We must hope members of the new generation pick up the mantle.

Former CGF chief executive Mike Hooper was refreshingly unguarded in his approach to the media ©Getty Images



Of course, there is nothing wrong with being "on message", modern and guarded, and we all know that speaking out of turn to the media often causes more harm than good. Being different and unorthodox in your management is also great, but this can have its pitfalls and there are certain standards and styles which all should follow.

It must also be said that PR has always existed, even if it was not known as such. There are few politicians as meticulously cultivated in their image and style, as, say, Winston Churchill or Mahatma Gandhi, or, dare I say it, Adolf Hitler.

But, in politics as well as sport, it is great when you come across figures who are a little bit different, and that is why the likes of London's bumbling and buffoonish, but highly intelligent, Mayor Boris Johnson is so highly regarded.

And with a British revolution seemingly occurring in sports administration - led by Sir Craig Reedie, Sir Philip Craven and Brian Cookson and with others like Sebastian Coe, Sarah Lewis and Louise Martin waiting in the wings - hopefully they will learn from Boris and other mavericks as well as the TV debating party leaders.

Nick Butler is a senior reporter for insidethegames. To follow him on Twitter click here.

Using the Bird's Nest Stadium once again is one attractive element of the Beijing 2022 bid ©Getty Images



Ski jumping, biathlon and cross country at the foot of the Great Wall of China is another strong part, while the IOC and Winter Federations appear genuinely pleased with plans to hold Alpine skiing and sliding sports in Yanqing.

Yanqing lies in between the two other venue clusters in Beijing itself and Zhangjiakou, the city 190 kilometres to the north-west close to the Nordic and freestyle ski and snowboard venues. The three sites will be linked by a new high-speed railway, due for completion in 2019, which will reportedly reduce distances from over three hours by car to around 50 minutes.

Developing Zhangjiakou, an agriculturally-dominated region known for its wine and history - with the reported site of the first Chinese civilisation 4,000 years ago at Zhuolu County close by - came across as the most powerful legacy aim of the bid. As was clear when we met with local officials, the Olympics would make a huge difference for this area, bringing in tourism and investment and connecting it far better to the metropolis of Beijing.

Reducing pollution levels was also cited as an aim of Beijing 2022, much as it was during Beijing 2008, and it has got far worse since then, with dust storms over the weekend raising levels further, although I must admit it was not an obvious hazard during our visit. Promising free internet access is another good step, but most of the rest of the world, including Almaty, does not have any restrictions anyway.

Encouraging 300 million new stakeholders into winter sport is, however, the major calling card of the bid.

I was not sure about this. Yes, having this new many participants would bring a huge benefit, in a commercial sense as well as a purely competitive one, but where did this 300 million figure come from? Possibly it really would make that much of a difference, but, at this point there is a long, long way to go. It may have been because we were there at the end of the season in March - the scheduled month for the Paralympics in 2022 - but there wasn't too much evidence of winter sporting passion in Beijing, and hardly anyone skiing, and not much snow, in the mountains.

Seeing the Great Wall of China was exciting, but there was not much snow to be seen ©Beijing 2022



A very different experience to what was seen in Almaty, where 30 centimetres of "fresh, natural" snow was reported last week. After a 2018 Pyeongchang Games set to take place in a slightly underwhelming and non-traditional setting, it would seem hard for the winter sporting community to get too excited about Beijing 2022 as well..

The Agenda 2020 reform process brings an extra layer of complexity to the 2022 race, with Beijing duly focusing on being "athlete-centred, sustainable and economical". This Chinese commitment to Agenda 2020 was wheeled out several times a day during the visit, and on the final day IOC Evaluation Commission chair praised the bid for "embracing the spirit and goals" of the process. A definite tick-in-the-box then.

The trouble is, anyone can find a way in which they conform with Agenda 2020, and this was always going to be the case giving the vagueness of the 40 recommendations passed by the IOC at its Session in Monte Carlo in December. Almaty and Beijing's bids are so vastly different, but both claim this conformity as a core strength of their bid.

