Olympic champion Edwin Moses on covid-19, race and trans athletes | The Economist Podcasts

The coronavirus pandemic has derailed the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but that’s not the only problem facing world sport. The Economist Asks podcast spoke to Edwin Moses, former hurdling gold medalist, about doping, race relations and the inclusion of transgender athletes in the Olympics.

Further reading:

Listen to the full podcast with Edwin Moses here: https://econ.st/2P8SrHp

Find The Economist’s most recent coverage of covid-19 here: https://econ.st/33cGoRH

Sign up to The Economist’s daily newsletter to keep up to date with our latest covid-19 coverage: https://econ.st/3f7N6ul

Read more about covid-19’s impact on sport: https://econ.st/2P8Qcno

Can sport survive the covid-19 pandemic without spectators? https://econ.st/3fckksK

Why the Olympics should include e-sports: https://econ.st/2P6w4SH

Read more about the use of banned drugs in sport: https://econ.st/30h8SrD

Data: Doping violations at the Olympics since 1968: https://econ.st/2BM6QGq

The response to Russia’s state-sponsored doping: https://econ.st/39JOvpR

Read our leader on how to stop doping in sport: https://econ.st/2BGVhjC

How the pandemic has accelerated the growth of e-sports: https://econ.st/2P4Woge

Question timecodes

00:00 Introduction
00:48 The Olympic Games would have started this week if they weren’t postponed due to covid-19. Can you imagine how that feels for the athletes?
01:32 The Japanese Olympic Organising Committee recently said unless coronavirus conditions improve a lot, the Tokyo Games won't be able to go ahead in 2021. What would be the impact on the sporting world?
02:04 How did you prepare for your first Olympics, Montreal in 1976, and what took you there?
03:30 There’s a long history of protest in sport, such as the black power salute in 1968. Do you think athletes should think carefully about if they protest, or is it really up to the individual to choose what they do?
04:46 Can you ever or should you ever take politics out of sport?
06:19 The NBA will have Black Lives Matter stencilled on the court for the new season, and women’s NBA will have the motto on their jerseys. How powerful do you feel these gestures are in actually bringing about change?
07:52 Throughout your lifetime, how much do you think has actually changed in society in terms of racial equality?
10:07 You went on to work with the US Anti-Doping Agency. There have been many doping scandals over the years. What are your concerns today?
11:16 Is your argument that the West has largely dealt with its doping problem and Russia hasn't?
12:17 In March the IOC said after the Tokyo Games it would rule on how sports organisations should deal with the inclusion of transgender, intersex and athletes whose biology might be seen as giving them some unfair advantage. What’s your view on this?
14:38 What would it mean for sport to really face up to the issues around the inclusion transgender and intersex athletes? What would that entail?
15:51 What are your tips for amateur athletes, or people who play sports, to improve?