It wasn't exactly what the clean and untarnished world of Australian cycling hoped to wake up to on June 20th. Stars of the track, professional road cyclists and Olympic gold medal hopefuls Jack Bobridge and Michael Hepburn were involved in what's being described by the media as a 'drink-driving incident' in northern Spain. Involved in a 'minor' car park collision while under the influence of alcohol, though no other cars were involved and no-one was hurt, Bobridge was fined $2,500 by Cycling Australia, $2,000 of which is suspended, and placed on a 12-month good behaviour bond, as well as being fined 700 euros ($880) by a Spanish court, while Hepburn received a 12-month good behaviour bond and $1,000 suspended fine. Without being sanctioned by the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC), both riders will compete as usual in the team pursuit in London, where Australia and Great Britain will once again take up their fierce rivalry for gold.
But is the penalty too light? The AOC recently handed down a much harsher penalty to so-called 'bad-boy' swimmers Nick D'Arcy and Kenrick Monk, which will force the troublesome duo to fly home directly after competing in their Olympic events, missing the Closing Ceremony and the celebrations that ensue. Granted, both swimmers have been in trouble with the police before - D'Arcy was actually excluded from the 2008 Beijing Olympics for beating a fellow swimmer in a bar brawl - but most people would suggest that the punishment should be proportional to the crime. D'Arcy and Monk posting pictures on Facebook of themselves posing with high-powered guns in an arms shop during a training camp in America shows them to be guilty of bad taste, certainly, but guilty of breaking no laws in either Australia or America - except for those of decency. Drink-driving, however, is not only illegal in both Australia and Spain but also endangers the lives of the driver, passengers and any other road users. Of all road users, cyclists should be the most aware of the consequences of poor driving.
One has to wonder what was taken into consideration when the AOC chose not to impose their own penalty on top of the one handed down by Cycling Australia. Did they consider that without Bobridge and Hepburn, Australia's 50/50 chance at a gold medal in the team pursuit goes down the drain? Did they take into account the otherwise squeaky clean records covered in wins, deem it a mistake and decide to give them a second chance? Did they ponder the penitence of the pair, now training hard for the Olympics at the national training camp? How about the serious nature of the offence, and the fact that committing a criminal offence violates Cycling Australia's disciplinary code? And did anyone mention the sanctions of D'Arcy and Monk as a barometer?
It must be confessed that cycling's administration isn't known for its consistency - the stringent enforcing of usually lax rules at the 2012 Track World Championships, or the controversial banning of Alberto Contador for doping while other riders were let off on technicalities - but there are likely some shaking heads amongst the rest of the Australian Olympic team, as well as the general public. It seems a little hard to believe - and more than a little unfair - that D'Arcy and Monk will have to board a plane during the Olympics afterparty for a bad use of social media, while their teammate with a drink-driving conviction joins in all the festivities - albeit without the alcohol, which the cyclist pair are now forbidden from drinking while with the national team. The AOC declined to penalise Bobridge and Hepburn following their court sanctions and the Cycling Australia verdict, deciding they'd been punished enough, but now would be a great time for them to step in and play Lady Justice, balancing the scales to ensure that the penalties handed down to our Olympic athletes have been delivered with consistency.
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