The use of five existing venues in the Beijing city centre certainly reflects this, as does the low budget, lower even than Almaty's before the Kazakh city reportedly cut $500 million (£330 million/€460 million) in post Evaluation Commission-visit changes. But the deeper we probed, the more it seemed that a lot of Beijing's spending is actually not included in this budget.

Many of the venues were going to be constructed anyway and apparently will be regardless of the bid being successful, so are seemingly not included, while the IOC was not even informed of wider spending costs on two new highways and the high-speed trainline because it is "unrelated to the Games", part of a wider railway network planned by the Government well before the bid was conceived.

Our reception on the airport runway summed up the organisation of Beijing 2022, but the bid does present challenges for the Olympic Movement ©ITG


Yet the project has reportedly been brought forward because of the bid, and, with 70,000 people a day due to be carried on the train, it is such a key component and has been so often trumpeted as such, that the term "unrelated" doesn't add up. As it is so key for the success of the Games, for the IOC to not want to know exact costs also seems strange.

This is all very confusing, and I am limited somewhat by having no point of comparison with previous Olympic bid processes, but there does appear a distinct lack of openness and transparency. Is the IOC desperate to avoid these wider figures becoming public in order to avoid a $51 billion (£34 billion/€47 billion) like-figure being trumpeted out like it was ahead of Sochi 2014?

We have not got any sort of figure for the railway yet, although we will continue working on it. But with the trainline to be among the most advanced in China, covering difficult mountainous terrain and set to run every five minutes at peak times during the Games, we can presume it will be expensive.

So is Agenda 2020 actually making the process less rather than more open? This was something said in Monte Carlo, where the public rather than private voting process discouraged members voting against any motion, and is relevant again here.

Rather like as at the IOC Session in Monte Carlo, Agenda 2020 appears as much a superficial attempt at democracy and openness as a genuine one ©IOC



While I am on a moan against the IOC, although journalists were allowed in to both the Opening and Closing Ceremonies in Beijing, unlike in Almaty, the one venue-tour photoshoot we enjoyed in Kazakhstan was abandoned.

There were rumours this was because journalists had dared to ask questions during the Almaty one (i.e. do their job) and if true, this would be ridiculous. Whether this is true or not, it is clear the IOC put huge pressure on both candidates to control media access. Zhukov did, to be fair, attempt to justify in his opening remarks, on the grounds that they needed to fully focus on their inspections. But complete openness and transparency it was not.

The revival of the Free Tibet movement and human rights concerns is another challenge, as it is for Almaty, and it will be interesting to see if the scale of these protests grow over coming months. Close scrutiny and criticism can be expected whoever wins.

Overall I was impressed with the Chinese bid, which remains the clear favourite in the race with four months to go until the final decision is due to be made in Kuala Lumpur, and I am confident that Beijing is capable of pulling it off again.

Yet another Chinese Games certainly presents challenges for the IOC and its President Thomas Bach, and negative stories about high spending, a lack of openness and human rights concerns could prove a constant menace over the next seven years.

Nick Butler is a senior reporter for insidethegames. To follow him on Twitter click here.

The roller coaster has been running exclusively on Kiwi rails because they have played all their matches on home soil until now, no doubt to ensure "house full" signs. The money men have succeeded in that but might just have done the players a disservice because New Zealand's chances of victory in the final will depend on just how well they have been able to adjust to Australian conditions in the last few days.

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has led his side to their first-ever Cricket World Cup final where they will face arch rivals Australia ©Getty Images



Many were unhappy about the length of the tournament and it does seem an awfully long time since the whole thing started in Christchurch on Valentine's Day. It took over a month to reduce 14 teams to eight for the quarter-finals.

This was a tournament when batting records have tumbled as never before. Chris Gayle of the West Indies hit the first World Cup double century, but even his towering 215 was soon eclipsed by 237 not out from New Zealand batsman Martin Guptill. Australian captain Michael Clarke is among those to predict a triple centurion in one day cricket sooner rather than later.

South Africa's star man AB de Villiers had earlier plundered 162 off only 66 balls in a rapid assault on the West Indies and Sri Lanka's Kumar Sangakkara hit a record four consecutive centuries. Heavier bats, powerplay restrictions on where fielders can be placed and shorter boundaries have all conspired to tilt the odds in favour of batsmen. Six of the top ten World Cup totals over the last 40 years came at this tournament, led by Australia's record 417 for 6 against Afghanistan in Perth.

