When Ben Johnson was stripped of the gold medal he won in the 100-metre sprint at the South Korea Olympic Games in 1988 because he failed a doping test, the sport world was shocked. That incident will be remembered for many years – from the euphoria created after the world record had been shattered to the dismay that the winning athlete had used illegal substances to enhance his performance.

Sport is followed by millions of people worldwide. Some disciplines are more popular than others, and media attention is proportionate to the popularity of the sport discipline in question. But it is always sad that stories often emerge that athletes and officials resort to illegal means – and not only by taking illegal substances – to try to secure victory.

Just before the football World Cup, Italian football plunged into a horrible scandal involving top teams, some of which were heavily punished for their involvement. The most popular team in Italy, Juventus, had two championship titles taken away and were relegated to the second division. Other clubs started the following season with points deducted.

Doping scandals have rocked cycling for a number of years, and it has happened often that top athletes were suspended after being caught taking banned substances. This year, even the world of Formula One was hit by a spy story which cost McLaren the constructors’ title. More recently, star runner Marion Jones admitted use of illegal substances and, last Thursday, it was the turn of tennis star Martina Hingis to announce that she is accused of testing positive for cocaine and said she will retire with immediate effect.

As one can see, illegalities – real or alleged – in sport are wide-ranging. The more popular the sport or athlete involved, the bigger the scandal.

Sport is today no longer just sport; it is a business that involves millions of liri. Athletes today are among the highest paid in the world, and use their popularity to make more millions by giving their name and image for advertising purposes. They are icons, people who are simply adored by their supporters, and are also considered as role models, especially by the younger ones.

Of course, in their majority, athletes are loyal to the sport they participate in, to their teams and to their supporters. Like anything else, it is the few who give sport a bad name. But the number of times when this has happened is increasing fast, and unfortunately this has affected the credibility of any game or event.

People still go to stadiums to follow their favourite teams or athletes, or watch the competitions on television in the comfort of their homes. But nowadays many question the regularity of the events simply because too many times they have been deceived.

Was that game rigged? Was the referee bribed? Was the winning athlete doped? Will the winner be stripped of the title? These are all questions that easily come to mind after watching a game or a race. These nagging doubts will continue to increase all the more each time a new scandal surfaces.

Sport authorities try hard to clean up sport. Punishments for those who do not obey the rules have been made harsher. Athletes have been disqualified, teams have been relegated, officials have been suspended. This has not been enough to stop these illegalities.

The thing is: do these officials and athletes feel satisfied, knowing in their heart of hearts that the victory they are celebrating was not obtained fairly? Don’t they understand that by winning through illegal means they are cheating themselves, their own supporters and sport in general?