Mike Rowbottom

I don’t know why it is. It may be that I am weary, so very tired and weary of all the things I hear spoken or see written that I know are not true, that those who speak or write them also know are not true. But whatever the reason, I find myself thinking of the International Paralympic Committee press conference held in Rio de Janeiro a month before the Paralympic Games began there in which the organisation’s President, Sir Philip Craven, announced a blanket ban on Russian athletes.

You can argue that it was not the right decision. Presumably the International Olympic Committee’s President, Thomas Bach, felt it was not the right decision as he shied away from making a similar stand against Russia, despite the increasing evidence of a state-run doping system in their country.

But Sir Philip, and his entire Governing Board, felt it was the only decision that could be taken in the circumstances – a decision based not upon politics, despite its powerful political reverberation, but upon sport. Craven in no sense of the word.

The large group of print and broadcast media present was not of similar unanimity on the issue. Objections were raised, as you might expect, by at least one Russian journalist. But judging from the reactions and questions, a large majority of media representatives present believed Sir Philip and his Board had acted correctly; indeed, courageously.

After the official part of the press conference was over Sir Philip, ever amenable, wheeled over to a small group of Olympic specialists. It felt like interviewing a boxer who had just left the ring after delivering a knock-out. Amongst his questioners there was, I believe, a sense of admiration for the clarity of what he had just said, and indeed the manner in which it was expressed.

Sir Philip Craven, President of the IPC, pictured during the Closing Ceremony in Rio de Janeiro of the Paralympics, from which Russian athletes were banned because of doping abuses ©Getty Images
Sir Philip Craven, President of the IPC, pictured during the Closing Ceremony in Rio de Janeiro of the Paralympics, from which Russian athletes were banned because of doping abuses ©Getty Images

"I believe the Russian Government has catastrophically failed its Para athletes,” Sir Philip announced. "Their medals over morals mentality disgusts me. The complete corruption of the anti-doping system is contrary to the rules and strikes at the very heart of the spirit of Paralympic sport. It shows a blatant disregard for the health and well-being of athletes and, quite simply, has no place in Paralympic sport.

"Their thirst for glory at all costs has severely damaged the integrity and image of all sport, and has certainly resulted in a devastating outcome for the Russian Paralympic Committee and Para athletes.

"I have deep sympathy for Russian Para athletes who will miss out on the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. They are part of a broken system and we sincerely hope that the changes that need to happen, do happen."

Who knows? After all, the latest Russian investigation into this tangled matter may yet show that the whole problem has been a product of criminal elements seeking to undermine the country’s sporting reputation…

Whatever, it won’t change the bravery and decency of Sir Philip's response on the evidence available to him and his colleagues. It won’t change the impact of a statement that was unforgettable for its brutal clarity.

Hearing perfectly chosen words during press events is a rarity, and something of a privilege.

American President Barack Obama took the opportunity of a White House ceremony involving the World Series-winning Chicago Cubs baseball team to express memorably how sport can enhance lives ©Getty Images
American President Barack Obama took the opportunity of a White House ceremony involving the World Series-winning Chicago Cubs baseball team to express memorably how sport can enhance lives ©Getty Images

I wasn’t present in the White House this week for the outgoing United States President Barack Obama’s address to the Chicago Cubs baseball team that is still celebrating earning its first World Series title in 108 years. But it didn’t take long to find a recording of it on Twitter. And boy, to use the appropriate Americanism, was it worth it as, in his last White House ceremony as President, Obama conducted the occasion with his customary brilliance and diplomacy (especially as he is a confirmed supporter of the Cubs’ Chicago rivals the White Sox).

It was towards the end of his address, as he stood with the gathered Cubs arrayed behind him on the podium, that, speaking without notes, he turned his thoughts to expressing the mysteriously powerful force that sport can have on people’s lives.

"It is worth remembering - because sometimes people wonder, ‘Well, why are you spending time on sports? There’s other stuff going on’ - throughout our history, sports has had this power to bring us together, even when the country is divided," Obama said.

"Sports has changed attitudes and culture in ways that seem subtle but that ultimately made us think differently about ourselves and who we were…

"I was in my home town of Chicago on Tuesday for my farewell address, and I said, 'Sometimes, it’s not enough just to change laws. You’ve got to change hearts.' And sports has a way, sometimes, of changing hearts in a way that politics or business doesn’t. And sometimes it’s just a matter of us being able to escape and relax from the difficulties of our days, but sometimes it also speaks to something better in us."

Thinking about it now, that was why Sir Philip's address had such power. When you hear truth spoken, it sings like a cleanly struck chord.