DOPING NEWS 2005, Part 1 (January-June 2005)

News on all aspects of doping science, doping usage, anti doping control, and anti-doping code appearing in lay and business press are vitally important. The Doping Journal fulfills its obligation to inform interested scientists, athletes, funding agencies, regulatory bodies and legislators about the news stories on doping.

Legal notice: 'Doping News' page of the Doping Journal is provided for educational purpose only. A reference for news at length of this page is not an endorsement or approval of a news article content. The list below does not make a claim to being comprehensive; It is no substitute for your own research, and should not be relied upon for any purpose. Further info is available at the Doping Journal disclaimer statement. Please note that Doping Journal may inadvertently omit certain national/international news stories due to the lack of information. If you notice an omission please let us know. Each citation may include URL links to related articles.

Document navigation menu and related items:

DJ NEWS 2004 | 2006 | NEWS INDEX

DJ NEWS 2005, PART 2

DJ NOTEWORTHY

GOOGLE SCHOLAR

GOOGLE NEWS

NIH PUBMED

XML FEED

DJ News pages readership 1 January 2005 - 31 August 2005: 4519

Chimera on a Bike?
Credit: Stein W
Science (24 June 2005) 308(5730): 1864b
[PubMed] [Related Doping J News: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 ] [Authors contact]

Excerpt: "...Last September, Olympian Tyler Hamilton, 34, of Boulder, Colorado, was accused of taking a blood transfusion to boost his performance after a newly developed test showed he had two different types of red blood cells. Hamilton denied the charge, and with the help of geneticist David Housman of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, he has been arguing that he might be a chimera: an organism with a mix of genetically distinct cells. Human chimeras are not all that rare, Housman told a board arbitrating the case in March. Mothers and fetuses often exchange blood-producing stem cells, and fetuses can also get foreign cells from sharing the womb with a "vanishing twin," he said. But the arbitrators didn't bite, voting 2 to 1 to uphold a 2-year suspension and stating that blood doping was "the only reasonable conclusion." Encouraged by the split decision, however, Hamilton is again appealing, this time to a sport arbitration court in Switzerland... Mother-fetus chimerism is unlikely to produce foreign cells at the levels found in Hamilton's blood - about 2% - says geneticist Wendy Robinson of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. But Housman predicts that more athletes who are actually chimeras will show up as suspected blood dopers. And, wrote Hamilton this month in his online journal, "If we've accomplished nothing else in this case, we have put a spotlight on the vanishing twin phenomenon.""

selected by Evgenii Koudinov | DJ Global Newsstand | This item permanent URL

Governing Doped Bodies: The World Anti-Doping Agency and the Global Culture of Surveillance
Jin-Kyung Park
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
Cultural Studies <=> Critical Methodologies (2005) 5(2): 174-188
[PubMed] [Authors contact]

Abstract: "This essay examines the governing practices of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), an organization established in 1999 to cope with the crisis of illicit performance-enhancing drug use in international sport. The background, structure, and policies of WADA are analyzed while reflecting upon recent cultural studies debates on governmentality. In doing so, it is shown how WADA policies fundamentally work to police athletic bodies. Also demonstrated is that WADA embodies a First World, technology-driven governance of doping. Key Words: governmentality, surveillance, body, doping, globalization."

selected by Evgenii Koudinov | DJ Global Newsstand | This item permanent URL

The world anti-doping code 2003 - consequences for physicians associated with elite athletes
Striegel H, Rossner D, Simon P, and Niess AM
Medical Clinic and Policlinic, Department of Sports Medicine, University of Tubingen, Silcherstrasse 5, 72076 Tubingen, Germany
Int J Sports Med (1 April 2005) 26(3): 238
[PubMed] [Authors contact]

Abstract: "The purpose of the World Anti-Doping Code 2003 and the 2004 Prohibited List is to create a universal international standard to fight doping in competitive sports. The result of this is a whole series of changes for doctors with regard to their work with competitive athletes. The revised definition of doping now includes physicians in the group of persons who can fulfil the elements of a doping offence. Moreover, the mere possession of substances appearing on the Prohibited List represents a violation of anti-doping regulations. The 2004 Prohibited List includes several changes to the Olympic Movement List from 2003. Caffeine, for example, was removed from the list. Cannabinoids, on the other hand, are now prohibited in competition for all sports. The same is true for all forms of glucocorticosteroids. Therapeutic use exemptions in an abbreviated process are possible for the administration of glucocorticosteroids by non-systemic routes, as well as inhalative therapy with the beta-2-agonists formoterol, salbutamol, salmeterol, and termbutalin. In other cases, a therapeutic use exemption is possible using a standard application process. Further changes will become effective in the 2005 Prohibited List. In 2005, it is essential that beta-2-agonists are prohibited in and out of competition. HCG and LH are prohibited for all athletes. Dermatological preparations of glucocorticosteroids are no longer prohibited, and intravenous infusions will be a prohibited method in 2005, except as a legitimate acute medical treatment. In cases of violations of anti-doping regulations where it is permissible for the affected person to furnish proof of exoneration, the burden of proof is not higher than that required to prove the violation. The sanctions provided for in the World Anti-Doping Code follow a principle of rules and exceptions which at first glance seems difficult to understand. In the case of doping violations by physicians, the anti-doping code provides - as a general rule - for exclusion from sports associations for at least four years. Since several of the changes are questionable under constitutional aspects, it remains to be seen whether the World Anti-Doping Code 2003 will allow the achievement of a universal standard to combat doping."

selected by Evgenii Koudinov | DJ Global Newsstand | This item permanent URL

Jones Doesn't Address Doping Allegations
Los Angeles Times - CA, USA (9 June 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "MONTERREY, Mexico - Marion Jones said Thursday that boyfriend Tim Montgomery had a "long week" during an anti-doping hearing in California, but she didn't address allegations against herself. The three-time Olympic champion answered a list of scripted questions during a quick news conference before Saturday's Galatletica competition, but didn't address doping allegations against her based on grand jury transcripts leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle. Montgomery, who set the 100-meter world record in 2002, never has tested positive for a banned substance. Still, the United States Anti-Doping Agency is seeking to bar him from competition based on secret documents the Senate obtained last year. Montgomery was at a hearing in San Francisco this week challenging a potential lifetime ban that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency recommended for his alleged use of banned substances. "He's had a long week out in California," Jones said. "And I'm just looking forward to having a good competition." Besides Jones, Saturday's competition will feature Montgomery, the world's fastest man, and Mexican star Ana Guevara. Jones said she wants to use the event to tune up for U.S. nationals. "It's time to put it all out there," she said."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Congress investigates steroid use among teen girls
Las Vegas Sun - Las Vegas, NV, USA (14 June 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "The congressional committee that interrogated Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco will turn its focus Wednesday to steroid use by teenage girls. The House Committee on Government Reform will hold its fourth hearing on steroids in response to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that anabolic steroid use by young girls is rising. The report indicated that girls not only take steroids to enhance athletic ability, but also to control weight and lose body fat."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

WTC spawns entity to administer rules, doping policy at Ironman events: Ironman races will no longer be USAT sanctioned
Inside Triathlon Interactive, USA (12 June 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "In an effort to improve existing standards and race-related guidelines, the World Triathlon Corporation (the parent company that owns the Ironman Triathlon) is launching Global Tri Group Inc. (GTG). The Global Tri Group was formed to standardize rules/regulations, provide insurance assistance, and design programs to implement drug-testing worldwide. Members of the GTG Advisory Board include Steve Meckfessel, Greg Welch, Jim Riccitello and Paula Newby-Fraser. "We have been listening to our athletes and believe this will address their needs as well as contribute to the overall health and growth of triathlon," says Welch, a former Ironman and ITU World Champion. GTG will develop programs to initiate in-competition and out-of-competition drug testing for athletes, all in compliance with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Additionally, GTG will revamp the officiating system, including the method in which penalties are assessed. A complete set of competitive rules is available here. Athletes who hold a current annual membership with USA Triathlon as of June 12, 2005 will not incur additional insurance fees at upcoming 2005 U.S. Ironman events in which they are participating. Athletes who do not hold an annual membership will be required to purchase a one-day GTG membership ($9USD) for insurance at the Ironman event in which they are participating. Through the GTG, Philadelphia Insurance Companies will be the insurance provider. The $9 fee will encompass race day insurance, officiating and costs related to drug-testing. The 2005 Ironman Coeur d'Alene Triathlon will be the first event officially endorsed by Global Tri Group."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

U.S. weightlifter accepts suspension for doping violation
The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) - Press release (16 June 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

"COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (June 16, 2005) The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced today that Amanda Hubbard of Marietta, Ga., an athlete in the sport of weightlifting, tested positive for a prohibited substance and accepted a suspension for her first doping offense.

Hubbard, 23, tested positive for metabolites of cannabis or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) at the U.S. Weightlifting National Championships in Cleveland, Ohio on May 6, 2005.  Cannabinoids are listed as “specified substances” and are prohibited under the USADA Protocol and the rules of the International Weightlifting Federation, both of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) Prohibited List.  Cannabinoids are listed as “specified substances” because they are less likely to be abused as doping agents.

Hubbard accepted a three-month period of ineligibility.  As part of her sanction, she agreed to participate in an anti-doping educational program. Upon completion of the program, she received a three-month period of deferment, allowing for a return to competition immediately.

As a result of the doping violation, Hubbard has been disqualified from the 2005 U.S. Weightlifting National Championships and forfeits her third place finish in the Women’s 58 Kilograms event. USA Weightlifting, the national governing body for the sport in the United States, will carry out the sanction.

USADA is responsible for managing the testing and results management process for athletes in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement.  USADA is equally dedicated to preserving the integrity of sport through research initiatives and educational programs.

CONTACT: Nirva Milord, Communications & Public Affairs Director, (719) 785-2009"

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

755 Hits, Inc., Partners with the World Anti-Doping Agency to Promote Ethics in Sports
www.PR.com/press-release (15 June 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "Tampa, FL (15 June 2005) 755 Hits, Inc., a non-profit organization that advocates zero tolerance policies for substances used to enhance athletic performance, has affiliated with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Led by the International Olympic Committee, WADA was created to support fundamental values in sporting events. “Their (WADA’s) ideas and values are very much aligned with ours,” says Ed Titen, president of 755 Hits, Inc. “We only accept athletic accomplishments and records established through honesty. Substance abuse not only compromises integrity in sports, it often endangers children and young adults who participate in them.” Established in 2005, 755 Hits, Inc., gets its name from the all-time home run record set by Henry "Hank" Aaron. The non-profit organization donates proceeds to various sporting organizations, promoting honesty, integrity and truth in sports. “Organizations like ours are teaming up to rally more support for ethics in sports. It’s up to us to determine what kind of message we send our children,” says Titen. Contact: Ed Titen, President"

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Fastest man says he can go quicker
Scotsman - Edinburgh, Scotland, UK (16 June 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "ASAFA Powell, the softly spoken son of a preacher, has snatched the world 100 metres record away from a man who might have lost it anyway after being charged with serious doping offences, writes John Mehaffey. The 22-year-old Jamaican clocked 9.77sec at Athens' Olympic stadium on Tuesday, 0.01sec under the mark set by American Tim Montgomery at the Stade de France in 2002. The Court of Arbitration for Sport will announce in the next few weeks whether Montgomery should be banned for life and lose his time and earnings from the Paris meeting, but Powell erased all doubts surrounding the record when he confirmed his excellent early-season form with a finishing time of 9.78, rounded down by 0.01sec to ensure he took sole possession of the world mark. Powell admits more records will now be on his mind - even the possibility of taking the time down to 9.6sec. He said: "I don't know if that is possible - but I know I can run faster. If you ask what I can do more this year, you will just have to wait until the end of this season to see." First on Powell's agenda, though, must be the Helsinki world championships in August. Two years ago he was disqualified in the quarter-finals in Paris. Last year he was unbeaten, apart from the only race which really mattered when he finished fifth in the Olympic final. Powell is only the fourth non-American to hold the world 100 metres record since 1912 and the first since Jamaican-born Canadian Donovan Bailey clocked 9.84 sec in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic final. He also provides full vindication of a scheme set up in Jamaica by former hurdler Brigitte Foster to ensure young athletes do not feel impelled to move to the United States or Europe for economic reasons. The Caribbean has been a fertile environment for world-class sprinters but, since Hasely Crawford won the 1976 Olympic 100m final for Trinidad, they have won the highest honours for their adopted countries. Ben Johnson, disqualified for doping after winning the 1988 Seoul Olympic final in 9.79sec, was born in Jamaica, as was Linford Christie, who won the 1992 Olympic gold for Britain. Powell, whose relaxed, laidback demeanour makes a pleasant contrast to the extrovert Americans, is clearly as talented as any sprinter in history and could reduce the record further when the European summer really hots up."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Racing: Purdon to face charges over blue magic doping
New Zealand Herald - Auckland, New Zealand (16 June 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "Top harness racing trainer Mark Purdon will next month face charges related to the blue magic drugs affair. Harness Racing New Zealand (HRNZ) announced yesterday that the hearing would be held in Christchurch, commencing on Monday, July 25, although an earlier date would have been preferred. "While disappointed that this case could not be heard earlier, Harness Racing New Zealand is pleased that a date has been confirmed and that this matter can now be resolved through the judicial process," HRNZ general manager Edward Rennell said. Purdon is charged with the use of propantheline bromide, an ingredient in the substance commonly known as blue magic. Purdon's hearing will follow that of fellow Canterbury trainer Nigel McGrath, who has an appeal against a three-year disqualification set down for June 23 and 24. McGrath was disqualified in September of last year by the judicial control authority for the use of propantheline bromide but has continued to work as a trainer under a stay of proceedings. McGrath had intended taking his case to the High Court but last month decided against that course of action.

