-Christian construct which form some of the founding principles of our nation. One of the greatest acts of God was to send his son to 'forgive' the world and save us of our sins. - John 3:16-17
6. Yes, Gatlin is a nice guy, anybody who has ever met him will tell you that. You and your fellow Brits might find this hard to believe, but outside of GB, he respected and liked by most of his fellow athletes. Many years ago, Gatlin made a really bad mistake and for that mistake he deserves the label of ex-drug cheat. I make no excuses for that, but, he paid the severest penalty the IAAF could give him. If should have effectively ended his career. Gatlin served a ban no one has ever come back from. Gatlin has paid the price for his mistake and it's time to move on or at least be respectable enough not to cloud and cast a shadow over what should wonderful event.
7. Not being British, perhaps I will never fully understand the love affair with Bolt and more specifically the Jamaicans. I find that odd for someone who is so anti-doping. Hopefully you know that on a per capita basis, Jamaica is among the top nations with doping offenses, in addition to currently having a lacks anti-doping program. Btw, don't take anything away from Gatlin and Coleman's victory. Bolt was not out of shape, he is old, he has been on the decline for 7 years and like all great athletes, you eventfully get beat by better athletes.