Insight: Mar 12 / 19

Here are the next two topics up for debate on SBS’ Insight hosted by Jenny Brockie.

March 12
Insight asks who controls an athlete’s body in elite sport. Australian current affairs forum hosted by Jenny Brockie.

In the wake of the ACC report findings, the forum discusses allegations of the use of performance enhancing drugs in Australian professional sports, asking who is ultimately accountable.

Former football players, coaches, cyclists, and current sports scientists speak up about who athletes can really trust.

David Parkin, former AFL coach, breaks his silence on the doping scandal, revealing that during his time working for different clubs “we’ve got rid of people” there were suspicions around.

David says, “we weren’t prepared to take a risk that there might be somebody in the place that wasn’t operating all above board.”

He says sports scientists have become increasingly influential in clubs and says the pressure for coaches to get an edge over their competitors means everyone is tempted to bend the rules.

The program looks at the way professional sport is going. It discusses the lengths athletes are expected to go to in order to get an edge, with some suggesting that they are not always given a choice.

Guests include:

Ryan Cross
Ryan played for NRL team the Roosters for nine years and later switched to rugby union to play with the Western Force and the Waratahs. He says when he was younger he often didn’t know what supplements he was given and trusted the team support staff. Ryan says he often played while injured but that’s just the reality of professional sport.

Andrew Welsh
Andrew Welsh is speaking out for the first time since the Australian sports doping scandal broke last month. He was the Vice Captain of Essendon AFL club until he retired in 2011 and played for the club for ten years. Andrew says he was shocked to hear the club was being investigated for possible breaches of the World Anti-Doping Authority code. In terms of enhancing performance, Andrew says it’s fine to go as close to the edge as possible – as long as it’s legal.

Darren Burgess
Darren is the High Performance Manger at Port Adelaide AFL club. He says the increasing influence of sports scientists is a positive move as they are trained in monitoring things such as fatigue levels. However, he concedes that there needs to be more regulation of sports scientists as the majority aren’t accredited. Darren has a PHD in sports science.

David Parkin
Former AFL footy coach David Parkin is also breaking his silence on the doping scandal. Over his career, David coached his teams to win four AFL premierships and also played for Hawthorn. On Insight, David reveals that during his time working for different clubs “we’ve got rid of people” there were suspicions around. He says sports scientists have become increasingly influential in clubs and says the pressure for coaches to get an edge over their competitors means everyone is tempted to bend the rules.

March 19
Wrinkled Sheets – Insight asks Australia’s seniors about sex – what they want and what they need. 

8:30pm Tuesdays on SBS ONE