Doping in other sports

[oldroadman]

Welcome to the real world of anti-doping, Mr Hewitt. Although if a press conference is scheduled, the haperones can go in to ensure that there is no opportunity for the athlete to do anyhing before the first post-match sample is taken. Just takes organising. If you are a bit dehydrated, then you drink steadily and have to wait until teh required volume of urine is collected. I'm surprised an experienced professional does not know that, or indeed why he let himself get so hydrated. Tennis matches stop every few minutes for a refreshment break and a rest.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Sounds like lax testing if he's never had to do it before!!

 

[Crackle]

Sochi had a number of positives

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/feb/23/sochi-2014-johannes-duerr-epo-test-olympics

Most worrying was this report, don't know if anyone saw it

http://www.theguardian.com/sport/20...-drug-evidence-world-anti-doping-agency-sochi

 

[Hont]

The depressing thing is that none of that surprises me. You only have to look at the nature of cross-country skiing and long-track speed skating and you can see how successful doping would be on performance.

 

[rich p]

On the face of it this sounds exciting - more sensitive dope testing.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-26636371
It's even being led by Dr Armstrong in an ironic twist, but the end of the article says that it won't work for blood dopoing or HGH.

 

[thom]

On the face of it this sounds exciting - more sensitive dope testing.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-26636371
It's even being led by Dr Armstrong in an ironic twist, but the end of the article says that it won't work for blood dopoing or HGH.

Yeah it will be good at identifying molecules that don't naturally occur in the body.

I wonder what it would show up in retests of old samples...

 

[rich p]

It can also apparently show up usage over the last two years - if they were to test now and apply this method, then some may be quaking a little.

 

[Pro Tour Punditry]

Doping in Football (which I think someone on here said didn't happen, no benefit as it's a game of skill...):
http://www.4dfoot.com/2013/02/09/doping-in-football-fifty-years-of-evidence/

 

[rich p]

It's covering old ground but any drug that enables you to keep going longer and stronger, will enable you to keep your skills going longer too. It won't make you be able to pass any better but will lengthen the time before weakness and tiredness become a factor.
Just as much as EPO, say, would keep Dirty Bertie's cute little bottom bobbing up and down longer on the Tourmalet

 

[User169]

If I remember it was certain drugs made more sense than others and in all likelihood drugs were a problem but saying that it is a game of skill and no drug is going to change that...

Looking at the CL final last week, Real seemed to have just that extra bit of fitness that allowed them to maintain higher skill levels into extra time as compared to Atletico.

 

[Hont]

That's an interesting read. It won't convince those with their heads in the sand, but it deserves wider circulation.

 

[smutchin]

I'm wary of saying anything potentially libellous, but if a footballer fails a medical at his prospective new club and his old club say he has no current injury problems or underlying medical conditions, what are we to assume?

Hmmmm?

I suspect in the case I'm thinking of it's more likely to be something recreational than something performance enhancing, but probably something on the banned list, all the same.

 

[laurence]

ah, the old 'football is a game of skill so they don't nee drugs" response. sure, because there were no footballers on fuentes' list. also, pure coincidence that the winners of the 1998 world cup were the home team, who knew that the police were after le Tour and not them. i'm sure certain players' sudden lack of form that year was also a coincidence.

football is as riddled with drugs of all kinds, but the money to cover it is bigger.

 

[Hont]

Interesting column on doping in athletics...

http://www.rte.ie/sport/athletics/2014/0808/635892-column-gillick-discusses-doping-in-athletics/

"When I was in the States for nine months, I never saw one of the Caribbean athletes tested."

I think that's a very much "read between the lines" comment.

 

[smutchin]

Good piece, that.