WITH the cynics revelling in the shambles surounding the Tour de France this week, it's a good job people like Tanni-Grey-Thompson are still talking sense.
Le Tour has been thrown into turmoil with the race leader sacked by his team, the pre-race favourite failing a blood doping test and a whole team pulling out, bringing Brit Bradley Wiggins' race to a heart-breaking end.
Cycling has to do more than most sports to defend itself from accusations of widespread drug-taking at the highest level, and it must be demoralising for the millions of people who train just for the love of the sport to see its showpiece event descending into chaos.
Yesterday some people were even claiming drug-taking should be legalised in cycling so that it could be properly monitored - the cynical implication being that everybody at the very highest level is cheating anyway.
So thank goodness one of Britain's greatest ever sportswomen spoke out yesterday on behalf of those who still believe you can succeed in sport through sheer hard work and determination.
Tanni's solution to the drug scandal rocking cycling was so simple but so right - if an athlete fails a drugs test, ban them for life from ever competing at that level again.
That's how they do it in the Olympics. Of course people will still cheat, but they'll know that if they caught, instead of getting a two-year ban they'll have to quit the sport in disgrace.
Tanni is Britain's greatest wheelchair athlete, a pioneer who fought for her sport to get the recognition it deserved and won 16 Paralympic medals - 11 of them gold - in a fantastic career. She's one of the few people I've interviewed who I could listen to for hours, she's so passionate and clued-up about her sport.
She said if the rules were changed to allow drug-taking, sport would no longer be sport but would become warfare. Playing by the rules makes sport what it is.
It's heart-warming when so many unscrupulous sports stars are prepared to cheat that somebody like Tanni is still there to remind us of the true values of sport - integrity, team-work and reaping the rewards of endeavour.
Being the best you can be.