The blue magic affair first surfaced in New Zealand harness racing in May last year. In the interim two people connected to the case have died. They were former Canterbury trainer Robert Asquith, 47, who died last July at his home near Rangiora in North Canterbury, two days before he was to appear in court for the supply of propantheline bromide. The other was millionaire horse owner John Seaton of Christchurch. He was found dead at his home last November. Seaton, 55, had days earlier been charged with a being a party to - or attempted use of - propantheline bromide."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Columnist Peter Benton: Doping the U.S. Open field
Las Vegas Sun - Las Vegas, NV, USA (15 June 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "The 105th U.S. Open gets under way this week over the 7,214-yard, par-70, Pinehurst No. 2 course in Pinehurst, N.C. Like most Open venues, this layout will penalize those who fail to find the fairway, so (a) accuracy off the tee is a must; and (b) because the majority of greens are similar to inverted saucers, an excellent short game is also mandatory. To complete this equation, (c) the players with the aforementioned qualities along with the ability to successfully putt on the sloping and no doubt ultra-fast greens will have a huge advantage... As all golfers are aware, any Tour player on any given week can break through with a victory. Remember Ben Curtis in the 2003 British Open and Shaun Micheel in '03 PGA Championship? In essence, anybody in this year's U.S. Open field could win. So, who do you like?."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Two-year doping ban for Ayhan: Turk bannned for two years
FOX SPORTS - Australia (16 June 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "TURKISH sporting authorities have once again raised to two years a ban imposed on runner Sureyya Ayhan for violating anti-doping rules, a government official said. The decision follows a warning by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) that a one-year reduction granted to the European 1500m champion earlier this year was in breach of anti-doping rules. "Ayhan will be now be banned until October 1, 2006," the official said. A sports disciplinary board suspended Ayhan for two years in February for violating anti-doping rules, but later reduced the ban to one year. The runner was accused of shying away from a doping test and trying to submit someone else's urine sample ahead of the 2004 Athens Olympics. She and her coach and husband Yucel Kop rejected the charges, but admitted to a serious dispute with doping inspectors over how the sample should be taken. Ayhan withdrew from the Olympics, citing a hamstring injury, but the Turkish media reported that the real reason for her pullout was the doping scandal. The IAAF last month filed an appeal against Turkey's decision to reduce her ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the world's top sports court. "The CAS may now decide that the required penalty has been given and drop the case," the Turkish official said."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Kenteris testifies in doping case
Calcutta Telegraph - Calcutta,India - Reuters (16 June 2005)
[FullText] [Related ABC News report of June 6] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "Athens: Greek sprinter Costas Kenteris told a magistrate on Wednesday he was innocent of charges that he deliberately missed a doping test on the eve of the Athens Olympics and staged a motorcycle accident to avoid being tested. Kenteris, fellow sprinter Katerina Thanou and their coach at the time, Christos Tzekos, face charges of avoiding three doping tests including the one in Athens in August 2004 and faking the accident that put the two athletes in hospital for four days. “This country gave birth to the Olympics but also to this nightmare,” Kenteris’s lawyer Michalis Dimitrakopoulos told reporters after the testimony. “There is not the slightest evidence that he is guilty of the charges laid against him.” A court source said that the former Olympic champion, who appeared in court wearing a baseball hat and sunglasses, had repeated his claim of innocence. “He calmly repeated to the magistrate that he is innocent and has done nothing wrong,” the source said."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

East German doping victims seek damages from drug maker
Reuters.co.uk - UK (28 April 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "East German athletes stopped taking mandatory performance-enhancing drugs with the fall of the Berlin Wall 16 years ago. For many, though, the devastating effects on their health are only just beginning. "We are not just talking about complaints which can be fixed by an operation. We are talking about heart disease, liver failure, cancer," explained former shot putter Birgit Boese, who was pumped full of drugs from the age of 11 in the belief that they were vitamins. Now victims of the state-controlled doping programme, intended to produce Olympic gold medallists, are to fight for compensation from Jenapharm, the drugs company which produced their steroids.

Lawyer Michael Lehner says he planned a lawsuit against Jenapharm for 3.2 million euros (2.2 million pounds) compensation and Berlin-based lawyer Sven Leistikow says he will bring a test case against the firm by the European summer, probably involving a female former Olympian. Former athletes face spiralling medical costs to fund pain relief and osteopath bills and in many cases have no state medical insurance because they have been too ill to work. Oral-Turinabol, a steroid produced by Jenapharm which also made oral contraceptives and sex hormones, was the most common drug. The firm was privatised in 1991 and is now owned by drugmaker giant Schering.

LEGALLY APPROVED. "Jenapharm was part of the state doping system. It researched and produced doping substances and was involved in their distribution," said Lehner, who represents some 160 former athletes. Jenapharm says as Oral-Turinabol was legal in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) it did nothing wrong. "This substance was legally approved in the GDR and available on the market, but was misused by sports physicians and trainers," Jenapharm said in a statement. The firm has refused requests for talks with lawyers seeking an out-of-court settlement and now faces the test cases. Lehner says research from files left behind by East Germany's notorious Stasi secret police shows Jenapharm also passed non-approved substances to trainers and withheld information about the side-effects, thereby breaking the law.

"Oral Turinabol may have been legal but other medicines were not. It was also against the law not to inform athletes about the considerable side-effects to which they were exposed when they were forced to take these pills," he said. Former swimmer Catherine Menschner, 40, who has had seven miscarriages, found after research in Stasi files that she formed part of a secret guinea-pig class for steroid trials. Menschner told Germany's ARD television she needed to take pain killers constantly.

IDEOLOGICAL VICTORY. Jenapharm asserts that those responsible were: "The heads of the Socialist Party and the government who wanted to demonstrate the abilities of the GDR by achieving success in sporting events, and on the other hand the sports physicians and trainers who used the doping substances on the athletes." State-endorsed doping began with the Cold War when every eastern bloc gold was an ideological victory. From 1974, Manfred Ewald, the head of the GDR's sports federation, imposed blanket doping. At the 1968 Mexico City Olympicas, the country of 17 million collected nine gold medals. Four years later the total was 20 and in 1976 it doubled again to 40. In 2000 Ewald was convicted of causing bodily harm and given a 22-month suspended sentence. The few trainers and doctors ever charged were given moderate fines or suspended sentences.

"Under German law Ewald received a relatively severe punishment. The problem is bodily harm is not considered a particularly serious offence in this country," Lehner said. "It is just like after the Nazi era -- with everyone saying it is not me, it was not my fault," said Boese. Victims of the doping regime have been bitterly disappointed at the lack of results.

Up to 2,000 former sportsmen and women are seriously ill. Some have died, others are waiting to see what health problems their children may have inherited, said Boese. "Many of those sports people worst affected need every last bit of strength just to stay alive," Boese said. She dismisses any suggestion that within the totalitarian GDR state, doctors and scientists had no choice but to comply. "Those responsible within Jenapharm had the opportunity to say 'we will not produce this because we know it will be misused in sport'. No one would have lost their lives for standing up."

Leistikow added: "I do not believe that the pressure in East Germany was such that they were unable to refuse. They knew it was crime. "I get the impression that they thought so long as this remains secret 'I will play along'. They also wanted the GDR to look good on the international stage and agreed to go to any lengths to ensure athletes' success." Rainer Hartwich, Stasi codename "Klinner", who worked as a clinical research doctor for Jenapharm, told German television he alerted the Stasi in 1988 to the dangers of steroids. "I believe there is a moral responsibility here, and that the victims must be supported. This is Jenapharm's responsibility and they should fulfill their duty," he said."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Turkey to become doping center of UEFA
Xinhua - Beijing,China (27 April 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) will carry out doping tests in Turkey in the new season, semi-official Anatolia News Agency reported on Wednesday. Marc Vouillamoz, the head of UEFA Anti-Doping Unit, was quoted as saying that they wanted to work with Turkish Doping Control Center in Ankara as the official laboratory of UEFA in the season of 2005-2006. In a letter to the Center, Vouillamoz said thatthey aimed to sign an agreement in the beginning of the new season. UEFA has currently been carrying out doping tests in a center inNyon, Switzerland."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Doping law: 'Zero tolerance'
News24 - Cape Town,South Africa (27 April 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "Washington - US lawmakers will consider a "zero tolerance" bill for steroids in all levels of American sport "in the very near future", US House Government Reform Committee chair Tom Davis said on Wednesday. "Legislation, I think, will be introduced in that regard very shortly," Davis said before a hearing on steroids in the National Football League, a follow-up to March's 11-hour session on Major League Baseball's steroid woes. "We want a bill that goes across amateur and professional sports, basically a no-tolerance policy. I expect that in the very near future." But leagues would likely be left to decide their own punishments, Davis said, making it unlikely they would adopt the World Anti-Doping Agency standard of a two-year ban for a first steroid violation. The hearing comes a day after a US university study showed steroids are popular with pre-teen US girls who seek a more statuesque womanly form at a young age.

Girls using steroids. "Seven percent of middle-aged school girls are now using steroids to give their bodies tone, to make them look better. This is dangerous," Davis said. "These drugs are not only illegal, they are dangerous."

The NFL and US Anti-Doping Agency together established a doping laboratory near Salt Lake City to combat doping, but even NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue admits that genetic manipulation might soon turn television bionic myth into 21st Century reality. "The 'Six Million-Dollar Man' will no longer be a television fantasy but will instead become a near-term reality," Tagliabue said. "When that happens, the issues that our society is discussing today... will be as irrelevant as the blacksmith in the automobile age." The moves by Tagliabue come in the wake of revelations last month that members of the Carolina Panthers filled prescriptions for NFL-banned steroids before playing in the 2004 Super Bowl.

Davis said a steroid hearing with National Basketball Association officials is planned in the next month and a session with the National Hockey League is planned as lawmakers seek insight before imposing a federal sport steroid ban. "We do want to get involvement at the professional sports level. That's very important. Kids will emulate what they see the professional stars doing," said Davis. "We're targeting America's youth who are taking steroids in epidemic proportions. It has got to be zero tolerance.""

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Frans banned for two years
Ottawa Sun - Ottawa,Ontario,Canada (8 June 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "Canadian curler Joe Frans committed an anti-doping rule violation at the 2005 Brier in Edmonton, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport announced yesterday. Frans' urine sample on March 8 returned an adverse analytical finding for cocaine metabolite, a prohibited substance on the World Anti-Doping Agency list. An independent arbitrator found the 29-year-old Grimsby native violated an anti-doping rule and imposed a sanction of two years sport ineligibility and permanent ineligibility for federal sport funding. Frans played second on Wayne Middaugh's Ontario team at the Brier."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Mondor skipping outdoor track season
Lori Ewing
SLAM! Sports - ON,Canada (9 June 2005)
[FullText][Author contact]

Excerpt: "Emilie Mondor came home from the Athens Olympics last summer disillusioned about her sport. The turning point came just before her 5,000-metre race, when she went to use the washroom in the Olympic Stadium warmup area. She found an empty vial on the floor beside the toilet, a discarded container probably from an illegal doping substance. "All that work, all that hard training, I thought, why bother?" Mondor said from her home in Mascouche, Que. "That was the thing that really mentally destroyed me, losing a bit of the illusion."

In her mind, the Canadian distance runner had lost her competitive fire. But it was her body that eventually forced the issue when she suffered a physical meltdown over the winter that kept her in bed for weeks. While Mondor says she's on the road to recovery and is excited about moving to her new training base in California, she's opted to skip this year's track circuit which means missing the world championships in Helsinki in August. She looks back on the last few months as a huge learning experience.

"I didn't really like my experience at the Games, especially when I saw so much more the reality of track and field," said Mondor, who finished 17th in Athens. "For the past year and a half, pretty much all the news about track and field was about doping. It's just so sad. "And when I read about EPO (banned hormone erythropoietin, which increases oxygen carrying capacity) and stuff like that, I know what it does, I know what it is, and it's very difficult for me to know that I'm running against cheaters. And that happened last year." After Athens, she turned her focus toward the road-racing and cross-country circuits. She raced to a Canadian road record of 15 minutes 16 seconds in a 5-K in October, and was looking forward to improving on her eighth-place finish at the world cross-country championships.

She was training hard - too hard. "Weirdly, my body really, really crashed in December," said Mondor. "I had a fever, my blood pressure fell... It was a depression kind of, like my nervous system just crashed." Mondor, who had thrived in the lonely world of the long distance runner and prided herself on never taking a day off, wound up flat on her back. "I was sleeping all day, I had no energy, it was very, very tough. My metabolism was so high, so I became weaker and weaker," she said. Mondor had pushed herself past her limit. She suffered a couple of injuries that were huge clues her spare five-foot-six body was breaking down - a rolled ankle and a stress fracture in her sacrum, the triangular bone at the base of the spine.

"My body is still very young, and I think sometimes I ask a little bit too much of it," Mondor said. "At some point, you realize you're just human." That point came in May, when she gathered with her parents, her agent and Athletics Canada officials. "We just said, why rush everything? I just turned 24 on April 29, which is still a baby for distance running," said Mondor. "And even Athletics Canada pushed me not to run. They are saying 'The important one is Beijing (Olympics) in 2008 and you are one of our top athletes and we want you to heal all those little issues with your body.'

"Making that decision, the stress just went down so much." Still, pulling back wasn't easy. Mondor had already been confirmed for such prestigious meets as the Gaz de France Golden League meet in Paris, and the Golden Gala in Rome. She'll be missed in Helsinki too, after finishing a respectable 12th in the 5,000 at the 2003 world championships in Paris. Mondor also left her coach Mike Lonergan. Lonergan is based in B.C. and had been coaching Mondor mostly long-distance, via e-mail and over the phone. The two agreed it wasn't working. Mondor is moving to California in August to train at the U.S. national endurance centre in Mammoth Mountain.

And she has a new outlook on her sport. She's decided the measure of her worth is not in world championship medals and the only person she needs to beat on the track is herself. "When I do road races, I see the single mom that is running maybe 50 minutes for 10K, and you know what, I respect her more than some world record-breaker that weirdly has more than triple the red blood cells than me (a sign of doping)," she said. "To be a world champion doesn't make you a better person. I had to make that adjustment in my head. Do I really want to be involved in a sport that is so dirty? Do I really need that to be happy with who I am? "I can do a lot of other things in my life. I'm not living to be Emilie Mondor the athlete. I have a lot to achieve running, and I decided, you know what, I may never be a world champion, but I will always keep that same mentality that I always had, to fight against myself and to try to go faster than myself."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Montgomery at Doping Hearing
WashingtonPost.com (7 June 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "Tim Montgomery , the world record holder in the 100 meters, appeared yesterday at a Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) doping hearing. Barry Bonds 's personal trainer has joined two other defendants in the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative case and withdrawn his motion to suppress evidence gathered in the investigation. Greg Anderson withdrew his motion yesterday, the day before the evidentiary hearing had been scheduled, said Luke Macaulay , a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in San Francisco. Two other defendants, BALCO founder Victor Conte and Vice President James Valente , dropped their challenge last Friday. The defendants had been contesting the legality of the police raid of BALCO and Anderson's house, both in Burlingame, Calif. In a related matter, sprinter Tim Montgomery arrived in San Francisco for the start of his arbitration hearing challenging a potential lifetime ban that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency recommended for his alleged use of banned substances. Montgomery is challenging USADA's recommendation before the Court of Arbitration for Sport during a closed-door hearing that is expected to last several days."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Beijing 2008 web site Doping Info launched
Beijing 2008 (press release) - Beijing,China (9 June 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Beijing 2008 web site Doping Info launched. Presently, this page provides the following info: Doping Control, Adverse Analytical Finding, Anti-Doping Testing, In-Competition Testing, Independent Observer Programme, No Advance Notice, No Fault or Negligence, No Significant Fault or Negligence, Out of Competition Testing, Prohibited List, Prohibited Method, Prohibited Substance, Sample/Specimen, Specified Substances, Testing, Therapeutic Use Exemption, World Anti-Doping Agency, World Anti-Doping Code, Category: Generic." The subtitle is: "One word per day: Doping Control Contrôle du dopage. Doping Control relates to the planning, implementation and management of the process including test distribution planning, Sample collection and handling, laboratory analysis, results management, hearings and appeals. The OCOG may establish a functional area dealing with Doping Control aspects."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Frans: I didn't knowingly take cocaine
Canadian Press (8 June 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "The curler suspended for two years for testing positive for cocaine at the national men's championship said he ''partied hard'' at the Tim Hortons Brier, but denied knowingly ingesting cocaine. Joe Frans, who played second for Wayne Middaugh's Ontario team at the Brier in March, has been banned for two years because he tested positive for a cocaine metabolite, a prohibited substance on the World Anti-Doping Agency list. When asked for an explanation by the Canadian Centre For Ethics in Sport, he responded with an e-mail on April 11.

