Sports and substances at the Olympics

The photo of the captain of the Japanese Olympic gymnastics women's team drinking and smoking recently got a good airing in the media. Her subsequent stepping down was hardly surprising when it is an unspoken rule that while we can drink our fill in the hospitality zones, the blatant consumption of alcohol by competitors is a no-no.

WINE OF THE WEEK

• Dominio de Arenas 2022

• The flow of new wines coming out of the Sierras de Málaga appears boundless, possibly because their commercialisation was previously limited and demand low This authentic mountain wine, made with Muscat grapes, is delightful when served very cold. Around 18 euros.

The day is not far away when even the odd beer will not get past security, a far cry from the early 1900s when competitors enjoyed alcohol as part of their training diet, and a quick swig during the events was not frowned upon. In the 1908 London Olympics British marathon runner Dorando Pietri was given brandy and strychnine (then considered a stimulant) when he collapsed during the race. Canadian snowboarder Ross Rebagliati initially had his gold medal revoked in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics after testing positive for marijuana. (It was reinstated when someone noticed that marijuana was not on the banned substance list). At the 2018 Winter Olympics, Czech snowboarder Ester Ledecka celebrated her two gold medals with beer during her press conference.

At the first Olympics, a 23-year-old marathon runner won the race after stopping to have a cognac, and the aid stations at the 1928 games in Paris offered white wine to competitors.