Sure, there have been a few mismatches but the part played by the four Associate Member nations (AKA the minnows) should not be discounted.

The Afghans drew a lot of attention just by being there but they returned home with their heads held high and a win under their belts. United Arab Emirates had their first World Cup centurion in Shaiman Anwar and Kyle Coetzer reached three figures for Scotland.

The so-called lesser teams, such as Ireland, led by William Porterfield, have more than played their part in an excellent World Cup ©Getty Images



Ireland, with enthusiastic support from the "Blarney Army", beat the West Indies, once mighty in this form of the game and World Champions in 1975 and 1979. A thrilling five-run victory over Zimbabwe in Hobart was arguably the most compelling finale of any group match  This meeting of two so called unfashionable sides had television viewers gripped.

Yet the next tournament in 2019 will, as things stand, be restricted to ten nations. Qualification seems likely to be decided on one day international rankings.

Ireland captain William Porterfield made an impassioned plea on BBC Radio on behalf of the Associates. "It is shutting the door on teams. You have to give them opportunity to qualify," he said.

Porterfield's team were not the only men in Green to enjoy themselves. Bangladesh reached the last eight for the first time. Their passage was sealed by a big finish against disappointing England captained by Irish-born Eoin Morgan. He was criticised with some justification for his performance with the bat. He was also, rather unfairly, vilified for not singing the national anthem. England's 1966 World Cup winning footballers were not singers either, but no one seemed to mind back then.

Michael Clarke (left) and Brendon McCullum are unlikely to use the tactics implemented by their predecessors when they faced off back in 1981 in Melbourne ©Getty Images



At World Cup 2015 though, music whether appropriate or not, was considered essential to what the marketing men call "sports presentation". Every boundary greeted by razzamatazz and hoopla which even 30 years ago would have been considered simply "not cricket". The musical bling of Indian Premier League (IPL) matches is obviously what organisers had in mind but for the purist, it actually detracted from the atmosphere.

The closest World Cup final came in 1987 when Australia edged home against England by only seven runs. A similar finale in Melbourne might even persuade them to can that wretched music. At least bearing in mind what happened 34 years ago on that ground, the regulations have been changed to prevent any repetition of "underarm" problems.

Flagging up her comment as "My response to lots of questions today", the former world champion tweets: "I am very disappointed to hear this news. I don't believe it truly reflects the core values of tne NIKE that I am proud to represent, nor the integrity and ideals of the people there that I work with on a daily basis."

Meanwhile, former European 100m and Olympic 4x100m relay champion Darren Campbell has told the Daily Telegraph that he believes the decision is "absolute nonsense", adding: "It worries me because I thought part of these sponsorship deals were about the individual being an ambassador for the brand.

"Nike are seen as one of the biggest brands in the world so I don't know how they are going to fan the flames of this. It's absolute nonsense.

"Imagine if you are a Nike-sponsored athlete and you'll be wondering if Gatlin will be used in campaigns. I don't think I would be comfortable with that but athletes have to feed their families so what do they do?

"If young kids look at the spikes he is wearing and say they want them then how can a parent explain why they are not comfortable buying those shoes? It creates all sorts of problems."



Nike were one of Lance Armstrong's main sponsors during his seven Tour de France victories, which he was later stripped of after being banned for doping ©Livestrong


Nike have yet to respond with any comment.

While we wait, let me offer you part of an interview in the July 1992 issue of the Harvard Business Review. Asking the questions - Geraldine E Willigan. Answering them - Phil Knight, Nike's founder, chairman and chief executive.

"What if a Nike athlete does something illegal or socially unacceptable?" asks Willigan.

"There's always a chance that somebody will get into drugs or do something like Mike Tyson did," Knight replies. "But if you do your scouting well, you can avoid a lot of those situations.

"Three or four years ago we were recruiting two very exciting college basketball players, but before we signed them we checked with our network of college coaches.

"We learned that one of them had a cocaine problem and the other could only play good offensive ball with his back to the basket. Needless to say, we didn't sign either of them, and both of them were a bust in the NBA."

