Doping Scandal Erupts

On May 8, Zhang Guan returned to China. After completing an interview with journalists, he went back to the Xinzhuang base. A dedicated vehicle was already waiting in the parking lot at the Xinzhuang base, with Zhuge Wenbo already inside, waiting.

"Another championship. How many is that this year?" Zhuge Wenbo brought up the championship without showing much excitement. It seemed like the seven consecutive championships from January and February had already made him numb.

"The big competition is the first one; the previous indoor competitions don't really count," Zhang Guan said.

"Yesterday, when the news of your championship reached Europe, Benz Company notified me that you've been shortlisted for the Laureus World Sports Award for Best Newcomer of the Year," Zhuge Wenbo said.

"Just shortlisted, huh!" Zhang Guan nodded, slightly disappointed.

Zhuge Wenbo adjusted his glasses and apologized, "I was too optimistic before. I thought with Benz's recommendation, winning a Laureus Best Newcomer award shouldn't be a problem. Later, I found out that things were not as simple as I thought. The difficulty of an athlete winning this Laureus award is comparable to an actor winning an Oscar."

"Who else is on the shortlist?" Zhang Guan asked.

Zhuge Wenbo shook his head, "Currently, we don't know yet, but it seems like Michael Phelps will be included."

"That guy!" Zhang Guan thought of Phelps's long face and prominent ears.

"The team behind Phelps is also formidable. He has several international brand endorsements and sponsorship contracts, which puts us at a disadvantage in this regard," Zhuge Wenbo sighed deeply.

Zhang Guan nodded. He knew that to win the Laureus World Sports Award, just having good results and strong abilities was not enough. It also required the support of the team behind him.

The situation with world-class awards is similar across the board, be it the Nobel Prize in academia, the Oscars in the entertainment industry, or the Laureus Sports Awards in sports. Being nominated for these awards signifies that the award already acknowledges you, but the trophy only goes to one person, and deciding who gets it involves a complex process. At this stage, the public relations efforts of the team behind each nominee become especially crucial. In such PR battles, celebrities' endorsers, advertisers, and major production studios form interest groups, using financial power to support the nominees. Similarly, in the academic world, nominees for the Nobel Prize receive backing from pharmaceutical giants, chemical groups, and tech companies, and sometimes even state support.

A Nobel Prize nominee might have a PR team that seeks endorsements from dozens or even hundreds of scientists. An Oscar nominee's PR team might negotiate and exchange interests with traditional Hollywood academic forces. The Laureus Sports Award might not be as complex as the others, but the endorsers behind sports stars will certainly be eager to act.

Of course, PR efforts alone can't decide everything. Take, for instance, the Oscar contender who goes to great lengths to win, even at the cost of their image, taking on extreme roles, but always falls just short after being nominated.

Since the Olympics ended over half a year ago, Zhang Guan had signed several brand endorsements, including some international brands. However, compared to the endorsements behind "Flying Fish" Phelps, he still fell short. If the brands backing Phelps stepped up, Zhang Guan might not be able to compete with Phelps for the Laureus Newcomer of the Year award.

...

After dinner, Zhang Guan rested for a while. When he saw it was about time, he picked up the phone and dialed Sharapova's number.

"I was just about to call you. Have you left Japan yet? I saw the news, you beat Gatlin and won another championship. Congratulations!" Sharapova said directly.

"Yeah, I returned today and just finished dinner. What about you?" Zhang Guan asked.

"I just finished breakfast and am about to go to training," Sharapova continued. "The French Open is in two weeks, and I need to prepare. Plus, Wimbledon is a month after the French Open, so I need to step up my training. Will you have time to come to France to watch my matches?"

"The French Open starts on May 23, right?" Zhang Guan thought for a moment. During that time, there was only the IAAF Hengelo Grand Prix in the Netherlands, and the domestic preliminary round of the National Games athletics competition wouldn't be held until late June, so he seemed to have no competitions.

"I don't have any competitions during that time, so I'll try my best to go," Zhang Guan said.

"Great!" Sharapova seemed very excited and then added, "I have some good news for you. I'll be going to Portugal on May 16th. My agent told me that I've been nominated for a Laureus Sports Award!"

