I see the fallout from drug cheat policeman Keenan’s appearance in the Tauranga Marathon continues. Writer, Kevin Norquay, has published an excellent opinion piece on the Stuff website. Here is the link:

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/opinion/107322516/kevin-norquay-shun-cheats-for-their-betrayal-of-sport-and-those-who-play-fair

Norquay doesn’t pull any punches. With some justification he compares New Zealand’s cheating policeman with marathon runners who win events after riding miles in a motorcar or on a New York subway. He concludes by suggesting that the cheating policeman should be left to run these social events on his own. I agree. Norquay’s article is well worth reading. Allowing Keenan into the Tauranga event is a slippery path that sport in New Zealand can do without.

But there was another article on the Stuff website that made my blood boil. It was written by Chris Skelton and is titled, “Tauranga Marathon organisers back their decision to include banned runner”. Here is the link to that report.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/107318870/tauranga-marathon-organisers-back-their-decision-to-include-banned-runner

The article reports that Aaron Carter, the owner of the company that organised the Tauranga Marathon, has doubled down on his decision to allow Keenen to enter the event. Carter’s excuses are pathetic. He should change his company name from Total Sport to Total Cheats. The owner’s philosophy has nothing to do with sport. Here is a summary of the points Carter made to Stuff in an effort to justify his decision.

Did you ever hear anything as pathetic as that? That’s close to being worse than I’ve ever heard coming from Cotterill and Johns. And believe me it takes something to beat those two when it comes to verbal vomit. Let’s look at some of Carter’s excuses.

“I totally appreciate their position, that’s their job, their underlying values and principles of business would put them in that position, but we don’t adopt that view. 

What is he saying? We don’t have underlying values and principles? If Carter is talking about the Keenan entry then he certainly has that right.

We’re a company that’s all about participation. One of our core values is being inclusive and trying to create events that have a broad appeal to a wide variety of people.

In other words we are prepared to accept any deadbeat, dishonest crook as long as they pay me their entry fee. Give me your money and I don’t care who you are or what you’ve done. Child molesting priest or drug dealing cop, if you have money, you are welcome here. That is a disgusting way to run a sporting business.

Carter was satisfied due diligence had been done prior to the race. I believe that it was just an unfortunate series of events. I believe that he probably made a naive decision.

Good God, Carter, what are you talking about? Keenen’s a policeman, trained in the law. He consciously went on to the internet and bought EPO and paid for it to be imported into New Zealand. He’s trained to catch people who do that sort of thing. An unfortunate event? A naïve decision? Surely no one believes that rubbish. Next thing you will be telling us you let him run because he didn’t sell the stuff at the local primary school and his parents said he was a terrific boy scout. Don’t try and sugar-coat what Keenan did. He’s a policeman who imported an illegal sporting drug. There is nothing good about that – nothing, period.

He made that decision based on trying to deal with a health issue. Had he actually purchased products, taken them to improve his performance that would change things for us.

That excuse is good enough to put on a Tui advertisement. A policeman bought an illegal drug to deal with a health issue and had no idea the drug would improve his performance. What kind of fools does Carter take us for? If Keenen had a health issue he could visit his local doctor like the rest of New Zealand. The drug was imported to improve his performance and Carter knows it. In my opinion to claim otherwise demonstrates a level of stupidity that should debar Carter and Total Sport from all sporting events.

“He’s been dragged through the wringer. It’s a bit sad. It’s affected his life. And I believe him.”

Surely Carter is not asking for us to feel sorry for drug cheating Keenan? Sure seems like it though. This whole thing is beginning to reflect as poorly on Carter as it is on the guilty Keenen. I guess you are known by the company you keep.

Keenan, he said would be welcome to future events.

That’s great. I can only hope that Carter and Keenan are the only two that turn up. They deserve each other.