''This is a complete shock. I don't believe it,'' Frans said in his reply, which was included in an arbitrator's ruling released Wednesday. ''I drink a lot - I'm a curler - but I don't do drugs. ''I partied hard at the Tim Hortons Brier, going to the patch (social event) every night. I did go to the smoke hole often because I like to smoke when drinking... I also went to many after-parties all week long. ''I don't remember seeing cocaine or anyone smoking it, but those are the only times I can possibly think of that I may have come into contact with drugs. I am at a loss. ''I would never do anything to jeopardize something that means so much to me and everyone around me. I don't know what I would do without curling.''

Cocaine as a performance-enhancer in curling seems incongruous because the sport requires a steady hand and nerves and a clear head to plot strategy, read the ice and make accurate shots, rather than aggression or high stimulation. Sweeping is probably the only area where it might give an advantage.

''I would think there's absolutely no way it could ever help you,'' two-time world champion Colleen Jones said Wednesday. ''I don't know what drug could help you in curling to play better. What I've read about cocaine and the rush it would give you, it would be the worst possible thing you could take for curling. I don't believe for a minute it was ever used for performance enhancement.'' She said Frans' performance at the Brier in Edmonton proved that. ''He played really badly at the Brier,'' Jones said.

Middaugh's team went 6-5 and finished just out of a playoff berth at the Brier. Frans tied for fourth in shooting percentage among seconds at the tournament. The World Anti-Doping Agency, which includes cocaine on its banned list of performance-enhancing substances, and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, which carries out the testing, does not distinguish between sports when it comes to doping.

If the substance is on the banned list, you're out. ''The code, in an attempt to be harmonized across sports and around the world, rarely differentiates by sport,'' CCES president Paul Melia said. ''It is possible that an athlete got caught up in the system who never intended to cheat by using performance-enhancing drugs, but the system does not differentiate.'' While considered more of a social or recreational drug, WADA says cocaine is a performance-enhancer because it stimulates the central nervous system like ephedrine, another banned substance, and increases energy and aggression.

While marijuana is on the World Anti-Doping Agency's prohibited list, it's classified as a ''specified substance'' because it's not used for performance enhancement. Sanctions for testing positive for marijuana can range from a reprimand to a one-year ban from the sport.

Frans, a 29-year-old native of Grimsby, Ont., exercised his right under the rules of the Canadian Anti-Doping Program to an arbitration hearing in that he didn't waive his right to a hearing. But he did not participate in it or provide an explanation in writing. Arbitrator Richard McLaren said in his written ruling that he closed the hearing ''due to his (Frans') lack of co-operation and willingness to participate'' and McLaren proceeded to determine that an anti-doping violation had taken place. Frans was one of four athletes randomly selected for testing at the Brier. He is the second curler to ever receive a doping violation.

American Mitchell Markes was suspended in January for two years for refusing to take an out-of-competition drug test. Drug testing has been performed at Canadian national curling events since it became an Olympic sport in 1998. While Jones, a six-time national champion, goes to the Scott Tournament of Hearts expecting to be tested, she says teams making their debut at a national championship often face drug testing for the first time.

''Perhaps you are a recreational drug user and suddenly you're going to be tested,'' she said. ''I almost think now there should posters at every single curling club in Canada, that you're a tested sport and the CCES allows for nothing, to make people aware that recreational drug use is tested for and if you're caught, you're suspended.''

Frans, however, had experience in national competitions as he competed at both the 2001 curling trials and the 2002 Brier as third for John Morris. Curlers cannot plead ignorance, said Warren Hansen, the Canadian Curling Association's manager of event operations and media relations, because information on banned substances and drug testing are included in a guide given to each athlete before the national championships. Also, teams are reminded at a meeting the day before the competition begins that there will be drug testing.

''When you have a large number of people participating from all different walks of life as to what people do and how they do it, it's pretty varied,'' Hansen said. ''I think basically what it says is that curling isn't any different than any other sport with regard to potential problems that athletes might have with drugs.''"

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Doping-Australian government to aid WADA over caffeine concern
Reuters.uk - UK (19 May 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "SYDNEY, May 19 (Reuters) - The Australian government will hand over any information it has on caffeine use to help the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) assess whether the drug should be banned. WADA announced it would consider putting caffeine tablets back on the banned substance list after several Australian athletes, including national rugby captain George Gregan, admitted taking them. "It is important the international watchdog on anti-doping in sport has access to the best available information on any matter, allowing it to make informed decisions," Australian sports minister Rod Kemp said in a statement. "Australia will be providing all the data it has available on caffeine to assist WADA in its consideration of this issue." Although there was no suggestion that anyone had broken the rules, Kemp said he was concerned that high-profile athletes were taking caffeine. "It is clear that inappropriate use of caffeine raises health issues and side effects, and it is important that athletes are well aware of these implications," he said. "There is also a role model issue. It is important that children are taught about good nutrition, skill development, and building their game knowledge. That is how kids can best improve their performance, not by taking caffeine." WADA said Australia was the only country that had shown an increase in caffeine use. Caffeine tablets were removed from the banned list early last year and while WADA believes they have little effect on performance, they are continuing to monitor their use for signs of possible abuse. Gregan admitted earlier this week that he and a number of his Wallabies team mates had taken caffeine tablets before big games. He claimed the pills boosted his performance by seven percent but doping experts have disputed this, saying caffeine was unlikely to have any impact on performance."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Lawmakers push baseball union to adopt tougher doping
Xinhua - Beijing,China (19 May 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "WASHINGTON, May 18 (Xinhuanet) - Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Don Fehr was pressed by US lawmakers here Wednesday to adopt a tougher anti-doping program proposed by MLB commissioner Bud Selig. The lawmakers' message was simple - get tougher on dope cheats or we will impose tougher rules upon you, according to reports. Fehr defended baseball's new doping plan reached in collective bargaining in testimony before a House of Representatives Commerce subcommittee looking at imposing World Anti-Doping (WADA) rules upon all US sports leagues. But lawmakers were unhappy over steroid controversies surrounding current stars Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi and retired sluggers Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco and they let Fehr know they were not satisfied with the current plan."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Spartak President Denies Doping
Gennady Fyodorov
The Moscow Times - Moscow, Russia (19 May 2005)
[FullText (Requires subscription)] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "Former Spartak Moscow president Andrei Chervichenko has denied allegations of widespread doping in the Moscow club in 2003. Russian media reported last month that Spartak was involved in systematic doping two years ago and that the country's soccer authorities knew about it and tried to conceal the problem..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

White details doping abuse for WADA
AP - TSN.ca - Canada (18 May 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "PARIS (AP) - American sprinter Kelli White, serving a two-year suspension after admitting she used banned substances, says she was treated like a "guinea pig" to try out doping products. White testified about her drug use to the World Anti-Doping Agency executive committee in Montreal on Monday. The French sports daily L'Equipe, which said it was the only news organization inside the hearing, published a transcript Wednesday. White said she was asked to try out various performance-enhancing drugs, including the designer steroid THG, endurance-boosting hormone EPO and stimulant modafinil. She said she was never warned of potential side effects. "I was offered a lot of things and asked to test them to see if I responded better to certain products," she was quoted as saying. "I was like a guinea pig. I tried a lot of stimulants and modafinil suited me perfectly. The same for THG, which helped put on muscle very quickly." White tested positive for modafinil at the 2003 world championships in Paris and was stripped of her gold medals in the 100 and 200 metres. White was later implicated in the steroid investigation into the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative. She acknowledged her use of the drugs when the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency confronted her with evidence it had gathered against her.

White was suspended for two years in 2004 and is cooperating with USADA. Her former coach, Remi Korchemny, is among four men indicted on federal charges in the BALCO case. After testing positive at the worlds, White claimed she had used modafinil to treat the sleeping disorder narcolepsy. She told WADA that was a cover story devised by BALCO founder Victor Conte and a doctor, Brian Goldman. "I never suffered from narcolepsy," she said. "I never even knew the word existed until a few hours after the announcement of my positive test." White's allegation about the cover story was reported in February by the San Francisco Chronicle. Goldman, who was an associate of Conte, hasn't been charged in the BALCO case. White told the WADA panel that she took a cocktail of drugs - including THG, EPO, a masking agent and a mix of stimulants - starting in March 2003 for at least four months, and said the results were "incredible." White said she passed 17 doping tests in 2003 before the world championships. "The tests didn't worry me," she said. "I was calm." But White said she suffered physical effects from the drugs. "My menstrual cycle was completely disturbed," she said. "I had acne and my voice changed incredibly. And probably the worst thing was my blood pressure shot up. It took a long time to stabilize." White said she's concerned that other athletes are still looking for an illegal edge. "The worst thing is that many athletes continue to talk to me about doping and want to know how to acquire these substances," she said. "It's troubling. "The fight against doping must be increased and the angles of attack must be increased," White added. "Other athletes are ready to talk and a lot of things are still going on today. Let's not forget the trainers, because they advise the athletes.""

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Cyclist appeals doping ban
Townsville Bulletin - Northern Australia,Australia (19 May 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "DISGRACED Australian cyclist Mark French will tomorrow appeal his two-year suspension for doping offences. The former junior world champion will go before a three-person Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) panel in a bid to have last year's finding overturned. The Melbourne hearing, which will be closed, is expected to go into Saturday and possibly Sunday. Several top Australian riders will be called as witnesses and former world champions Shane Kelly, Jobie Dajka and Sean Eadie are likely to be among them. The French case became the biggest drugs scandal in Australian sporting history and severely disrupted the track cycling team's preparations for the Athens Olympics. Days after French received his suspension, Labor senator John Faulkner made his notorious "shooting gallery" allegation in federal parliament. The senator said French's room at the then-Australian Institute of Sport lodgings in Adelaide were being used by riders to inject banned substances. It was later revealed French had named Kelly, Eadie, Dajka and Graeme Brown and Brett Lancaster during his hearing as riders who had injected unknown substances in the room. As a result of the original CAS finding, the Australian Olympic Committee handed French a lifetime ban from Games teams. The scandal led to a full-scale review of the case by retired Justice Robert Anderson. Dajka was kicked off the Athens Games team for lying to Anderson about injecting supplements in French's room, but he was not found guilty of any doping offences. As a result of customs investigations, Eadie had to return from a pre-Games training camp in Germany to successfully defend himself against allegations that he imported banned substances..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Jones not welcome at European meetings
Independent Online - Cape Town,South Africa (19 May 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "London - Organisers of many of Europe's most prestigious track meets don't want Marion Jones - whether or not she's guilty of doping. Those willing to have the three-time Olympic champion - including a June 1 meet in Milan, Italy, where she makes her first European appearance of the year - can get her at a bargain price. Jones has been shunned since being linked to the BALCO steroid scandal in the United States. "We will not invite her, or any other athlete under investigation, until the BALCO situation is cleared," said Svein Arne Hansen, director of the Bislett meet in Oslo, Norway. "We are not saying she is guilty, I just do not want our meet to be about doping." 'I just do not want our meet to be about doping' Hansen also heads the Euro Meetings group, an association representing Europe's top meets. It has recommended not inviting Jones to any events. Not all organisers are falling in line. "I'm definitely against doping and against the doping culture," said Franco Angelotti, head of the Regione Lombardia meet in Milan. "But I'm an organiser of athletic meets, not a judge. Until someone is found guilty, there is the presumption of innocence." ...The Weltklasse in Zurich, the world's most prestigious one-day meet, didn't invite Jones in 2004. And she's been overlooked again. "Our position in this matter was already taken last year when we decided before the Olympics," Weltklasse meet director Hansjoerg Wirz said. "Only a clear position in such matters brings the credibility back." Of Europe's six Golden League meets - Paris, Rome, Oslo, Zurich, Brussels and Berlin - Berlin seems the most open to inviting Jones. Rome also looks like a possibility. "I'm not in a position in Berlin to say if she's guilty or not guilty. I follow the IAAF rules, under the IAAF rules she can perform," Berlin meet director Gerhard Janetzky said. The International Association of Athletics Federations lets meet organisers pick their own fields. If Jones qualifies by placing among the top three in an event at the US championships, she can run in the world championships August 6-14 in Helsinki, Finland. "We have to be very clear about it," IAAF spokesperson Nick Davies said. "She hasn't been charged by anybody to our knowledge, so she is totally free to compete internationally. On the other hand, the meet directors are private businessmen and free to choose who they want."