"Is social responsibility part of being a marketing-oriented company?" our interviewer continues.

"I've always believed that businesses should be good citizens, which has nothing to do with marketing,"says Knight. "But the thing I was missing until recently is the issue of visibility - and that is tied to marketing. It's not enough to do good things. You have to let people know what you're doing."

Wise words indeed.

Mike Rowbottom, one of Britain's most talented sportswriters, covered the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics as chief feature writer for insidethegames, having covered the previous five summer Games, and four winter Games, for The Independent. He has worked for the Daily Mail, The Times, The Observer, The Sunday Correspondent and The Guardian. To follow him on Twitter click here.

When the question was put to Great Britain's three Parliamentary sports politicos assembled in Westminster for their own pre-election debate recently there was an ominous silence followed by a lot of umming and ahhing.

The trio - Conservative Sports Minister Helen Grant, her Labour Shadow Clive Efford and Liberal Democrats spokesman John Leech - all preferred to prevaricate. None wanted to commit themselves on what has become arguably the most burning issue in sport.

So the question was thrown open to the audience of journos and senior figures in sport, from where came an unequivocal response. "I never felt I would ever say this," declared Michele Verroken, "but yes I do."

Emanating from Britain's first-ever drugs czarina that was a compelling statement. Verroken was a key player and a leader in the establishment of Britain's anti-doping policy for 18 years when it was under the aegis of UK Sport until her controversial exit a decade ago.

Why she was sacked remains a mystery - not least to her - but it followed a clash with incoming chair Sue Campbell. It seemed UK Sport's arena wasn't big enough for two feisty females. Verroken had been very effective, but she was also very outspoken.

By an odd coincidence her dismissal after a spell of "gardening leave" came soon after it was learned that Rio Ferdinand had missed a scheduled UK Sport drugs test. So did someone put the football boot in?

Manchester United were furious at the leak of his lack of a leak. It certainly did not come from Verroken, but did the powerful football lobby, led by Sir Alex Ferguson, whispering in the ears of Prime Minister Tony Blair and his PR henchman Alastair Campbell, do for her as it did for then Sports Minister Kate Hoey?

Michele Verrokens dismissal from UK Sport came soon after it was learned that Rio Ferdinand had missed a scheduled drugs test in 2003 ©Getty Images



It was a rum business, especially as only a few weeks before the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had praised Verroken's work.

There was no one else in the world with her experience of anti-doping except perhaps the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) own resident expert, Professor Arne Ljungqvist.

Verroken had been involved in the anti-doping procedures for every major sports event held in the UK and ten years on remains very much at the forefront of the anti-doping fray, running Sporting Integrity which advises international sports bodies and business corporations on matters of ethics and best practice.

Her efforts have earned her the recognition and support of some of the most powerful figures in world sport and have helped to shape the fight against doping in sport internationally. Her expertise in developing anti-doping programmes has been sought by a number of countries, including Ireland, South Africa and Saudi Arabia.

Since 2002 she has been secretary of the Commonwealth Games Federation Medical Commission, leading the coordination and delivery of the Games' anti-doping programme.

This week she has been speaking at the annual symposium on anti-doping organised by the WADA in Lausanne so her words carry some authority. When she says certain aspects of doping now need to be criminalised it is time to listen.

The evidence is damning. In the past few months positive tests have been recorded and suspensions imposed in athletics and cycling (no surprise there), rugby union, rugby league, ice hockey, tennis, weightlifting, boxing, American football and baseball.

Guilty nations have included the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Australia, Italy, Kenya, and Jamaica. As for Russia, well don't even go there! And goodness knows what is going on in China.

The United States' Wayne Odesnik has been hit with a 15-year suspension for a second doping violation ©Getty Images



Only last week, Andy Murray tweeted "Bye bye Wayne... Good riddance" after American tennis player Wayne Odesnik was hit with a 15-year suspension for a second doping violation.

Odesnik, 29, who was banned for two years in 2010 for possession of human growth hormone, was found to have taken prohibited substances, including an anabolic steroid, after submitting out-of-competition urine samples in recent months.

