Horn’s ban: let’s not get ahead of ourselves AROUND THE BEND

There’s a philosophy in Buddhism which teaches the concept of inevitable decay. Essentially, by understanding that everything in the world is in a temporary state, a collapse of atoms does not have to result in a state of shock.

I’m sure I’ve butchered that, but the point is this: If you understand that the beautiful vase in your hands will one day not exist, you will be more willing to accept its change of state when it drops and breaks, and less likely to lose control of your emotions. Or something like that.

Anyway, it was that sense of inevitability which encompassed my thoughts on hearing this week that sprinter Carina Horn had tested positive for two banned substances.

Though she got quite a lot of flak on social media, with people claiming she had been a prime candidate for allegations of cheating, my concerns were more general.

Considering the number of athletes who have tested positive on the world circuit in recent years, and how many of them have been sprinters, it seems naïve to ignore South Africa’s rapid recent rise in the sport, which has been led by sprinters.

That’s not to suggest any specific athlete is doping, and one would at least hope that most are not, but the numbers don’t lie, and it seemed only a matter of time before someone in SA was caught.

And before my editors have subpoenas slapped on their desks, it is important to note that Horn is only provisionally suspended and she hasn’t been found guilty of anything.

She apparently has until the end of this week to ask for her B sample to be tested, and if that returns an adverse analytical finding, she’ll still have a chance to defend herself in a hearing.

So she has a long road ahead, and the national 100m record holder may well be cleared.

Of course, there’s also the possibility she will not, and if that’s the case, her career is likely to be slammed shut by one of the most controversial scandals in the history of South African track and field.

Either way, this won’t be the last doping allegation fired at a local athlete, and considering the explosion in sprinting since 2014, we shouldn’t really be surprised if someone else is caught. Instead, anyone involved in the sport should be grateful.

Catching a drug cheat doesn’t point to a corrupt system. It points to an anti-doping system that works, and if an athlete of Horn’s calibre can be sidelined, it is evident that measures are being taken to monitor the country’s elite stars.

The allegations against Horn have been made by the Athletics Integrity Unit, an independent international body, and the SA Institute for Drug-Free Sport has also consistently managed to weed out fraudulent individuals in the sport.

Looking at the all-time men’s world 100m rankings, there are more athletes scratched from the list than those who remain, and the marks have left a stamp of corruption on the sport’s flagship event.

We can only hope that South African athletes are not as entrenched in the darkest corners of their profession, and that most are competing clean, and at this stage there is no evidence to suggest otherwise.

But we can’t run from statistics, and we shouldn’t be shocked when an athlete is suspended on doping charges. We should accept the inevitable – that cheating will occur when there’s money on the line – and just be glad the authorities are doing their jobs.

At the very least, we can accept that everything in this world is in a constant state of change towards decay.

In a world full of vases, they break all the time.

All we can do is focus on those which are still intact.