...Jones, who turns 30 this year, has not been charged with any doping violations. She denies using performance-enhancing drugs, and has never failed a doping test. But she has been tied to Victor Conte, the head of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative. In a December 3 television interview, Conte said he sat next to Jones in 2001 as she injected herself with drugs. He said he designed a drug programme for her that included the steroid THG, endurance-enhancing EPO, human growth hormone and insulin. Jones has denied Conte's allegations and filed a defamation suit against him in a US federal court in San Francisco. A judge ruled the suit will not be heard until Conte's trial is complete. Conte, along with three others, has pleaded innocent to charges of distributing steroids to top athletes. The trial is scheduled to begin in September. Jones's image has also been tarnished by ex-husband CJ Hunter - a former world shot put champion - and Tim Montgomery, the father of her 23-month-old son and the world-record holder at 100m. Hunter has alleged he personally injected Jones with banned substances and saw her inject herself. Hunter retired from the sport after testing positive for steroids four times in 2000. The US Anti-Doping Agency has accused Montgomery of doping violations. He has bypassed a USADA hearing, and has taken his case to the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport. A hearing is set for June in San Francisco. If found guilty, he faces a lifetime ban. Like Jones, Montgomery has never failed a doping test. Jones and Montgomery were also briefly coached by Charlie Francis, the former coach of banned sprinter Ben Johnson. Fast Track, which runs three large meets this season in Britain, won't be inviting Jones..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Caborn to challenge FIFA
Mihir Bose
Telegraph.co.uk - London, England, UK (19 May 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "Richard Caborn, the sports minister, is to meet FIFA president Sepp Blatter at the Champions League final in Istanbul on Wednesday to sort out the problems that have arisen over football's failure to follow the code of the World Anti-Doping Agency. If the problems persist, football could be out of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the Football Association could face government sanctions. The WADA code dictates the minimum penalty for a doping offence should be two years unless there are exceptional circumstances. FIFA signed up for the code but has not changed its disciplinary code and maintains a first ban should be six months. The foundation board of WADA met in Montreal on Monday and warned FIFA it was not complying. Dick Pound, WADA chairman, said: "All other sports have changed their disciplinary code, FIFA is the only one that has not. "Every time we think we have an agreement we find we don't. This has got to stop. They have got until their congress in Marrakesh in September and if they don't we will declare them to be noncompliant and tell our stakeholders - the International Olympic Committee and the governments - and FIFA will have to live with the consequences." This could mean the IOC removing football from the Olympics and the government withdrawing funding from the FA. Caborn, who is on WADA's foundation board and attended the Montreal meeting, warned: "If one sport is exempt then other sports will want to be. Tennis has already said if football is allowed exemption they would want it and so would athletics. We can't have that."..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Malaysia To Convene International Conference On Anti-Doping Next Year
Bernama - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (17 May 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "KUALA LUMPUR, (Bernama) - Malaysia has been accorded the honour by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) to organise an international anti-doping conference next year in an effort to eliminate the use of drugs in sports in the Asian region. Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Azalina Othman said the conference, to be held in December 2006, would bring together anti-doping experts in the region with the purpose of enhancing and promoting anti-doping programmes in sports in the region. She said this in a statement issued by the ministry, here Tuesday. Azalina is now in Montreal, Canada, to attend her first meeting as a member of the Wada Foundation Board that began Monday. Following her nomination in April 2004, Azalina was elected to the board in December last year and will serve as one of four Asian representatives until December 2007. As a member of the board, Azalina wields the clout to move international experts and administrators to raise awareness on the use of drugs in sports among sports associations and related bodies. Azalina also spoke of the possibility of setting up an Anti-Doping Agency of Malaysia to replace the ad hoc committee comprising the Malaysian Association of Doping, the Olympic Council of Malaysia and the National Sports Council... Wada was established in November 1999 with the mission to promote and coordinate internationally the fight against doping in sports."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Police seize medicines, hyperbaric tent at hotel of Giro teams
SLAM! Sports - ON,Canada (18 May 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "ROSSANO VENETO, Italy (AP) - Police seized a hyperbaric tent and medicines from the hotel of some Giro d'Italia teams in a doping raid Wednesday. The Italian news agency ANSA reported that the tent was found in a hotel hosting the Davitamon-Lotto team, whose captain Robbie McEwen won Wednesday's 10th stage of the Giro. Unidentified medicines and bottles for intravenous drips were also seized, ANSA reported. Allan Peiper, sport director of Davitamon-Lotto, said hyperbaric tents are not illegal under International Cycling Union and World Anti-Doping Agency rules. But the hyperbaric tent, a pressurized oxygen chamber, could infringe Italian anti-doping rules which forbid performance-enhancing medicines...."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Doping positive dethrones heavyweight champion Toney
China Daily - China (12 May 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "Boxer James Toney has tested positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone and has been stripped of the victory that made him the World Boxing Association heavyweight champion... The New York State Athletic Commission ruled that Toney's unanimous 12-round decision over Puerto Rico's John Ruiz here on April 30 is now officially a "no decision" because of Toney's positive post-fight doping test. Toney was also fined 10,000 dollars and banned from fighting for 90 days. That could become a two-year ban once the WBA imposes its punishments, which also will include stripping Toney of the heavyweight crown and returning it to Ruiz, an unpopular champion for his plodding, hug-filled style of fighting. Toney denied that he has ever taken any performance-enhancing substance. "I've never used any illegal substances to prepare myself for a fight," Toney said. "Being accused of taking performance enchancing substances is an insult to me. I don't do drugs. Period." Dan Goossen, promoter for the 36-year-old American fighter, confirmed that Toney tested positive for nandrolone. Goossen said medications Toney took to treat injuries that wiped out two prior fights led to the positive test. "Toney received medical treatment for recovery from his biceps and triceps surgery last year," Goossen said. "His doctor has stated that the combination of medications used to control the inflammation and tissue growth caused the positive test result. "This is further supported since the body, in combination with the medications, naturally create the form of substance (nandrolone) reflected in the test results." Toney's steroid positive comes two weeks after US lawmakers conducted a hearing into steroids in American football and just days after they gave preliminary approval to forming an oversight committee to regulate boxing. New York state rules call for the fight to be declared no contest with any decision regarding possession of a title to be made by the sanctioning body. WBA rules require the title to revert to the original champion if a triumphant challenger fails of a doping test. So Ruiz - who retired after the fight but said two days ago he would fight again - is set to reclaim the WBA crown and a dubious place among hopefuls for a unified championship. "We are waiting for the WBA to immediately implement its rule," Ruiz lawyer Anthony Cardinale said. "We're glad the truth has come out and Johnny hasn't lost his championship." Toney looked overweight but not bulked up but became only the third former middleweight champion in boxing history to claim a heavyweight crown, following compatriot Roy Jones and 1890s fighter Bob Fitzsimmons. Toney would be eligible to appeal before a WBA committee in hopes of keeping his crown..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

A case of doping or a 'vanishing twin'?
Gina Kolata The New York Times
International Herald Tribune - France (12 May 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "Last month, when the champion American cyclist Tyler Hamilton was accused of blood doping, or transfusing himself with another person's blood to increase his oxygen-carrying red cells, he offered a surprising defense: The small amount of different blood found mixed in with his own must have come from a "vanishing twin." In other words, his scientific expert argued, Hamilton had a twin that died in utero but, before dying, contributed some blood cells to him during fetal life. And those cells remained in his body, producing blood that matched the dead twin and not Hamilton. Or perhaps it was his mother's blood that got mixed in during fetal life. An arbitration panel did not believe those hypotheses and said there was a "negligible probability" that Hamilton was anything but guilty. The test, they concluded in a 2-1 decision, shows a blood transfusion and that meant that Hamilton was suspended from racing for two years; he is the first and only person in cycling convicted for that offense. At age 34, near the end of his career, it could mean his championship days are over. Hamilton has said he will appeal the decision. If he can prove the test was flawed, then not only might he return to cycling and his multimillion-dollar career, but other athletes could use the same defense. The new test, developed over two years by the World Anti-Doping Agency and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, would be all but useless. Travis Tygart, the general counsel for the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which prosecuted Hamilton, says the scientific evidence was against the cyclist. "Our interest is only justice," Tygart said. "We don't blindly bring doping cases."

...Whether Hamilton is guilty or innocent, his defense does refer to a real phenomenon. Researchers who have no involvement in Hamilton's case say it actually is possible for someone to have two types of blood in his body, without doping. They emphasize that they do not know whether this is the case with Hamilton. One route to this odd state, called chimerism, is the vanishing twin. Dr. Helain Landy of Georgetown University, who has no involvement in the Hamilton case, has found that 20 to 30 percent of pregnancies that start out as twins end up as single babies, with one twin being absorbed by the mother during the first trimester. Others researchers have found that in some cases, before the twin is absorbed, some of its cells enter the body of the other fetus and remain there for life. The cells can include bone marrow stem cells, the progenitors of blood cells. Another route to chimerism is through the cells that routinely pass from a mother to fetus and remain there for life. Dr. Ann Reed, chairwoman of rheumatology research at the Mayo Clinic, who uses sensitive DNA tests to look for chimerism, finds that about 50 percent to 70 percent of healthy people are chimeras. The more scientists look for chimerism, the more they find it. It seemed not to exist in the past, she said, because no one was looking for small amounts of foreign cells in people's bodies. "Some believe that if you look hard enough, you can find chimerism in anybody," said Reed, who also has not been involved in the Hamilton case. It is so common that she thinks there must be a biological reason for it. It also may cause problems, she and others say. Chimerism may be why bone marrow from a seemingly perfectly matched donor relentlessly attacks a patient who receives it in a transplant - the attackers may be a small percentage of cells in the marrow that come from someone else. It also may help explain autoimmune diseases, when the body's own immune cells attack. The attacking cells may be the foreign ones that arise from someone else. The Hamilton case involves a test developed by Dr. Margaret Nelson and her colleagues at the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Australia. It was based on a simple idea: If an athlete got a transfusion, he would have to make sure the blood was the right match using the blood antigens A, B and O. But blood cells have other surface proteins, so-called minor antigens, that do not matter in blood typing for transfusions but can be used to distinguish one person's blood from another's. The investigators said they could use a sensitive test, flow cytometry, to search for small amounts of blood with minor antigens different from those in the athlete's own blood. It was an important advance, anti-doping agency officials said. They knew that athletes, including cyclists, had used blood transfusions in the past to boost their performance but had no test to prove it...."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

'No Euro snub' for Marion, Tim
News24 - Cape Town,South Africa (12 May 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "London - US sprinters Marion Jones and Tim Montgomery say they know nothing of a reported European snub of this summer's racing schedule. Promoters are reported to believe that Jones and 100 metres world record holder Montgomery are a liability for the image of athletics in Europe because of links to the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative. Balco founder Victor Conte is accused of supplying steroids, and he claims he gave Jones performance-enhancing drugs. But Jones' agent Charles Wells claims he is negotiating with European meet organisers. "It's news to me. I know nothing about that," he said of a snub. "All I know is that I have been talking to promoters in Europe all week about putting both of them in meets." It was understood that could include the Golden League meetings in Rome in July and Berlin in September. A decision by the Euro-Meetings Group to boycott the US stars has been taken without consultation with the recently established International Association of Athletics Managers who are eager to work closely with championship and all meeting directors.

Jones and Montgomery have both been active on the American circuit this season with Jones, 29, winning her first race of the season in the Caribbean. But Montgomery has been charged by the US Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) with serious doping violations. Usada has built its cases on verbal evidence given to the federal investigation into Balco rather than test results - neither Jones or Montgomery has ever failed a drugs test. Jones won five medals at the 2000 Olympics, where her ex-husband CJ Hunter - who tested positive for steroids four times before the Games - left the competition in disgrace. Jones has since launched a defamation lawsuit against Conte."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Life bans on women weightlifters to be reduced
Times of India - New Delhi,India (11 May 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "NEW DELHI: Heeding to Indian Olympic Association's suggestion, the Indian Weightlifting Federation has agreed to reduce the life ban slapped on three women lifters and chief coach after the Athens doping fiasco last year. "We have recently received a letter from the IOA suggesting reducing the ban on three women lifters and chief coach and decided to reduce their suspension period to two years as per the WADA laws,"IWF Secretary General Balbir Singh Bhatia said. The Federation had already conveyed the news to the lifters through Police Force Control Board, he said but added that an executive committee meeting would further deliberate on the fate of Pratima Kumari and Sanamacha Chanu, who tested positive for banned drugs for the second time during Athens. According to the rules, the weightlifters could be banned for life if caught twice for doping offence, he said. We have already sent letters to them conveying the news. But we will place the matter of Pratima and Sanamacha before our executive committee when it meets,"Bhatia said. Sunaina's suspension period will be over in April 2006. Meanwhile, Pratima, who has appealed to the International Weightlifting Federation against the ban and also filed a case holding coaches responsible for the Athens episode, said she was yet to receive any communication from the IWF. Sanamacha said she would meet the Federation officials after returning and then only give a statement over the issue..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Rapid healing trick falls foul of anti-doping rules
New Scientist Issue of 14 May 2005, p.7, Newswise (press release) - USA (12 May 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "A rapid healing treatment, considered but rejected by the UK soccer team Chelsea, has been virtually outlawed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The procedure called blood-spinning, which is based on concentrating and re-injecting a person’s own blood, can be applied as a gel to a wound to heal injuries faster. But WADA warned all national sports authorities last week that the treatment could introduce banned substances into the body."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Sport - Media - Ethics
International Olympic Committee News (11 May 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "Various media and sports personalities gathered yesterday at the Olympic Museum to discuss the theme “Performance at any price, doping, sports business and the media: how can we ensure clean sport?”. Sport as a factor of social identity: Organised by the Swiss Commission for UNESCO and in collaboration with several Swiss press associations, the day began with an introductory speech from IOC President Jacques Rogge, who then answered numerous questions from those attending. In his speech, the President recalled the importance of the values transmitted by sport, and the efforts being made by the IOC to combat the dangers of doping, corruption, racism and violence. “Sport is a tremendous tool for educating young people and integrating minorities; it is a factor of social identity, and the IOC will continue to do all it can to promote the values of sport”, he added. “Winning without cheating”: Next on the agenda came two round tables on “Winning without cheating” and “Money in sport – good or bad?”. Swiss athletes, television and written press journalists, and representatives of companies linked to sport exchanged ideas on the role and responsibility of the msedia with regard to sports ethics: while the media have popularised sport and the sporting spirit within society, this increased media attention helps to encourage doping and mercenary attitudes by developing the entertainment side of sport. Sport for all: Adolf Ogi, Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary General on Sport for Development and Peace, rounded the day off with a speech on sport for all..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

U.S. Anti-doping agency awards $1 million in research grants
United States Anti-Doping Agency, USADA (10 May 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Full Text: "Colorado Springs, Colo. (May 10, 2005) - The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), as part of its continuing efforts to eradicate doping in sport and protect the health of athletes, has awarded more than $1 million dollars (U.S.) in grants to fund research designed to detect new methods of prohibited performance-enhancement, including a study involving gene manipulation. “Our commitment to clean sport is most evident in the $2 million we dedicate annually to research,” said USADA Senior Managing Director Dr. Larry Bowers.  “Only by making these investments, and in combination with education, will we have the best opportunity to deter doping in sport.” USADA has committed more than $460,000 U.S. to a two-year study conducted by the Hastings Institute in Garrison, N.Y. to investigate the present and future implications of gene transfer technology and the ethical issues inherent in attempting to detect genetic manipulation.  The study, led by Dr. Thomas Murray, will also address the ethics surrounding genetic testing conducted to determine the most favorable athletic traits in an individual. “The science of genetics is poised to have a significant impact on Olympic sport in several ways: through genetic selection, targeted genomics and proteomics and, perhaps, through genetic manipulation,” said Dr. Murray.  “With USADA’s generous support, The Hastings Center is eager to contribute to understanding the ethical and policy implications of genetic science in sport.” King’s College London in England received approximately $400,000 U.S. from USADA for a broad study on steroids in women, including the concentrations of specific urinary steroids.  The Institute of Hematology, Royal Prince Albert Hospital in Camperdown, Australia was awarded an $80,000 U.S. grant to investigate the ability to detect infusion of stored red blood cells from the same individual.

