Saint or Sinner?: A Reconsideration of the Career of Prince Alexandre de Merode, Chair of the International Olympic Committee’s Medical Commission, 1967-2002

Citation

Dimeo P, Hunt TM & Bowers M (2011) Saint or Sinner?: A Reconsideration of the Career of Prince Alexandre de Merode, Chair of the International Olympic Committee’s Medical Commission, 1967-2002. International Journal of the History of Sport, 28 (6), pp. 925-940. https://doi.org/10.1080/09523367.2011.557912

Abstract
This article explores the role of Prince Alexandre de Merode in heading the IOC’s fight against drugs from the 1960s to 2002. History has not served de Merode very well. He has been presented in simplistic ways that emerge from context rather than evidence – as either a saint or a sinner. IOC-sanctioned accounts cast him in the mould of the saint: a moral and intelligent man who saved sports from doping. In contrast, sports academics have tended to portray him as a sinner: an ineffectual leader who did not develop either the testing systems or the punishments required to prevent doping and who deliberately concealed evidence of high-profile doping cases. This article assesses both representations before presenting information to support a richer and more complicated interpretation.

Keywords
International Olympic Committee; Prince Alexandre de Merode; International Olympic Committee; Olympics History; Doping in sports

Journal
International Journal of the History of Sport: Volume 28, Issue 6

People

Dr Paul Dimeo

Associate Professor, Sport