As Murray said, it is the cheats - and too many obviously continue to prosper - who give sport a bad name.

Perhaps most damaging of all is the Cycling Independent Reform Commission's report which says that the endemic doping culture in the sport has spread to amateurs and even those who pedal for pleasure at weekends.

It claims Masters races have middle-aged businessmen using EPO so they can train as hard as Lance Armstrong. Seems EPO is now the new illegal high for the sporting middle classes.

Verroken believes, with certain caveats, there should now be recourse to law, with incorrigible athletes and coaches facing criminal prosecution.

"Originally I wasn't in favour of such draconian measures but my view has changed," she tells insidethegames.

"If they are proved to be out-and-out cheats then yes, we should indict them. But if as a result of criminal investigation it is proved they are not but rather, as the late Sir Arthur Gold termed it, the careless and the ill-advised, then obviously not.

"Let's put in place stronger measures for rehabilitation and treatment than exist at the present. Are we really doing enough to make any impact on the problem we are trying to address?"

The Cycling Independent Reform Commission's report claims Masters races have middle-aged businessmen using EPO so they can train as hard as Lance Armstrong ©Getty Images



"One thing that needs to be looked at is the standard of evidence. A lot of question marks exist over what constitutes a truly performance-enhancing drug," added Verroken. 

"We have created grey areas and athletes fall into them. If we use criminal criteria we would create higher standards and that should permeate throughout anti-doping. At least calling for criminalisation moves the debate on.

"What I find very sad is that the current framework seems to take away a number of responsibilities that should belong to the sports bodies themselves.

"Why should there be an an automatic freedom pass back into sport once a ban has ended? Why aren't governing bodies given the choice of saying: 'We are not sure we want you back'? Or at least have them back on a probationary basis. At the moment they are obligated to take back the cheat. Why should they have that burden?

"In a criminal situation you are looking at different gambits, such as probation officers and suspended sentences to deal with this problem.

"We must make the effort to make the culture of sport clean and more than just a media soundbite."

Indeed. And Verroken is by no means alone in believing the law courts need to be brought into play.

In Kenya, the great Kipchoge Keino has called on the Kenyan Government to make doping a criminal offence in an effort to combat the growing problem of performance-enhancing drugs among the country's athletes.

As President of the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK), he wants new legislation introduced, including prison sentences for coaches and agents who encourage athletes to take drugs.

Kipchoge Keino has called on the Kenyan Government to make doping a criminal offence in an effort to combat the growing problem of performance-enhancing drugs among the country's athletes ©Getty Images



"The reputation of our sportsmen and women has been tainted beyond any imagination," Keino, the Mexico City 1968 1,500 metres and Munich 1972 3,000m steeplechase gold medallist, told The Daily Nation. Keino, a former member of the IOC, has also blamed foreign agents for the situation.

He has been supported by Kenya's Deputy President, William Ruto, who has claimed the involvement of foreign agents and managers are behind the epidemic.

"An unfortunate situation  is coming into our country. Kenya has stood out for decades, since the 1960s when Ben Jipcho, Kipchoge Keino and many others were involved in sports and we never had instances of doping.

"It is only in the last year or two that we have begun to see Kenyans suspected or tested and found to be using drugs."

Boston and Chicago marathon champion Rita Jeptoo is the biggest name of the 26 Kenyans who failed drugs tests last year.

UK Anti-Doping, the new authority in Britain, is not pressing for criminalising major doping offences. Nor is British Olympic Association chair Sebastian Coe, despite his vehement anti-drugs stance.

And criminalisation is something WADA itself is reluctant to endorse. When Germany proposed making doping a criminal offence, WADA's British President Sir Craig Reedie criticised the move.

Why? The way things are going, with sport's hardened junkies still thumbing their noses at their pursuers, and the litany of doping never-ending, surely the only option left is to prosecute them and their suppliers under the law.

I am with Verroken on this: Time to call in the cops.

Alan Hubbard is a sports columnist for the Independent on Sunday and a former sports editor of The Observer. He has covered a total of 16 Summer and Winter Games, 10 Commonwealth Games, several football World Cups and world title fights from Atlanta to Zaire.