A total of $90,000 U.S. was distributed to several institutions to provide reference materials to World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratories, including Albany Molecular Research, Inc. of Albany, N.Y.; the National Measurement Institute of Australia in Sydney, Australia; and ARC Seibersdorf Research Gmbh in Seibersdorf, Austria. USADA is responsible for managing the testing and results management process for athletes in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement.  USADA is equally dedicated to preserving the integrity of sport through research initiatives and educational programs. USADA allocates $2 million annually towards the study of prohibited substances, the development of tests, and other issues involved with the practice of doping in sport. Recommendations for funding of grant proposals are made by an independent Research Policy Advisory Committee.

CONTACT: Nirva Milord, Communications & Public Affairs Director, Phone: (719) 785-2009, E-mail: nmilord@usantidoping.org "

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Aus, English get US anti-doping funds
AFP - iAfrica.com - Cape Town,South Africa (11 May 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "A US study of gene manipulation techniques is among the research projects receiving more than $1-million in funding from the US Anti-Doping Agency, the group announced on Tuesday. Studies in Australia and England were also financed by the US doping oversight panel. US anti-doping officials are backing projects aimed at improving detection of banned performance enhancement in sport, with special concern about the prospects for genetically designed Superman being engineered for sport success. More than $460 000 was invested into a two-year genetics study conducted by the Hastings Institute in Garrison, New York. The investigation will probe the implications of gene transfer technology, ethical issues of attempting to detect genetic manipulation and of genetic testing to determine most favourable athletic traits in individuals. "The science of genetics is poised to have a significant impact on Olympic sport in several ways — through genetic selection, targeted genomics and proteomics and perhaps through genetic manipulation," study director Thomas Murray said. England's Kings College received about $400 000 for a study on steroids in women, including concentrations of specific urinary steroids. An $80 000 research grant went to the Institute of Hematology at Royal Prince Albert Hospital in Camperdown, Australia, to investigate the ability to detect a person infusing their own stored red blood cells to boost performance. Australia's National Measurement Institute in Sydney, ARC Seibersdorf Research in Seibersdorf, Austria, and Albany (New York) Molecular Research were awarded a combined total of $90 000 to provide reference materials to laboratories accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

"Our commitment to clean sport is most evident," said USADA senior managing director Larry Bowers. "Only by making these investments and in combination with education, will we have the best opportunity to deter doping in sport.""

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Sepeng doping 'accidental'
De Jongh Borchardt
News24 - Cape Town,South Africa (8 May 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "Pretoria - Despite receiving calls of support from all over the world after it became known that he tested positive for steroids, South Africa's star athlete Hezekiel Sepeng is fighting to clear his name. Sepeng tested positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone, better known by its commercial name Deca-Durabolin. ' If found guilty, the 800m Olympic silver medallist in the 1996 Atlanta Games could be banned for two years. Sepeng's coach says Sepeng did not knowingly ingest an illegal substance, but is keeping his cards close to his chest regarding the possible reasons for the positive test. Sepeng's long-time coach, Jean Verster, emphasised that they could not elaborate because of the sensitive nature of the matter. However, he queried why the authorities waited so long before contacting Sepeng to inform him the sample taken on February 21 had tested positive. "We can't say anything yet, but there are a few possible reasons for the positive test," he said. "We've written a letter to Athletics South Africa and to the IAAF in which Hezekiel says that he did not knowingly use any (banned) substances." Verster said: "Sepeng asked that his B sample also be tested and we asked a complete breakdown of information." Verster declined to comment on reports that Sepeng could have used contaminated supplements. The British tennis player Greg Rusedski was absolved last year after testing positive for nandrolone. A tribunal found that the ATP had distributed tablets apparently contaminated by banned substances. "In the meantime we're doing a lot of research on the internet about nandrolone and the possible reasons for positive tests." Nandrolone has also been a talking point in SA rugby. The two-year ban on Sharks flyhalf Herkie Kruger expired earlier this year, but he is still fighting to clear his name. Former Springbok prop Cobus Visagie also tested positive for nandrolone in 2002 and he was banned for two years. This was later set aside when research indicated the body could over-produce nandrolone in some circumstances. Nandrolone is known commercially as Deca-Durabolin and is a steroid administered by injection."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Sports court hears appeal of case involving U.S. Olympic relay team
AP Sports - MSNBC News - USA (10 May 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "The Court of Arbitration for Sport heard an appeal Tuesday in a case that could result in a U.S. relay team losing its gold medals from the Sydney Games. Jerome Young, who already has been stripped of his medal because of doping, was on the winning 1,600-meter relay squad at the 2000 Olympics. The former 400-meter world champion ran in the opening and semifinal rounds, but did not run in the final. He had tested positive in 1999 for steroid use, but was cleared to run in the Olympics by a U.S. appeals panel. The International Association of Athletics Federations has recommended that the entire six-man team be declared ineligible because of Young's drug infraction. The U.S. Olympic Committee has challenged the IAAF recommendation. Officials of CAS, world sports' highest court, were not available to say when a decision _ which would be final and binding _ could be expected. Michael Johnson _ who won his fifth gold medal in his last Olympics _ raced in the final, along with Antonio Pettigrew, Calvin Harrison and Alvin Harrison. Angelo Taylor also received a gold for running in the earlier heats. All would lose their medals if CAS upholds the IAAF's recommendation. Young was banned from track and field for life by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency last year following a second positive doping test."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Belarus forward Filin banned for doping
Eurosport - Italy (4 May 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "The 20-year-old Filin plays for Dynamo Minsk and he played junior in Canada for the Oshawa Generals. Filin was tested after the Belarus forward Tsimafei Filin has tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone and been disqualified from the world championships. Belarus will suffer no further penalty, the International Ice Hockey Federation announced on Wednesday. The 20-year-old Filin plays for Dynamo Minsk and he played junior in Canada for the Oshawa Generals. Filin was tested after the 2-1 defeat by Slovakia on Saturday in Group A which also includes Russia and Austria. The federation said both Filin's A and B samples showed the steroid present at more than 250 times the normal level. "We had a meeting with the player, the team doctor and the management of the team, and the player requested the B sample also be tested," the IIHF said. "The B sample showed the same result as the A sample. He is now found guilty of an offence and is out for the rest of the tournament. "After the tournament it (the case) will be handled by the IIHF disciplinary committee who will decide on further sanctions for this player," the IIHF added. Belarus team officials said the player denied taking any performance-enhancing substances, but that they accepted the IIHF decision. "We are not disputing this fact (of the positive test). We will continue to try and educate our players, especially young players, on how to play drug-free. We do not support drug use," said Belarus team leader Sviatoslav Kiselev. "Our management, and federation will stand behind the player no matter what."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

IOC 'blew' dope tests
Brisbane Courier Mail - Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (5 May 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "TESTING mistakes allowed American cyclist Tyler Hamilton to escape blood doping charges, according to anti-doping chief Dick Pound. He said the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the official lab of the Athens Olympics were guilty of the mistakes. "As far as I understand...(the lab director) blew it and also the IOC blew it," World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) chairman Pound said in an interview with Greek radio. Hamilton tested positive for a blood transfusion in August after winning the Olympic time-trial gold medal. But he was able to keep his gold medal because the IOC said the result of a follow-up sample was "non-conclusive" because it had been destroyed by being deep-frozen. The Athens anti-doping lab marked Hamilton's second sample as suspicious, but Pound argued that it should have been dealt with as a positive case from the start. "The lab director didn't deal with (the sample) right away as a positive case, and the IOC didn't notice the problem for several days," said the WADA chairman. "It should have been reported as a positive case instead of merely suspicious, and the IOC should have been reading these forms every day...they didn't respond quickly enough," he said. In September, Hamilton had two samples test positive for blood doping at the Tour of Spain and has been banned for two years. Hamilton forfeited all competitive results from that date, although he still has an avenue of appeal. "I'm sure the B sample would have confirmed the A sample in Athens as well," said Pound. In December, Greek prosecutors launched an investigation into the Athens lab blunder that allowed Hamilton to keep his Olympic medal. Prosecutors said they wanted to determine if the deep freezing was deliberate or negligent. Blood doping is a means to enhance an athlete's endurance by increasing the amount of oxygen-carrying red cells in the blood stream, using their own blood or that of a donor of the same group."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

FIFA pressured on anti-doping rules
David Smith
EurActiv.com - Sportbusiness.com - USA (5 May 2005)
[FullText] [FullText at AurActiv] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "The Luxembourg Presidency and the European Commission are increasing the pressure on soccer’s world governing body FIFA to fall into line with world anti-doping requirements. Speaking at a meeting of sports ministers on April 29, Luxembourg's Sports Minister Jeannot Krecké fired a clear message from the Luxembourg Presidency and the Commission to FIFA that it must fully meet worldwide requirements in the fight against doping, reports EurActiv.com. Zero tolerance on doping was a key message, with Krecké urging sports federations to adopt internal rules to achieve this goal. On April 28, the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) agreed to set up a secretariat to monitor implementation of the International Convention against Doping in Sport. Krecké said he hoped UNESCO member states would ratify the convention ahead of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. The fight against doping in sport is a top priority for International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge, who has actively sought government backing for it."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

New Russian Soccer Chief to Probe Spartak Doping Claims
Mosnews - Russian Federation (3 May 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "Newly elected Russian soccer chief Vitaly Mutko has vowed to investigate allegations of widespread doping by Spartak Moscow in 2003, Reuters reports. Spartak captain Yegor Titov received a one-year ban by UEFA in January 2004 after testing positive for the banned stimulant bromantan following the first leg of Russia's Euro 2004 playoff against Wales in November 2003 when he was an unused substitute. Doping allegations are always a serious matter and we must do a complete and thorough investigation, a spokesman for the Russian Football Union quoted Mutko as saying on Tuesday. Mutko, a friend and a former colleague of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was voted RFU president last month, replacing long-serving chief Vyacheslav Koloskov. Despite allegations that doping has been rife in Russian soccer for years, the Titov case shocked many within the game. Wales lodged appeals with UEFA and the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to try to overturn Russia's victory and take their place in Euro 2004. The appeals were rejected by both UEFA and the CAS.However, Russian media has now accused Spartak of systematic doping in 2003 and that the country's soccer authorities knew about it and tried to conceal the problem. The players were simply used as guinea pigs, former Spartak defender Maxim Demenko was quoted as saying by Sport-Express newspaper last Friday. I know that sooner or later we will suffer the after-effects of all that (doping), added another ex-Spartak player, Ukraine international Vladislav Vashchyuk. The newspaper wrote that several Spartak players had been suddenly withdrawn from the national team on the eve of Russia's key Euro 2004 qualifier against Ireland in September 2003.Soon afterwards, Spartak sacked their head coach Andrei Chernyshov along with team doctor Anatoly Shchyukin. Another Spartak doctor, Artyom Katulin, was banned by the RFU for two years, although his ban was later halved. Demenko recalled: Small white pills were given to first team players before each game. Vashchyuk said players had taken the pills just before the match and at halftime and the doctors often used a drip to administer the banned drugs. Both Demenko and Vashchyuk said they felt sorry for Titov.  He paid for somebody else's mistakes, said Demenko, who retired last year. He was simply used as a scapegoat, added Vashchyuk, who is now playing for Ukraine's Chornomorets Odessa. Titov missed the Euro 2004 finals in Portugal but returned in January 2005 after serving the ban. Russia's most successful club Spartak, who have won nine league titles since 1992, have declined to comment on the case."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Rincon Begins Suspension for Doping
Dave Campbell
AP - ABC News - USA (3 May 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "MINNEAPOLIS May 3, 2005 — Suspended Twins reliever Juan Rincon was "devastated" to hear he had tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and insisted Tuesday that he would never intentionally put his career in jeopardy. Penalized 10 days on Monday for the violation, the Minnesota setup man said he had asked the players' union to challenge the ban. Wearing his pregame warmup uniform and standing next to general manager Terry Ryan, Rincon read a prepared statement about 3 1/2 hours before the Twins played Cleveland. "Baseball is my life, and I was devastated after becoming aware that I tested positive for a violation of Major League Baseball's Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program," Rincon said. "The details are confidential, and I have asked the Players' Association to challenge the suspension. "What I can share with you today is that I would never knowingly compromise my position within Major League Baseball or jeopardize my relationship with the Minnesota Twins organization or the relationships that I enjoy with my teammates. "I will make no further comments, or answer any questions, until the process plays out in its entirety. However, I will add that I look forward to returning to the field to continue pitching to the best of my ability to help the Twins organization win its fourth consecutive division title."..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

DFB rules against Erfurt
Special Broadcasting Service - Australia (5 May 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "German second division strugglers Rot-Weiss Erfurt have been dealt a blow in their battle against relegation after the disciplinary committee of the German football Association (DFB) ruled that the club should have last month's 2-0 win against SpVgg Unterhaching overturned. The decision comes following a meeting on Wednesday to discuss what action should be taken following Senad Tiganj's positive drugs test after the match with Unterhaching on April 6. The 29-year-old Slovenian striker tested positive for the banned substance Fenoterol and as a result has been banned for 10 weeks. But the DFB also decided to reverse the 2-0 result to hand Unterhaching the win, a ruling which almost guarantees their survival but which leaves Erfurt four points adrift of safety with just three games remaining and looking at relegation to the regional division. "There is a contravention of the doping laws and, in such a case, the result from the game in which the player is involved must be reversed," said Horst Buchterkirche, the president of the DFB's disciplinary committee. Erfurt are likely to contest the decision and appeal for the game to be replayed, although that would not be possible until the end of the season. Another option could be to take the matter through the German courts."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

FIA agrees to anti-doping regulation
Age - Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (31 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "The governing body of motor racing has agreed to subject its competitions, including Formula One, to international anti-doping regulations. The FIA approved the adoption of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules at a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Paris, bringing motor racing into line with most other major sports. Drivers sanctioned by WADA will be able to appeal to the FIA against the decision. The FIA also banned jewellery - including body piercing - on racers..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

IRB Introduces Doping Program
Goff on Rugby - USA (31 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading Text: "The International Rugby Board (IRB) tonight became the first international federation to undertake a sport-specific education outreach programme, 'Keep Rugby Clean', in partnership with WADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency. Tim Ricketts, the IRB Anti-Doping Manager, launched the initiative in Durban, South Africa, at an anti-doping seminar for players and officials participating in the IRB Under 19 World Championship 2005. Ricketts explained to the 750 players and officials the testing procedures that they can expect to encounter in the coming three weeks. Before each match, numbers are drawn at random from each side, and those players are tested as soon after the match as possible. Outside matchday testing, there is also random out-of-competition testing, where a tester can, at any time, request that a player or players from any side undergo a test. With results arriving from the WADA-accredited laboratory in Bloemfontein within 48 hours, any disciplinary action can be taken with immediate effect. "The IRB Under 19 World Championships is the ideal place to launch the IRB’s Player Outreach Program," said Ricketts. "Raising awareness and educating the players about anti-doping issues is an important part of the IRB’s anti-doping programme... In order to help reinforce the anti-doping message, the players involved in the tournament will also undertake a fun interactive quiz designed by WADA. Alongside this, anti-doping experts will be on hand to clarify any questions on the topic..."

