Performance-Enhancing Drugs Should Be Allowed, Professors Say

Triathlon Forum
1

Here’s an interesting article. The Lancet is a reputable medical journal, though it reeks of tabloid journalism. The authors claim they are professors/lecturers in ‘bioethics’ and ‘cyberculture’ - What the hell? Apologies for the font.

Dec. 16 (Bloomberg) – Athletes should be allowed to utilize

performance-enhancing drugs under medical supervision, three

professors wrote in this week’s edition of U.K. medical journal The

Lancet.

Legalizing their use would allow researchers to study methods

currently being used to cheat while not harming athletes’ health or

reducing their lifespan, Bengt Kayser, Alexandre Mauron and Andy

Miah argued.

``Legislation of doping, we believe, would encourage more

sensible, informed use of drugs in amateur sport, leading to an

overall decline in the rate of health problems associated with

doping,‘’ they said.

The issue of drugs in sport resurfaced three days ago, as U.S.

sprinter Tim Montgomery, the former world record-holder in the 100

meters, was banned two years for steroid use – he’s since retired,

Reuters reported. Argentina tennis pro Guillermo Canas, then ranked

10th, was given the same punishment in August when he tested

positive for a banned diuretic, while there were a record 26 doping

cases at last year’s Athens Olympics.

By allowing medically supervised doping, ``the drugs could be

assessed for a clearer view of what is dangerous and what is not,‘’

the authors said. Playing sports is harmful even if no drugs are

taken – soccer comes with high risks of knee and ankle problems,

and boxers can suffer from brain damage – they added.

They said a contradiction occurs because performance-enhancing

drugs aren’t allowed, yet getting help from one’s genes by being

blessed with a performance-enhancing genetic predisposition is.

U.K. Sport Opposed

Governing body U.K. Sport opposed the idea, pointing to a

survey that showed 90 percent of British athletes at the Athens

games didn’t want peers found guilty of a doping offense to compete

in future Olympics.

U.K. Sport ``is committed to promoting ethically fair and

drug-free sport, with the aim of producing sportsmen and women who

are competing and winning fairly,‘’ a spokesman said in an e-mail.

``The use of performance-enhancing drugs undermines the integrity

of all involved in sport.‘’

Lincoln Allison, an English-based author whose books include

Amateurism in Sport and the Global Politics of Sport, disagreed

with U.K. Sport.

``If they’re going to do it, they should do it up front,‘’

Allison said in a phone interview. ``I don’t know how it would

benefit the sports involved. But the sports I think I’d want my

grandkids to play wouldn’t be affected.‘’

Kayser is a professor of exercise physiology at the University

of Geneva, and Mauron is a professor of bioethics at the same

school. Miah is a lecturer in media, bioethics and cyberculture at

the University of Paisley in Scotland.

2

In that article it said there was a tennis pro that tested positive for a banned diuretic. Does anyone know why a tennis player would take a diuretic that is banned? What would be the athletic advantage? I know diuretics are prescribed for high blood pressure and maybe other things, but would regular bp meds be banned by the tennis federation or whatever they call it?

3

You don’t need to look very far on many college campuses to find some professor somewhere who is willing to advocate for just about anything, no matter how, good, bad, or bizarre.

4

They need to legalize weed while they’re at it. You need rest days, too.

5

Either it gets the banned substance out of your body, or the diuretic is a masking agent.

6

That seems to make some sense I guess, but I still don’t know if it would work that well. Maybe that’s why he got caught. I would think you would just pee a lot. I don’t know how someone could live with themselves when they are taking a diuretic to mask something else they took. I guess I shouldn’t judge others, but I don’t understand people like that.

7

The diuretics are used to cover any other PED’s the athlete may have taken by creating a urine sample that is unnaturally clear.

I personally would not want to have to take PED’s to be competitive in sports if it were legal, 1) because I already spend too much money on the sport, and 2) I’m already slow enough as it is in the off season and I don’t want to be dropping a bigger percentage of fitness/speed; because not only would I be taking a break from hard training ,but probably also from the drug regimen. I mean, would you rather be slow in the offseason from pounding down that gallon of Egg Nog the day before or because you didn’t take “drug X” that morning.

I’d personally like to take the Egg Nog approach because that’s more fun.

8

How about a separate division where anything goes? Kind of like that Saturday Night Live skit about the All Drug Olympics where the weight-lifter pulls his arms off.

9

That wouldn’t work because the good athletes would go were the money (show me the money) is “clean” or “dirty”. Look at body building. You never hear about or view on TV the “clean” competition.

10

It was a good SNL skit though, right?

11

Bodybuilding does have “natural” competitions, but people would be amazed at how much drug use goes on for these “natural competitions”.

BTW over the past 5 years I have met and been around many of the top pro body builders in the world. It is disturbing how openly they will talk about the drugs they use.

12

The doping rules are always surprising in what they ban - a family friend was going the Olympics for sailing and couldnt take a drug during surgery that would slow her HR down. While using such a banned drug would hurt her performance, the reason behind the banning was that Olympic archery competitors can use it to steady their aim.

13

Google Bode Miller & drugs.

there are a lot of not only academics but athletes also who want to allow PEDs in their sports.

14

**BTW over the past 5 years I have met and been around many of the top pro body builders in the world. It is disturbing how openly they will talk about the drugs they use. **

It’s less disturbing that they are talking about openly (IMO) than to keep passing it off as “eating chicken breasts”. At least nowadays, they’re honest with kids and others about how they get so big. Drugs and bodybuilding are like root beer and pizza, tey were made for each other.

It’s too bad that athletes and other sports don’t speak so openly. At least then, future athletes would know what is expected of them or what they’ll need to consider to take on the challenge of elite athletics.

we could also talk, intelligently, about PED’s w/o all of the scare tactics and poor information that circulates around.

I have very little doubt that men of my generation (I’m 32) will, later in life, take some form of male hormone (perhaps steroids, growth hormone, etc) as a supplement to fight off again and stay more muscular for a longer period of time. The wealthy have been doing it for 10 years. maybe in 15-20 years, cost of production will be down to where we all can do it, or at least have the choice.

we could also, intelligently, talk about the differences between steroid use and steroid abuse. You’d think by talking to some that there is no difference … as if drinking two beers is the equivalent of drinking 22.

15

Publicly in the magazines, press conferences, etc. these guys STILL claim chicken breasts, protein powder, specialized training splits etc. However “off-the record” they have no shame in talking how many cc’s, how long they cylced which drug etc.

My ex-wife competed as a pro fitness competitor. She competed in all of the largest venues (The Olympia, Arnold classic etc.) in that sport for several years. 2 years ago at the Victory banquet for the Athletes and VIPs we were sitting at the same table as the diet guru who does the diet for 8 time Mr. Olympia champion Ronnie Coleman, as well as being married to former Ms. Olympia Kim Chizevsky. He probably knew who my ex-wife was but probably had no idea who I was. He talked about the drugs like people talk about racing wheels and aerobars here. Interesting he mentioned that someone he knew had been recently indicted in the BALCO case.

Another interesting scenario was the day before a competition in a hotel lobby. People were speculating where one of the top pro’s Craig Titus was. The answer was YELLED across the hotel lobby “Oh, Craig couldn’t make it, he had an infection at an injection site.”

Overall a very BIZZARE world. I am glad that I no long cross paths with it 2-3 times per year.