Susanna Gross

Geir Helgemo is the most revered bridge player in the world — and that isn’t about to change just because he failed a drug test at the World Bridge Series last September. You probably read about it at the weekend; some newspapers found it positively comical that the No. 1 player had been suspended for ‘doping’. Yet ever since bridge was recognised as a sport by the International Olympic Committee in 1998, players have been subject to random drug tests. Helgemo tested positive for synthetic testosterone. There’s no evidence it improves anyone’s game — indeed, no drug has been shown to do that. But it’s a substance that’s been banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, and as a result, the World Bridge Federation has suspended him for a year. The decision has provoked outrage; many players would rather see bridge de-classified as a sport. Here’s one of Helgemo’s celebrated hands, which no drug on earth could have helped him achieve (see image).