Also see: Related article in Sportinglife.com - UK:

Rugby Union News: New Anti-Doping Programme
Sportinglife.com - UK (30 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

"...During the tournament, tests will be analysed at the WADA-accredited laboratory in Bloemfontein within 48 hours, and any disciplinary action can be taken with immediate effect."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Rogge: Athens Olympians Didn't Use DMT
Chicago Tribune - USA (31 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "Athens Olympians weren't using the recently uncovered designer steroid DMT, IOC president Jacques Rogge said Thursday. "The Athens samples have been tested and they were negative, definitely," Rogge told reporters on the eve of the Oceania National Olympic Committees meeting in Brisbane. The new performance-enhancing drug, which was designed to avoid detection in standard drug tests, was uncovered last month by Canadian scientists. The World Anti-Doping Agency said the substance -- called desoxy-methyl-testosterone, or DMT -- was identified after a tip from an anonymous whistleblower. DMT is similar to THG, or tetrahydrogestrinone, a drug at the heart of the BALCO steroid investigation. Several track and field stars, including sprinters Kelli White and Dwain Chambers, were banned after THG was unmasked in 2003. Four men face charges of distributing steroids to elite athletes in the case involving the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Cian O'Connor's Athens gold at stake in doping hearing
FP
Daily Times - Pakistan (30 March 2005)
[FullText] [Related USA Today Article] [Telegraph.UK Article] [Author contact]

Leading Text: "Showjumper Cian O’Connor’s Olympic gold is on the line when the Irishman faces an International Equestrian Federation judicial committee on Sunday. O’Connor became a national hero after riding Waterford Crystal to Ireland’s only medal at the Athens Games, and will defend himself against charges that his victory was tainted because his horse tested positive for prohibited substances. If the federation, or FEI, strips O’Connor of his individual jumping medal, silver winner Rodrigo Pessoa of Brazil will be declared Olympic champion. Such a ruling also will bump U.S. rider Chris Kappler from bronze to silver, and give fourth-placed Marco Kutscher of Germany a medal. No decision is likely until late Sunday, or even Monday, after what is expected to be a daylong hearing in Zurich, Switzerland, officials said. FEI announced in October six weeks after O’Connor’s victory on Aug. 28 that a urine sample from Waterford Crystal tested positive for two human anti-psychotic drugs. In November, the federation said a second blood sample also showed traces of the drugs, fluphenazine and zuclopenthixol. O’Connor acknowledged the drugs were used, but said they were too low in concentration to merit punishment. He has consistently denied cheating. The rider, Waterford Crystal’s veterinarian and the Irish equestrian federation have said the drugs were administered before the Olympics to keep the horse from hurting himself in an enclosed hydrotherapy unit, after a leg injury on July 22. The horse’s veterinarian James Sheeran said they should have worked their way out of Waterford Crystal’s system within 10 to 14 days well before the games. But FEI officials said the drugs should not have been used at all. The case was marked by a bizarre string of events that fueled claims of a conspiracy to cover up evidence of doping. After the Oct. 8 announcement that the A urine sample was positive, FEI sent the horse’s B sample to an English lab for testing. But the specimen was stolen on Oct. 21 at the lab’s gate by an unidentified individual misrepresenting himself to the courier company that delivered it. FEI later used a blood sample to confirm the first urine test. The day after FEI announced the theft, burglars ransacked the headquarters of the Equestrian Federation of Ireland and stole documents on another of O’Connor’s horses, ABC Landliebe which had tested positive for sedatives at an event in Rome in May 2004. O’Connor denied any involvement in either theft, and blamed enemies within Ireland’s equestrian establishment for plotting against him. O’Connor’s was the second high-profile Athens showjumping doping case. It took longer to schedule his hearing because of difficulties finding a date to suit both sides, FEI officials said. In December, FEI ruled that Germany should lose the team showjumping gold because of rider Ludger Beerbaum’s doping disqualification..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Eighty percent of growth hormones and EPO used in sport
Reuters South Africa - Johannesburg, South Africa (30 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading Text: "At least 80 percent of growth hormones and the blood boosting drug (EPO) (erythropoietin) produced world wide are used in sports, according to a report drafted by the Belgian Senate. Growth hormones and EPO are on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) list of banned drugs. All major sports subscribe to the WADA code. The report on doping in sports, approved by the Senate this month, said annual turnover in doping products amounted to about eight billion euros. It said 80 percent of the annual production of EPO was consumed in the sports world and 84 percent of growth hormones. "Doping is big business," the report said..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Olympic doping saga will run to a sequel
Alan Smith
Telegraph Sports - UK (25 March 2005)
[FullText] [Related USA Today Article] [Author contact]

Leading Text: "In Zurich on Sunday, in true Agatha Christie fashion, all of the principals will gather together for the denouement of one of show jumping's most intriguing mysteries: The Case of Cian O'Connor and his Doped Gold Medal Winner. The judicial committee of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), chaired by Israeli lawyer Ken Lalo, will hear from O'Connor, his lawyer, Andrew Coonan, veterinary surgeon, James Sheeran, and various other expert witnesses before deciding whether he can keep the individual gold medal he won at last year's Olympic Games in Athens, or if it should go to second-placed Rodrigo Pessoa, of Brazil. The actual doping of Waterford Crystal, on whom the young Irishman won the medal last August, is just about the least mysterious element of the story, as O'Connor has offered an explanation for it. After the initial testing proved positive he told the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) that a month before the Olympic show jumping event, Waterford Crystal had a slight fetlock injury. His veterinary surgeon, Sheeran, recommended the horse be given a mild sedative to prevent him becoming upset, which might have caused further injury. O'Connor said that Sheeran had said the drug would disperse from the horse' s system within 10 to 14 days. Sheeran maintains that he cannot "understand how the medication could still be present in the horse's system over a month later". But when the samples taken from Waterford Crystal - one of 40 horses tested at the Games, which produced no fewer than four positive results, including Ludger Beerbaum's Goldfever, Germany's gold medal winner - were tested at the FEI laboratory in Paris, traces of fluphenazine and zuclopenthixol were found in the urine. When horses are tested by the FEI, samples of urine and blood are taken. Both are divided, into 'A' and 'B' samples, and the 'A' sample of the urine, in which it is easier to detect forbidden substances, is tested first. If this produces a positive result, there is no need to test the blood. The person responsible for a horse who tests positive, in this case O'Connor, is always given the right to have the 'B' samples tested elsewhere, and these were eventually sent to the Horseracing Forensic Laboratory in Newmarket. The samples were shipped by a courier from Paris to Newmarket, but on arrival, on Oct 21, the urine sample was found to be missing. It had, according to an FEI statement, been "illegally taken". An investigation by Cambridgeshire police failed to find it, and the 'B' blood sample was then flown on to New York to be tested at the United States Equestrian Drug Testing and Research Laboratory, where the original Paris findings were confirmed. But the skulduggery does not end there. At the Rome Nations Cup Show last May, another of O'Connor's horses, ABC Landliebe, had also tested positive. O'Connor accepted the initial findings without asking for the 'B' sample to be tested. He was disqualified and fined €1,600 by the FEI. The drug used was not named at the time, but while the Waterford Crystal saga was going on, there was a burglary at the Irish Equestrian Federation's headquarters in Kildare and a file on O'Connor was stolen. The name of the drug found in ABC Landliebe, said to be Guanabenz, was given to a Irish radio station..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Former ski champ joins anti-doping fight
ABC Online - Australia (24 March2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "Australia's former world aerial skiing champion Jacqui Cooper has been co-opted by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to help in the fight against drugs in sport, the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) said. Cooper, 32, was recommended by the AOC after International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge stressed the need for more intelligence from athletes if the fight against drugs in sport was to be won. She will join a new WADA Athletes Committee which was created to work more closely with athletes. "Jacqui has been working on (AOC's drug education program) Live Clean Play Clean for several years now, delivering our anti-doping presentation to the youth of Australia and she will be a great asset to WADA," AOC president John Coates said in a statement. Cooper, the World Cup freestyle champion in 1999, 2000 and 2001 and in training for the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics, suffered a serious knee injury on the eve of the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics. While recovering from knee surgery she joined the AOC's drug education program and was one of a handful of Olympians who travelled around Australia delivering the anti-doping message to over 17,000 young athletes in the country's institutes, academies and schools. Cooper was chosen for the new WADA role by its chairman Dick Pound and the chair of the committee Russia's Viacheslav Fetisov, a former Olympic ice hockey champion. WADA's director-general David Howman said: "Through the work of this committee we will do a better job of educating athletes about the consequences of doping..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Austrian skier fights doping ban
CBS Sports
CBC News - Canada (23 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "Austrian alpine skier Hans Knauss is appealing his 1 1/2 year doping suspension. Knauss filed the appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Wednesday. He's hoping to reduce the suspension to a year. Hans Knauss is appealing his drug suspension. If the suspension is upheld, Knauss will be banned until May 26, 2006, preventing him from competing in Winter Games in Torino, Italy. The 33-year-old says he'll retire if the suspension isn't reduced. Knauss, who has won seven World Cup races in his 14-year career, tested positive for the steroid nandrolone after a World Cup downhill race at Lake Louise, Alta., on Nov. 27, 2004. International Ski Federation (FIS), the sport's governing body, could have levied a two-year suspension but decided against that after ruling Knauss didn't take the drugs intentionally. Knauss claims he unknowingly used supplements tainted by Nandrolone. Nandrolone helps increase muscle mass and physical strength. It occurs naturally in the human body but only in tiny quantities..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Former anti-drugs chief slams British complacency
Mihir Bose
Telegraph.co.uk - UK (24 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading Text: "One of Britain's leading experts on doping in sport has expressed dismay that the Government are being unduly over-confident about the country's drug-testing programmes. This follows the Government's decision not to make the International Convention against Doping in Sport, which will be adopted by the UNESCO General Conference this autumn, part of UK law. A spokesman for sports minister Richard Caborn claims Britain leads the way against doping in sport, ahead of countries such as France and Italy. Michele Verroken, who ran UK Sport's drug-testing programme for 18 years before her controversial sacking, said: "This shows a misplaced over-confidence in our drug-testing programme. I don't know how it can be said we're ahead of France and Italy. When the last UNESCO convention on anti-doping was drawn up in 1989 those countries made it part of their law and France, Italy and 42 other countries made it a criminal offence with a two-year prison sentence for those caught doping. We do not." Verroken added: "France now has a separate agency, as in the United States, which is funded by government not by sports. In the UK, drug testing is carried out by UK Sport, who also fund elite athletes. So there is always the question of do you pay the athlete in order to win more medals or do you put more money into drug testing? "In Britain, the burden for judging and punishing the athlete falls on the sports federations. If you talk to a national sports federation they will tell you it's a struggle to manage an anti-doping case." The controversial not guilty verdict on Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou by the Greek federation for missing drug tests in the run-up to the Athens Olympics shows how national federations can react. Verroken said: "National federations tend to exonerate their athletes. We in the UK are no different. Take one of our high-profile cases - Linford Christie..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Olympics: Kenteris wants to keep running, says lawyer
FP
Channel News Asia - Singapore (24 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading Text: "Greek sprinter Kostas Kenteris has resumed training and wants to return to international competition, one of his lawyers said, five days after the Sydney 200m gold medallist was cleared of missing doping tests ahead of the Athens 2004 Olympics. "Kenteris continues to train... and has stated his intention to take part in competitions," lawyer Michalis Dimitrakopoulos told AFP. Dimitrakopoulos did not specify when or where Kenteris might be staging a return, beyond noting that his client aims to compete in the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Kenteris, 31, and 30-year-old training partner Ekaterina Thanou - a 100m silver medallist in 2000 - were sporting icons in Greece but fell from grace almost overnight on the eve of the Athens Games, when they disappeared from the Olympic Village shortly before officials arrived to submit them to a doping test. Both athletes were later charged by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) with also missing tests in Tel Aviv and Chicago in the weeks leading to the Athens Games. Kenteris and Thanou were cleared of dodging the Athens drugs test by a Greek athletics federation (Segas) disciplinary committee on Friday. Responding to Segas' decision, the IAAF has said it reserves the right to appeal to the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), whose verdict is final. But Greek press reported on Wednesday that the sprinting duo's careers are finished irrespective of CAS' decision, according to statements made in a Greek parliament committee on doping by Segas chairman Vassilis Sevastis. "(Kenteris and Thanou) will not be able to compete again, even if they are cleared," was Sevastis' reported statement, carried by the press. "The financial damage has already been done," Sevastis allegedly said, in reference to the athletes' sponsorship deals..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Montreal's Dick Pound takes anti-doping campaign to Tunisia
SLAM! Sports - ON,Canada (22 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "The head of the World Anti-Doping Agency thinks athletes still need to be educated against the perils of performance-enhancing drugs. "A lot of people still do not understand the problem of doping," WADA chief and Montreal native Dick Pound said Tuesday. "Even at the Olympic Games, there are athletes who do not understand the problem." Pound and a delegation of WADA officials attended an international conference on sport and health in the Tunisian capital. Pound called for a mobilization at every level to combat doping. He expects governments to approve an international anti-doping convention under the aegis of UNESCO in Paris in October. WADA medical director Alain Garnier said doping is a concern even at an early age. "Unfortunately, doping of very young athletes is a reality which we have to be aware of and which can happen at any level (of sport)," he said..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Anti-doping agency criticizes U.S. baseball
Xinhua - China (23 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "WORLD Anti-Doping Agency President Richard Pound has accused U.S. Major League Baseball (MLB) of adopting a half-baked doping policy which insults the intelligence of the U.S. public. In an article contributed to The New York Times, Pound said it was a disgrace that baseball authorities and players had to be dragged before a U.S. Congress hearing. “Baseball has been dragged, kicking and screaming, into adopting a half-baked policy that is both illusory and insulting to the intelligence of the American public,” he wrote. “Only congressional pressure forced baseball, reluctantly, into agreeing to determine if there was, in fact, a drug ‘problem’.” Pound said the 10-day suspension for cheaters caught for the first time was part of a smoke screen that was “insulting and, worse, dangerous as matter of public health and integrity.” He said baseball had not addressed the issue of stimulants or provided effective tests for other substances such as human growth hormones. “The integrity of the game and of its players will continue to decline,” he said. “People may continue to watch freak shows for a while, but they will not want their children to have to become chemical stockpiles to play their national sport."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Azzurri back Rino
Special Broadcasting Service - Australia (24 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading Text: "Italy's Gennaro Gattuso will go into Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Scotland with the full backing of the national team despite his refusal to take a non-mandatory blood test following his club side AC Milan's Serie A game against Roma on Sunday. The Italian midfielder, who used to play for Rangers, submitted a mandatory urine sample but opted out of giving an optional blood test, believing the facilities were not clean at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. He was joined in his refusal by AC Milan team-mate and former Azzurri international Giuseppe Pancaro, who also declined to provide a blood sample. Both Roma players agreed to the blood tests after the match. "I have not refused the anti-doping test as I did provide a urine sample," said Gattuso. "When I went into the anti-doping room, they asked me if I wanted to give a blood sample and I asked if it was mandatory and the answer was no." "I did provide a urine sample so I reiterate that I have not refused to take an anti-doping test." "In the anti-doping room, there were 10 people there, there was a lot of confusion, I had the stress of the after-game and there were syringes all over the place." "We, meaning I and the rest of my team-mates, are not animals." Italy's Olympic Committee president Gianni Petrucci has been left frustrated by the incident as, under current football regulations, players are only required to submit urine samples. "They had the right to refuse to take the test," admitted Petrucci. "This episode is nevertheless morally disappointing." Petrucci believes the current rules need to be changed and has the support of Italy coach Marcello Lippi who said: "I would not send Gattuso home just because of this episode." "But the controls should become mandatory." Gattuso, who is looking forward to taking on Scotland in Milan this weekend after playing for Rangers earlier in his career, is surprised that the episode has created a huge controversy. "I don't think it's the first time that a player has refused to give a blood sample," said Gattuso, who has undergone a total of 13 anti-doping controls so far this season. "I have nothing to hide, they can do controls whenever they want to, in Milanello (the AC Milan training ground) or in my own house - I can give 10 litres of blood if need be!" To prove his point Gattuso provided a blood sample on Tuesday - two days after he had refused to do so in Rome. Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro has come out in defence of Gattuso and brushed aside the criticisms made by some of the nation's leading sports personalities, who believe that footballers are given an easier ride than less high-profile sports people. "I don't think we are privileged in comparison to other sportsmen," said the Juventus defender. "In Europe, Italy is the country that has more anti-doping tests done in football than in any other country, approximately 5000 tests per season." "The rules are wrong and the only way to resolve this problem is by making the blood tests mandatory..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

