Cheaters never win, winners never cheat... or do they?
York University hosts panel discussion on cheating and ethics in sports

TORONTO, October 24, 2000 -- While the triumphs and successes of the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic games are but a memory, allegations of athletes who have tested positive for banned performance-enhancing drugs continue to surface. Take for example, claims that an Italian kayaker -- who beat out Canada's world kayak champion Caroline Brunet for the gold medal -- tested positive for growth hormones months before the competition in Sydney. Officials with the Canadian Olympic Association (COA) and the federal government are now seeking an investigation that could result in a gold medal being awarded to Brunet.

To discuss how cheating not only hurts fair competition among athletes, but also damages the public's perception of sport, York University's Centre for Practical Ethics is hosting a panel discussion, Cheating and Ethics in Sports, Thurs., Oct. 26, 1:30 p.m. - 3 p.m.

One of the panellists, York Kinesiology and Health Science Prof. Greg Malszecki, says the allure of lucrative corporate sponsorships has made winning at all costs an unfortunate reality of athletic competition. "Where the awards are substantial, the temptation to cheat becomes part of the game." Malszecki, a leading expert on gender in sport, sport history, and sport sociology, adds that the prevailing attitude among some athletes has become: It's not cheating if you don't get caught.

The panel discussion, which will take place at York University's McLaughlin College, Senior Common Room (Room 140), 4700 Keele St., will also feature Colin Inglis, Head Coach of York University's Cross Country and Track and Field Teams, and Patricia Murray, director of Sport and Recreation at York University, associate lecturer in York's School of Kinesiology and Health Science, and a former Canadian Olympic Synchronized Swimming Team coach. Prof. David Shugarman, director for York's Centre for Practical Ethics, will moderate the discussion.

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For more information, please contact:

Prof. David Shugarman
Director, Centre for Practical Ethics
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 77083 / (416) 736-5128
dshugar@yorku.ca

Prof. Greg Malszecki
Kinesiology and Health Science
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 77480
gregm@yorku.ca

Ken Turriff
Media Relations
York University
(416) 736-2100, ext. 22086
kturriff@yorku.ca
YU/110/00