Culture of corruption

Recent reports of Formula 1 race-fixing, masquerading ineligible athletes to legitimize their participation in competitions and resorting to dishonest tactics under the principle of winning at all costs make you wonder what values are left in sports to inspire the youth to become moral leaders of the future.

When you read of the son of a three-time Formula 1 world champion deliberately crashing his car for his teammate to win a race, you begin to doubt if the commercialization of sports is really a good thing. The notion that winning is everything drives athletes or their agents to do whatever can be done to assure victory – even if dishonesty is involved for as long as they’re not caught.

It’s no different in government where the culture of corruption is prevalent. If you can get away with cheating, the conventional thinking is you’re crazy not to do it. That’s the problem when the bad guys laugh all the way to the bank and the law does nothing about it.

When people in high office receive millions in illegal kickbacks and aren’t bothered by their conscience, those who struggle to make a living on a day-to-day basis can’t wait for their turn to strike it rich. If the moral fiber of a nation is shaky, you create a society of predators who will care only about getting ahead at everybody else’s expense.

Sports is supposed to be a sector that contributes to strengthening a nation’s moral fiber. It embodies the values of fair play, sportsmanship, discipline, dedication, honesty and hard work.

But if sports is corrupted by leaders who cheat to win an election, by agents who bedevil athletes into playing foul and by officials who think only of themselves, where is the hope for the future?

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Athletes are often the victims and not the perpetrators of dishonest or illegal practices in sports.

Take Brazilian racer Nelson Piquet Jr. who’s only 24. The former Renault driver recently disclosed he was told by team principal Flavio Briatore and engineering director Pat Symonds to slam his car on the turn in the 13th lap to give teammate Fernando Alonso the chance to roar ahead of the pack at the Singapore Grand Prix last year. Alonso had an early pit stop and the crash brought in a safety car that gave the Spaniard the chance to move up as the other drivers careened to refuel.

Alonso eventually won in history’s first F-1 night race. But with Piquet’s revelation, the victory has been tainted and what would’ve been a landmark in F-1 annals is now a dark chapter.

If this blatant act of dishonesty was done at this global stage as millions of fans all over the world watched on TV, can you imagine how little it will take for someone to do something similar at a lesser level?

Piquet was a victim – or so he insisted. That’s why he got off the hook, coming out in the open in exchange for immunity as a “state” witness. Briatore was banned forever and Symonds took a five-year suspension. But Renault was spared with a suspended two-year ban – a virtual slap on the wrist as F-1 officials absolved the company of culpability. The “light” penalty has caused an uproar as fans felt the team must assume responsibility for compromising the integrity of F-1 racing and should’ve been dealt with severity.

Another example is South Africa’s Caster Semenya, 18, who won the women’s 800-meter run at the recent World Championships in Berlin by a whopping two seconds. There are now doubts on her or his gender and she or he will be subjected to sex tests, reminiscent of Nancy Navalta. If Semenya is proved to be male, then obviously someone put him or her up to it.

What is disturbing is the news that Semenya’s coach Ekkart Arbeit has been reported to have tolerated the use of steroids by his former East German tracksters, one of whom Heidi Krieger underwent a sex change because of extreme substance abuse. Is Arbeit up to his old tricks again?

What about fighters Antonio Margarito and Luis Resto, found to have used illegal plaster on their bandages to add more power to their punches? Was it their idea to do it? Or did their trainers think of it? The danger of using illegal plaster is it may lead to serious injuries to the opponent – as what happened to Billy Collins who was Resto’s victim.

The commercialization of sports means money for victory. Sponsors don’t back losers. That’s why winning is so important to those whose priority is money. The greed that has created the culture of corruption in government is unfortunately plaguing sports, too.

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Because of this culture, now is when good men must rise up to be counted. San Miguel Corp. chairman Eduardo M. Cojuangco Jr., for instance, was recently named by the PBA Press Corps as Executive of the Year because of his sense of fair play in supporting Gabe Norwood’s entry into the pro draft even if it brought no benefit to the teams that the Hall of Famer backs. It was also Ambassador Cojuangco who gave the go-signal for Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio to bench import Marquin Chandler for playing without desire in a do-or-die game last conference. Purefoods lost the game but the Giants went out with their heads held high, preserving the integrity of the game. That showed how important playing fair is in sports and that winning isn’t everything.

You also remember La Salle’s voluntary disclosure that the senior varsity men’s basketball team had inadvertently recruited two ineligible players. La Salle could’ve kept quiet about it but chose to make the disclosure in the spirit of sportsmanship even if it meant returning the Archers championship trophy. UE and FEU have also shown how they value fair play by making bold decisions to strike out key players for dubious behavior.

Another example of virtue is Manny Pacquiao who wins because of his heart, guts, skills, discipline and hard work. He’s an example of an athlete who competes with honor and pride.

So despite the alarming culture of corruption, there is still hope for the youth to become moral leaders of the future through sports.