AC Milan: Sala on post-Game doping test
noticias.info (press release) - Spain (last viewed 24 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "Milan medical officer, doctor Massimiliano Sala, has helped clear up the procedure surronding the blood and urine tests carried out on a player after a game: 'If a player does not give a blood sample it will mean his urine drug test will be even more stringent. It is important to make this clear so everyone has the right information. The blood test is not the first screening and a player is not evading the anti-doping test as he knows there is a more accurate one in the urine sample. I have to clear this up as there is false information going round.' He added: 'A player can turn down a blood sample as he has played ninety minutes of football and two vials of blood have to be taken. He might find this too painful and can therefore give a urine sample and he knows that this is also more complete...' "

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Anti-doping agency reports rise in positive cases
Expatica - Netherlands (22 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "BONN - The number of positive doping tests in German sport has risen to 72 in 2004, but the German anti-doping agency (NADA) nonetheless provided a positive outlook for the future on Tuesday. "The acceptance from the federations and the co-operation of the athletes is on the rise," said NADA chief Peter Busse at the presentation of the 2004 figures. The 72 positive cases - among them 28 for anabolic steroids - came from 8,885 tests carried out in 2004. Of those, 4,468 tests were competition tests and 4,417 out-of-competition tests. Busse said NADA did not want to compare the figures to those from 2003, where 50 positive tests were registered, because of new laws from the ratification of the World Anti-Doping Code. "There is a realisation that only clean sport is competitive and economically attractive in our society. Everyone who is active in sport must contribute their share," said Busse..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Selig to testify at steroid hearing
David Smith
sportbusiness.com - USA (9 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading Text: "Major League Baseball commissioner, Bud Selig, has volunteered to testify before a US House of Representatives Reform Committee over the use of steroids in the sport. Selig expects to be asked about whether or not owners confronted players who were suspected of using steroids in the late 1990s when their efforts lined owners’ pockets and revived interest in the game. Baseball banned steroids last year and toughened the penalties for steroid abuse this year, but at 10 days for a first-time offender they remain well short of the two-year World Anti-Doping Agency standard for Olympic athletes. Lawmakers may want to find out why changes were not made sooner and why punishments are not tougher, reports lycos.co.uk "

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

New drug code proposed for NRL: Players Association rejects NRL drug code proposal
ABC Online - Australia (16 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading Text: "The Australian Sports Commission wants the NRL to adopt the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) drug policy. However, the Rugby League Players Association says it has numerous problems with the introduction of a new drug code. Association president Tony Butterfield says the international code should not be adopted in Australian sport. "The WADA code is inflexible and doesn't fit into what we would see as acceptable in the Australian professional sporting scene," he said. "We think it's intrusive and overides privacy issues, privacy laws and employment laws," he said."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Spring training: Undaunted, fans flock to see heroes
Cecilia M. Vega, Chronicle Staff Writer
San Francisco Chronicle - USA (16 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading Text: "Scottsdale, Ariz. -- For baseball fans, it's that eternally hopeful time of the year when the $7 beers are still worth every penny, the players are just one triple play shy of sainthood, and even the Arizona Diamondbacks, the worst team in baseball last season, might have a shot at winning the World Series. The faithfully devoted who flocked to Arizona for spring training are not about to let those pesky allegations of steroid abuse cast a shadow over their sunny, 70-plus degree skies. It seems, in the cap-shaded eyes of the diehards, there simply are more important things to worry about.

"As long as our guys win, then there's no problem," said 88-year-old Kirk Will of Yakima, Wash., whose guys, the Seattle Mariners, squashed the Oakland A's Tuesday in an 11-4 exhibition victory. Two days before congressional hearings into allegations of rampant steroid abuse within Major League Baseball, fans here -- eager to watch their favorite teams play and, if they're lucky, snag an autograph or two -- are about as concerned with steroids as they are with stale peanuts. In the world of professional baseball, can they -- stale peanuts or steroids -- really be avoided? "You look at these guys and go, 'Well, I sure hope he's not using this stuff,' " said Rick Jones, who, with a group of friends, traveled from Squamish, British Columbia, to Arizona for his first spring training, in hopes of catching a glimpse of Barry Bonds, who remains in rehab after off-season surgeries on both knees. "It's the American way of life, that ultimate superstar hero," said Jones, 46. "It's the bottom of the ninth, the bases are loaded, Bonds is at the plate, and he hits it out of the park. That's what dreams are made of."

Dare speak the "S" word in a packed bleacher section at Scottsdale Stadium, the Giants' spring training home field where the team battled the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday night, and eyes roll, and former A's slugger Jose Canseco is called a jerk or liar for writing a tell-all book on the topic. Just about everyone -- even those who can't yet read the headlines or Canseco's breathy title "Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big" -- have something to say. "Steroids? Baseball players do that so they can get stronger and better. But you can't use it unless you're on the Los Angeles Dodgers," said 9-year-old Andrew Mahrer, a tried and true Giants fan from Casa Grande, Ariz. Baseball's doping scandal comes to a head Thursday when Congress begins its probe into the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports. Commissioner Bud Selig plans to testify at the hearing, and Canseco and Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling have told the media they will also testify.

Also scheduled to testify are Baltimore Orioles star Sammy Sosa, former A's and St. Louis Cardinals superstar Mark McGwire, Chicago White Sox slugger Frank Thomas, and Orioles slugger and Viagra spokesman Rafael Palmeiro. New York Yankee Jason Giambi was excused from testifying. For Bay Area residents who made the long trek via car, plane or RV to pay homage to their home team, it's a topic that hits close to home. They live in the epicenter of the steroids doping scandal, where a federal investigation of Burlingame's Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative led to grand jury indictments, and where damaging grand jury testimony has linked superstars to the drugs. They just can't seem to get away from it, even on vacation. "You still have to hit the ball with the bat, and steroids have nothing to do with that," said Fremont resident Paul Thiel, 62, who turned spring training into a family reunion with his three sisters.

The tire shop owner who broke shot put records when he was in high school says he did so without "the cream" or "the clear" or any other illegal chemicals that athletes today are accused of using. "Strictly mashed potatoes and gravy," said the burly man, who still has the bulk to prove it. At spring training, where the lawn seats look more like beach chairs with women wearing swim suits and men going bare-chested, fans are quick to talk about steroids, but it's far from the first thing on their minds. It's the $14 tickets that get them close to the dugout and glimpses of those players that the rest of the year seem off-limits that are the priority.

Steroids is a black-eye on America's greatest past-time, they say, but not so black that they won't keep coming back for more home runs. "People still come because we're the most forgiving country in the world, and this is our game," said Brian Clark, a 35-year-old San Antonio resident who in his younger years played semi-pro ball in Cleveland. On Tuesday, as he sat in a stadium in Peoria, Ariz., surrounded by discarded peanut shells and his two young sons, he said: "This is still the greatest game.""

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Ayhan's doping ban cut in half by Turkish authorities Monday
SLAM! Sports - ON,Canada (9 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading Text: "ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Sureyya Ayhan's two-year suspension was cut in half by Turkish authorities Monday, but the sport's governing body will have the final say on the case. Ayhan, the 2002 European 1,500-metre champion, was suspended last month by Turkish authorities for breaking drug-testing rules before the Athens Olympics. Yucel Kop, Ayhan's husband and coach, admitted that he obstructed testing officials, including stopping a male tester from entering a room during a urine test. The ban was reduced to one year by the Youth and Sports General Directorate's office. Youth and Sports official Eyup Ispir told the Anatolia news agency that the reason for the reduction would be made public in the coming days. Ayhan, who also finished second at the 2003 world championships, will be eligible to compete again in October, Ispir said. However, the International Amateur Athletic Association said Ispir's office does not have the power to decide when Ayhan is eligible to compete again internationally. The IAAF said it considers that she is still banned for two years."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Doping trial date set
Agence France-Presse
FOX SPORTS - Australia (16 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading Text: "THE federal steroid distribution trial of four men in the BALCO doping scandal is expected to start on September 6, the San Jose Mercury News reported today. US District Court Judge Susan Illston is expected to schedule that start date tomorrow, the newspaper reported. An evidentiary hearing set for tomorrow was postponed to June 6. BALCO founder Victor Conte, BALCO executive James Valente, athletics coach Remy Korchemny and Greg Anderson, the personal trainer of baseball star Barry Bonds, face charges of dealing steroids to sports stars. The September date would come in the middle of Major League Baseball's late-season playoff chase and about two years after the discovery of THG, a previously undetectable steroid, touched off a doping scandal for the ages. Sides have nearly six months to negotiate a plea bargain in a case that has rocked the athletics world and led to a US Congressional hearing on Thursday in Washington on the impact of steroids in Major League Baseball.

Marion Jones, who won five gold medals at the Sydney Olympics, could be called upon to testify. She was dogged by steroid questions during 2004 Olympic qualifying but has denied any wrongdoing. Conte has said she took steroids. San Francisco Giants slugger Bonds, who hit a record 73 home runs in 2001 and is within reach of the all-time career homer record of 755 by Hank Aaron, might also be asked to take the stand.

In BALCO grand jury testimony leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle, Bonds admits taking substances that prosecutors believe were steroids from BALCO. Bonds denied knowingly taking any steroids. Anna Ling, a lawyer for Anderson, told the Mercury News that Bonds' personal trainer is talking with federal prosecutors about a plea deal. J Tony Serra, co-counsel for Anderson, has said his client wants a deal to spare Bonds and baseball a messy public trial. The June 6 hearing could focus on raids of BALCO and Anderson's home by federal agents. Lead BALCO investigator Jeff Novitzky reported after the raids that Conte and Anderson, who were not arrested then, admitted giving drugs to elite athletes. Defence attorneys are expected to challenge the legality of those interviews and if Illston could throw out evidence from the BALCO raids if she agrees."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Belgians attack anti-doping rules
by AP
Winnipeg Sun - Canada (17 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading Text: "BRUSSELS -- A group of Belgian sports officials, including the Olympic team leader, launched an attack yesterday on World Anti-Doping Agency rules, arguing they were hypocritical, excessive and unfairly targeted athletes. Besides Olympic team leader Robert Van de Walle, the 11 officials also included Wilfried Meert, organizer of the Van Damme athletics meet, former judo coach Jean-Marie Dedecker and doctor Yvan Demol of the Quickstep cycling team."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

World Anti-Doping Agency Rules Yasmin Is Acceptable For Use By Female Athletes
Business Wire (press release) - San Francisco, CA, USA (16 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

MONTVILLE, N.J. (16 March 2005) - The sports world is "a buzz" about the site for future Olympics Games. Will it be what some call the number one city in the States (New York) or the number one city in Europe (Paris)? Meanwhile, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has ruled that the number one brand of birth control pills in the US and worldwide - Yasmin(R) - is now acceptable for use as contraception by female athletes who compete internationally.

The WADA announced that they are officially changing the status of Yasmin. Yasmin is now allowed in- or out-of-competition for female athletes, effective immediately. Previously, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) banned the birth control pill for athletes based on the presence of the progestin drospirenone (drsp), which unlike the progestins used in other birth control pills, exhibits (antimineralocorticoid) properties. This means that drsp can block certain receptors in the kidneys, and therefore can cause excess water and sodium to be excreted from the body. However, this effect of drsp is mild, with some women reporting they experience less water retention during their menstrual cycle.

The WADA states their "decision" is a positive one for athletes. For the athletes previously impacted by the prohibited status of Yasmin, the USADA thanks them for "supporting our anti-doping efforts." For more information, visit http://www.usantidoping.org.

