On September 7 this year, when the delegates from Madrid, Tokyo and Istanbul gather at the International Olympic Committee headquarters (IOCHQ) in Lausanne to hear the name of the city chosen to host the 2020 Games, the scenes will play out as they always have. The “winners” will cheer wildly in the Swiss auditorium and on the chosen city's streets, and the “losers” will shrug and take it like sportsmen, choking back tears and grinning stoically. But you have to wonder... Will the “losers” be secretly relieved at avoiding the massive financial burden of hosting global events like the Olympics or the FIFA World Cup and will the “winners” be quietly counting the number of schools, hospitals … [Read more...] about Madrid 2020 and the cult of the mega-event
doping
Tales for Tapas: Food for thought
It’s a tonic not just for the hospitality sector but for the country as a whole that El Celler de Can Roca in Girona has been named the world’s best restaurant. Nice too that Can Roca, which specialises in culinary experimentation (desserts that smell of recognisable perfumes, for example) is run by three brothers. When Joan Roca, head chef and oldest of the three, was asked at the award ceremony in London on Monday to identify the restaurant’s winning ingredients he cited hard work and the help of two extraordinary siblings. The latest generation in a family of restaurateurs, the Roca brothers inherited skills and enthusiasm rather than boundless start-up capital from their parents … [Read more...] about Tales for Tapas: Food for thought
Alberto Contador
Those seeking a role model might baulk at the three-time Tour de France winner being included on a list of sports stars. There was his unseemly via-the-media spat with Lance Armstrong during and after the 2009 Tour and then an ethically questionable breakaway from rival Andy Schleck during the 2010 race, just after the Luxembourg rider’s chain came loose. And let’s not forget the clenbuterol doping case from the same year hanging over this cyclist from Pinto, Madrid, who insists he tested positive after eating some contaminated meat. But if you had to choose the world’s most talented road racer, especially if you throw some mountains into the mix, then Contador’s your man. … [Read more...] about Alberto Contador
Marta Domínguez
Long-distance runner Domínguez has won a steady stream of medals at major competitions ever since taking bronze at the 1998 European championships in the 5,000 metres. Probably the high-point of her career came 11 years later, when she won the 3,000-metre steeplechase gold at the Berlin World championships. The low point was in 2010, when she was arrested for allegedly peddling illegal substances as part of a massive doping ring. But she notched up another victory a few months later, being cleared of wrongdoing and exposing the Guardia Civil as a band of confused Keystone Kops. … [Read more...] about Marta Domínguez