"Really?" Zhang Guan immediately asked, "Which award?"

"The Best Newcomer of the Year award..." Sharapova said.

Zhang Guan suddenly laughed and then said, "It looks like we'll meet soon."

"What do you mean? Are you also going to Portugal? Did you also get a nomination?" Sharapova was slightly surprised and then asked, "Is your nomination also for..."

"You guessed it, I'm also nominated for the Best Newcomer award," Zhang Guan said.

...

The IAAF immediately intervened in the case involving Kondo Kamesan. After Kondo Kamesan handed over the test report from last year's Yokohama Star Meet to the IAAF, they immediately formed a special investigation team to travel to Japan to investigate the incident.

According to Kondo Kamesan, at last year's Yokohama Star Meet, he detected that an athlete had used banned substances, but the report was forcibly suppressed by a deputy minister of Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Kondo Kamesan also exaggerated, saying that his lab was stripped of its testing qualifications for this year's Osaka Grand Prix because the deputy minister was worried that Kondo would again detect banned substances.

According to Kondo's account, the deputy minister's actions had severely compromised the fairness and integrity of the competition. However, the IAAF, as an international organization, had no power to punish Japanese government officials. Moreover, considering that Kondo's statements might not be true, the IAAF investigation team began a series of complex investigations.

First, the IAAF needed to confirm whether Kondo's test report from last year's Yokohama Star Meet was genuine. Although the samples had already been destroyed, the detailed data from the tests remained. It was also necessary to confirm that the testing methods used by Kondo's lab were accurate and reliable, requiring both theoretical validation and practical experimentation.

Scientific theories and verification results proved that the testing methods used by Kondo's lab during last year's Yokohama Star Meet were correct, thus confirming the authenticity of the test report. However, given the time that had passed, a single test report alone couldn't prove much. If recent test results could be obtained, it would be ideal. Although the samples from the recently concluded Osaka Track Meet showed no issues, fortunately, the IAAF immediately sealed the tested samples following the robbery incident.

The IAAF needed to verify the testing methods. Kondo's lab had developed an even more advanced testing method this year, which Kondo claimed to be the most advanced in the world. Therefore, the investigation team had to validate the latest testing method from Kondo's lab to ensure its effectiveness.

Upon confirming the method's validity, the IAAF needed to test the sealed samples. The results showed that banned substances were indeed found in Gatlin's urine sample.

At this point, the IAAF immediately notified Gatlin, requiring him, his coach, or a notary to witness the testing of the backup sample. However, Gatlin's coach, Graham, didn't dare come and made an excuse to avoid going to Japan. According to regulations, the investigation team requested a special international notary. The backup sample was then tested in the presence of the notary, with the entire process recorded for evidence. The test results revealed that Gatlin and some other American athletes had indeed used banned substances.

But it didn't end there. The IAAF published the test report and gave Gatlin a chance to appeal. If Gatlin didn't accept the IAAF's test results, he could appeal, and the IAAF would retest the athletes involved.

In the U.S., Gatlin and his coach, Graham, immediately held a press conference, claiming that the IAAF's test was wrong. Gatlin denied using any banned substances but stated he wouldn't appeal or undergo another test, presenting a façade of innocence.

Gatlin's stance immediately drew widespread criticism. If you believe the IAAF is wrong, why not appeal? If you haven't used any banned substances, why not undergo another test? This was clearly a case of "the guilty have something to hide."

Gatlin decided to stubbornly deny the allegations, but other involved athletes couldn't withstand the pressure. Soon, the first athlete admitted to using banned substances, followed by a second admission. Subsequently, even the FBI got involved.

The FBI's involvement was due to evidence pointing to the renowned chemist Arnold, known as the "Father of Designer Steroids," who had previously worked at the BALCO laboratory.

Two years ago, the BALCO laboratory's doping scandal erupted, leading to the suspension of world record holder Tim Montgomery, among other athletes, including baseball and football stars, as well as legendary sprinter Marion Jones. The FBI had handled that investigation, and now, considering that this incident might be connected to the previous BALCO scandal, the FBI stepped in again.

The U.S. sports world once again found itself engulfed in a doping scandal. What was originally expected to surface in 2006 had now come to light early!