Editorial: Are Australia's athletes uniquely corruptible?

The revelation of widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs by Australian athletes is being described by many as a black day for the country's sport. It certainly looks that way. What the Australian Crime Commission has found is not restricted to a single arena, nor even just to individuals. In some cases, it seems, whole teams might have been involved, and the drugs supplied by organised crime syndicates. As Jason Clare, the country's Home Affairs Minister, says, the findings "will disgust Australian sports fans".

Surely they must also raise questions for sporting authorities elsewhere? After all, there is no reason to imagine that Australian athletes are any more corruptible than those elsewhere. Even less so given recent exposure of mass match-fixing in European football, or cyclist Lance Armstrong's outing as a serial cheat. Where Australia leads, others must follow.