Chapter 70

In the BBC broadcasting hall, Edwards opened his mouth and asked, "What an exciting match, an Asian actually broke the men's 100-meter sprint world record, it's unbelievable. This is probably the first track and field gold medal for China in this Olympic Games, right?"

The host flipped through the materials in his hand and replied, "Yes, this is indeed the first gold medal in track and field for China in this Olympic Games. Track and field has never been a strong point for the Chinese, and even in previous Olympics, the number of gold medals they won in track and field could be counted on one hand."

"Oh! When will the award ceremony start?" Edwards continued to ask.

The host continued to flip through the materials and said, "The award ceremony will be held tomorrow. According to the schedule, after the second round of the women's 200-meter sprint, the men's 100-meter sprint award ceremony will take place."

"Still have to wait until tomorrow!" Edwards sighed, then explained, "But that's normal. According to the rules, the Fair Competition Committee must conduct a urine test on the medal-winning athletes. Am I right, Mr. Erickson?"

Edwards suddenly changed his tone and asked Erickson on the other side.

"Right!" Erickson almost spat out the word.

The day before, Erickson had hinted that Zhang Guan might be using performance-enhancing drugs. At that time, he had discussed the urine test issue with Edwards, and Erickson had confidently said that Zhang Guan had no chance of finishing in the top three and thus would not be subject to a post-race urine test. Today, Edwards deliberately brought up this matter to embarrass Erickson.

Edwards and Erickson had different stances. Erickson, as both a track and field coach and a sports commentator, knew that the sharper the topic, the more famous he would become. So, belittling others to show his professionalism was a common method for commentators. Moreover, as an old Englishman, Erickson's mind was filled with the glory of the "British Empire" and a sense of superiority, which naturally made him look down on the Chinese.

Edwards had no particular feelings towards Zhang Guan, but as a former athlete, he spoke more from the perspective of an athlete. He knew that every improvement in an athlete's performance was the result of immense hard work. The sports commentators, who casually dismissed the athletes' hard work with a few words, were something Edwards could not accept, so he naturally stood on Zhang Guan's side.

"But, the results can only be confirmed after the urine test. If the athlete fails the test, they will be disqualified from the award and may even be banned from competition!" Erickson said.

Edwards immediately responded, "So far, there has been no case of a failed urine test in the track and field sprint events of this Olympic Games. I believe that as an athlete, one will adhere to the principle of fairness in competition. And I also believe in the professionalism of the Fair Competition Committee."

"That's not necessarily true. Perhaps the Chinese have some unknown methods that cannot be detected," Erickson said, suddenly seeming to realize something and stopping his words.

On the other side, Edwards smiled at Erickson, knowing that Erickson had said something he shouldn't have.

The International Olympic Committee has a dedicated anti-doping committee, and the organizing committee of each Olympic Games also entrusts large biomedicine testing companies to serve the Games. Erickson's words not only questioned the fairness of the IOC but also the technology of the biomedicine testing companies, which rely on their technology for business. A famous commentator publicly questioning their technology on a TV show could lead to legal trouble.

...

In a coffee shop near the Olympic Village parking lot, Director Guo stared through the floor-to-ceiling glass at every vehicle arriving outside.

At the moment, the TV in the coffee shop was broadcasting the men's gymnastics rings final. The reason for broadcasting this event was that a local Greek athlete, Tamvakis, was participating. The competition was nearing its end, and the Greek athlete currently had the highest score, likely to win the gold medal.

Although the 100-meter sprint was a popular event, there were no Greek participants, while the rings event not only had a Greek participant but also a potential gold medalist. Therefore, the Greeks naturally chose to watch the rings competition. As a result, Director Guo had no idea about the outcome of the 100-meter final.

"How come the competition hasn't ended yet," Director Guo seemed somewhat annoyed, while Zhao, the assistant, was extremely unhappy to be accompanying him.

Director Guo was looking for trouble with Zhang Guan, and Zhao naturally had no objections, as Zhang Guan had shown no respect to Director Guo before. Zhao could understand Director Guo's actions. However, waiting here late at night made Zhao feel somewhat dissatisfied. Director Guo, being older, needed less sleep and was still energetic, but Zhao was already very sleepy, barely staying awake with the help of coffee.

"It's just a disciplinary decision, why not announce it tomorrow? It's already midnight. These people who are about to retire are just being weird and neurotic," Zhao thought to himself.

At that moment, several buses slowly drove into the parking lot.

"They're here!" Director Guo reminded Zhao, stood up, straightened his collar, and prepared to leave the coffee shop.

However, some people were clearly faster than Director Guo and his team, and those were the journalists. While Director Guo and his team were in the coffee shop, the journalists were already waiting in the parking lot.

Not every journalist could enter the main Olympic venue for interviews. Especially for the newly emerging online media, their journalists did not have the credentials of the national TV journalists, and their budgets were very limited. They had to carefully plan their transportation costs to and from various venues. For these journalists, staying in the Olympic Village was a good choice. Athletes would return to the Olympic Village after their competitions, and if they could intercept a big-name athlete in the parking lot and get one or two questions answered, their hours of waiting would not be in vain. They couldn't wait leisurely in a coffee shop like Director Guo; they needed to get the first-hand information, so they had to wait outside.

The biggest feature of online media is speed. What traditional newspapers take a day to publish, online media can do in seconds. When Zhang Guan won the Olympic championship, the domestic online media immediately called their reporters in Athens, hoping they could interview Zhang Guan. If they couldn't get an interview, taking a few photos of Zhang Guan returning to the Olympic Village would also count as an exclusive report.

There were only about ten journalists waiting, but when they all rushed over, it created a chaotic scene, which immediately drew Director Guo's disdain and dissatisfaction.

"Really no rules, they don't even let the leaders go first!" Director Guo muttered to himself, referring to himself as the leader. However, the journalists paid no attention to Director Guo, each quickly rushing towards the just-stopped bus.

"Zhang Guan! It's Zhang Guan! Quick, take a photo!" A journalist pointed to Zhang Guan, who had just stood up in the bus, and signaled the photographer to take a picture. Although the lighting inside the bus was not good and there was a thick layer of glass, it did not affect the photographer's enthusiasm, and various flashlights flickered like fireworks on the Lantern Festival.

Zhang Guan got off the bus, and several journalists immediately surrounded him. Everyone spoke at once, but Zhang Guan couldn't hear a single word clearly. Zhang Guan could only smile and wave to the cameras, while Coach Yu immediately stepped forward and said, "Don't crowd, don't crowd. Let the athletes get off the bus first, then move to the side, and then you can ask your questions, okay?"

The journalists realized that they couldn't conduct interviews this way, so they moved to the side to let the athletes get off the bus. However, the cameras and flashlights still focused on Zhang Guan, continuously flashing.

"There are so many journalists! This is perfect." Director Guo, who was approaching, smiled satisfactorily. He felt that reading the disciplinary decision in front of so many journalists would be like a public criticism meeting in the past, giving him an unparalleled sense of satisfaction.

In the next moment, Director Guo quickly squeezed into the crowded crowd.

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