YASMIN should not be used by patients with conditions that predispose them to hyperkalemia (i.e., renal insufficiency, hepatic dysfunction, or adrenal insufficiency). Women receiving daily, long-term treatment for chronic conditions or diseases with medications that may increase serum potassium should have their serum potassium levels checked during the first treatment cycle. Oral contraceptives (OCs) do not protect against HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases. The use of OCs is associated with increased risks of several serious side effects. Cigarette smoking increases the risk of serious cardiovascular side effects; women who take OCs are strongly advised not to smoke..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Verdict due in Greek doping case
Tom Knight
Telegraph.co.uk - UK (17 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading Text: "GA decision in the doping case involving Greek sprinters Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou could be made tomorrow, according to sources close to the athletes' tribunal. Kenteris and Thanou are charged with missing drug tests before last summer's Olympic Games and face two-year bans if found guilty. The sprinters protested their innocence at a disciplinary hearing in Athens in January, when the five-man tribunal said their verdict would be announced at the end of last month. There have since been several delays, including a two-week postponement that followed the submission of new evidence by Kenteris' lawyer. The potential decision tomorrow threatens to distract top officials at the International Association of Athletics Federations from the World Cross-Country Championships in St Etienne. Meanwhile, the trial of the four men charged in the BALCO doping scandal in the United States is expected to start on Sept 6, marking two years since the revelation that the company was the source of THG, a previously undetectable steroid."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Vialli refutes doping claims
Sportinglife.com - UK (9 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading Text: "Gianluca Vialli has issued a robust denial to claims he was a willing recipient of the performance-enhancing drugs administered by former Juventus doctor Riccardo Agricola. Agricola was handed a suspended 22-month jail sentence by judge Giuseppe Casalbore, who, while absolving the club themselves of blame, questioned the testimonies of several players, including former Italy striker Vialli. Agricola was found guilty of giving the Juve players substances, including EPO, between 1994-98, a spell in which the Turin giants won three Serie A titles, one Coppa Italia, the Champions League and the European Super Cup. Vialli, a key player for the Bianconeri at the time, told Gazzetta dello Sport: "I certainly deny the accusations that I knowingly took illegal substances. "I have not only been an athlete and a footballer but I am also a husband, a father and a friend. I have responsibilities for my family. "To think that any of us (Juventus players) would have wanted to put their own health at risk by taking illegal substances, it's absurd." Vialli, who also managed Chelsea after hanging up his boots, is annoyed that Casalbore has cast doubt over Juve's success. Gianfranco Zola, who played for a Parma side which finished second to Juve in the race for the Scudetto one season, has said the Turin club should give back the trophies they won in the period of doping. Lecce coach Zdenek Zeman, whose comments about football doping several years ago in a magazine interview led to the investigation at Juve, also says they should not keep the silverware. But Vialli said: "In those years, I had a starring role and I am firmly convinced that those victories were exclusively the result of our sweat, sacrifice, ability, determination, incredible hunger and a great team spirit. "As well as some luck that always accompanies winning teams. "The comments regarding the credibility of our success with the Bianconeri are very serious and difficult to accept. "What helps me overcome the sadness is my strong belief of not having ever lied to anyone..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

RFU anti-doping disciplinary hearing results
Rugby Football Union - UK (9 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading Text: "Pierre Durant of London Irish RFC has been banned from playing rugby union for six weeks after testing positive for the banned substance marijuana. The suspension by a Rugby Football Union Disciplinary Panel runs from 3rd March (original suspension date pending hearing) to 13th April 2005. He is free to play again on 14th April 2005. Durant tested positive at the Leeds Tykes versus London Irish Zurich Premiership match on 28th January 2005. Phil Greaves of Bradford & Bingley RFC has been banned from playing for 12 weeks after testing positive for the banned stimulant ephedrine. The suspension runs from 9th March 2005 (original suspension date pending hearing) to 31st May 2005 and he is free to play again on 1st June 2005. Greaves tested positive at the Bradford & Bingley versus Macclesfield Division Three North match on 11th December 2004. Michael Poland of the Army Rugby Union has received a caution after testing positive for the substance salbutamol  following the British Army Germany versus Belgium match on 15th January  2005. The RFU condemns the use or distribution of prohibited substances or methods as defined or listed by the International Rugby Board and the World Anti-Doping Agency. The RFU undertakes approximately 340 tests per annum within a robust drug testing system operated and co-ordinated by UK Sport and complemented by an education programme..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Durants six-week drugs ban
Rugby Union News
Sportinglife.com - UK (last viewed 11 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading Text: "London Irish's Pierre Durant has been banned from playing for six weeks after testing positive for marijuana. The 28-year-old prop tested positive for the banned substance at the Zurich Premiership game against Leeds at Headingley on January 28, The suspension, by a Rugby Football Union disciplinary panel runs until April 13 - ruling him out of action until the home match against Bath on April 17. A statement by the RFU read: "We condemn the use or distribution of prohibited substances or methods as defined or listed by the International Rugby Board and the World Anti-Doping Agency. "We undertake approximately 340 tests per annum within a robust drug testing system operated and co-ordinated by UK Sport and complemented by an education programme..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Hudson is handed two-year drugs ban
Telegraph.co.uk - UK (10 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading Text: "Ryan Hudson's career with the Bradford Bulls looks certain to be over without him even playing a match for his new club after the hooker was last night suspended for two years after being found guilty of a drugs offence. Hudson, who joined Bradford from relegated Castleford Tigers last December, was one of three players appearing before a Rugby Football League tribunal in Leeds yesterday on drugs charges. Bradford had already suspended Hudson, 25, indefinitely on Jan 24 after he provided a sample containing the banned steroid stanozolol. Hudson had signed a three-year deal with Bradford but that contract, worth around £150,000, is now expected to be terminated. Judge Peter Charlesworth, the tribunal chairman, said: "Rugby league complies with the World Anti-Doping Agency code and there is a mandatory sentence for this offence of two years." Hudson was said to be "devastated" by the outcome and is due to meet his solicitor today to discuss whether to lodge an appeal. In the second case, Ged Corcoran, 21, the former Halifax forward now playing for the French club Limoux, was suspended for three months for providing a sample containing the stimulant ephedrine, which is found in cold-cure remedies. But the Australian forward Danny Williams, who has signed for London Broncos, was found not guilty of refusing to provide a drugs sample on Dec 10. Judge Charlesworth said: "Danny Williams was not at the time a registered player with the Rugby Football League and, therefore, not subject to the doping control regulations, also he was not under contract to any Australian club..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Athletics: BALCO founder wants delay in Jones lawsuit
AFP
Sport News by Channel News Asia - Singapore (10 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading Text: "BALCO Laboratories founder Victor Conte filed a motion to delay a 25 million-dollar defamation lawsuit against him by athletics star Marion Jones, the San Jose Mercury News reported. Attorney James Wagstaffe filed the delay motion before US District Court Judge Susan Illston, hoping the Jones suit will not be heard until the steroid distribution criminal case against Conte and three others is completed. The motion contends that Conte's testimony in the Jones' lawsuit could harm his defense in the criminal case. No date has yet been set for the start of the BALCO criminal trial, also being heard by Illston. The next hearing in that case is later this month. Jones, who won five medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, filed the civil suit last December claiming Conte damaged her reputation by accurding her of using performance-enhancing drugs in a bid to help himself with federal prosecutors. Conte, whose claims were made in television and magazine interviews, said Jones' suit is a smear campaign aimed at deflecting attention from her use of improper drugs. "Jones' strategy is transparent: File an extraordinarily prosaic complaint, curiously name only the shallow-pocket defendant, profess innocence to the detailed charges, make an express claim to an exorbitant amount of money and then create and capitalize on the ensuing publicity," Wagstaffe wrote. Jones has repeatedly denied being a drug cheat and has never failed a doping test, but the once-undetectable nature of THG renders that meaningless and the US Anti-Doping Agency has continued to investigate Jones..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Cosby jokes about doping woman's drink
United Press International
Pittsburgh Tribune Review - Pittsburgh, PA,USA (22 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading Text: "Comedian Bill Cosby, having just avoided sexual assault charges over a doping allegation, used the dust-up to spice up a performance in New Jersey. A little more than a week ago, a Philadelphia area prosecutor declined to press charges against the entertainer after a Canadian woman said Cosby slipped drugs into her drink and then allegedly sexually assaulted her, the Philadelphia Daily News reported Tuesday. She made the accusation a little more than a year after the alleged incident happened. During a Feb. 26 performance at the State Theater in New Brunswick, N.J., Cosby invited a woman from the audience up to the stage. Then he said, "Before I get started, let me ask you: Did I put anything into your drink?" The woman said "no" and laughed, as did the audience..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Current players should speak up about steroids
Mike Sielsky
Phillyburbs.com - Philadelphia PA, USA (9 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading Text: "You wonder now. That's what baseball's steroid situation has done to those who care about this game, who want to retain just a smidgen of the idealism and integrity that come with loving sports. You wonder about everyone. You wander around clubhouses and you compare players' body sizes from last year to this year, and you glance at locker shelves for a suspicious supplement that someone might have brought to the ballpark. In the clubhouse at Bright House Networks Field, you look inside a locker without a name plate, the locker between Terry Adams' and Bobby Abreu's, and you see a grey bottle with these words on the label: "Amino Fuel Anabolic Liquid Dietary Supplement." You see the player whom some people around the team have taken to calling "Mrs. Potato Head" because his head doesn't seem quite so lumpy and large as it was last season. And you wonder. You wonder because it's the rare player who wonders. Or, at the very least, does so out in the open. It took an illegal grand-jury leak in the BALCO investigation and a book by Jose Canseco, an ex-player with a credibility crisis, to give the public an idea of what's been going on - seedy syringe meetings in men's rooms, apparently. Now, Dodgers second baseman Jeff Kent has stepped forward this month to say Major League Baseball's new drug policy still isn't strong enough, coming as close as any current player has to doing the dirty work necessary to clean up the sport. To slow steroid use in baseball, someone still in uniform needs to stand up and say what everyone in the game's secret society won't: Certain players are using, and here are their names. "The biggest deterrent is being found out, the public knowledge," Phillies pitcher Randy Wolf said. "If you're caught once, whether you're out for two weeks or a year, that cloud is going to be over you for the rest of your career." Understand: This isn't a redux of the Salem Witch Trials here, a scandal conjured from thin air. Before Major League Baseball instituted its new policy, 5-7 percent of its players tested positive for steroids when the test dates were announced, and who can say how many others were simply smart enough to skip that day's dose of synthetic testosterone? The rub is that no one wants to be labeled a rat - as if there were no honor in protecting those clean players who might lose their jobs to the users. Too many who speak on the topic pretend that they're Robert DeNiro in "Goodfellas," that the greatest sin isn't taking steroids but talking about those who do. Baseball's new policy of random testing began last week, and though none of them has been tapped to pee in a cup yet, some of the Phillies already had the party line down pat..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Biondi suspended over doping charges
Eurosport - Italy (8 March 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "French team AG2R have suspended assistant sporting director Laurent Biondi after he was charged with several doping offences on Monday. Team director Vincent Lavenu said: "This decision was taken in accordance with the team's commitment to respect the ethical charter and fight doping." Biondi has been accused of possessing, acquiring and transporting of drugs for personal use only. He has not been linked with the trafficking of the infamous 'Belgian Cocktail', a mix of heroin, cocaine, amphetamines and painkillers. "I formally deny these accusations," said Biondi. "The people making the accusations are liars." Meanwhile, the AG2R team continues in the Paris-Nice, which enters stage two on Tuesday afternoon..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Anti-doping executive calls for longer Ferdinand ban
Sports Network - USA (6 January 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "Copenhagen, Denmark (Sports Network) - Danish sports minister and World Anti- Doping Agency board executive Brian Mikkelsen said Tuesday that the Football Association was too lenient on Rio Ferdinand when they issued him an eight- month ban for missing a required drug test. Instead, Mikkelsen said the England defender should receive a two-year suspension from the game. The ban, handed down by the FA's disciplinary committee for misconduct, is set to commence January 20. However, Ferdinand is expected to appeal the ban and has been given two weeks to do so. "I think it is a solid case and the goal would be to raise Rio Ferdinand's quarantine to two years," Mikkelsen said in an interview with news agency Ritzau. "The sentence isn't satisfying. The same rules that apply in other sports should, of course, apply in football also..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Vincent Vittoz shakes off flawed doping test to win gold at worlds
Canadian Press
Skiing @ Canada.com (22 February 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading text: "OBERSTDORF, Germany (CP) - Vincent Vittoz captured France's first ever cross-country gold medal at the nordic skiing world championships on Sunday with a victory in the 30-kilometre pursuit. Vittoz outsprinted a pack of eight to reach the finish line in one hour 19 minutes 20.5 seconds. Italian Giorgio Di Centa edged Norway's Frode Estil for the silver in a photo finish. They were 0.8 seconds behind. In the men's team ski jumping competition, Austria won gold with 970.5 points, edging Germany when Martin Hoellwarth overcame thick snow flurries that stopped the competition twice. Vittoz was reduced to tears when a doping test Jan. 15 following a World Cup win was positive for furosemide, classified as a masking agent and diuretic on the World Anti-Doping Agency's list of banned substances. He was cleared two weeks later when his backup B sample proved negative. "It's unbelievable," Vittoz said of his first major medal. "I knew I was innocent and I tried to concentrate on these championships. I went through 15 difficult days but I kept practising..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Canadian firm to host world anti-doping database
Xinhua
People's Daily online (24 February 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading text: "Canada's Montreal information technology company CGI Group Inc. has been chosen to host and support the World Anti-Doping Agency's database, according to a press release by the company on Wednesday. The world Anti-Doping Agency's database will keep track of athletes to make sure they comply with international doping regulations. Under the four-year contract, CGI will host the database's infrastructure and provide help-desk services to anti-doping organizations that feeding information on their country's athletes in to the system. "We are very proud to have been selected for such a highly visible and strategic project," CGI vice-president Pierre Turcotte said in a release Monday. "The worldwide support that we will be providing from our Montreal center is clearly of a huge magnitude reaching many countries," he said..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Date set for O'Connor doping hearing
Carol Phillips
Horsendhound.co.uk (23 February 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading text: "The FEI has set a date for Cian O'Connor's judicial committee hearing while his compatriot Jessica Kurten is refusing to pay an FEI fine after her horse tested positive for a prohibited substance: The ongoing case surrounding Waterford Crystal's positive test for a prohibited substance at the Athens Olympics finally looks set to come to a conclusion next month, following the announcement that the FEI judicial committee hearing will take place in Zurich, Switzerland on Sunday 27 March (Easter Sunday). This Olympic doping saga has been surrounded by controversy since part of the horse's B urine sample went missing, following the FEI's initial announcement that the horse had tested positive for a banned substance. The missing sample forced the second set of tests to be undertaken on a blood sample instead, which confirmed that miniscule amounts of Fluphenazine and Zuclophenthixol were present in the horse when he competed in Athens. Since the second sample confirmed the presence of the prohibited substances, the case has dragged on and on. Initially the FEI granted O'Connor two extensions to the date by which he had to send in his submission. The rider's submission was finally received by the FEI in time for the 12 January deadline, but it then took a further five weeks before a date for the hearing was finally agreed. The FEI blames the delay in setting the date mainly on "the non-availability of O' Connor's witnesses and/or counsel at a number of earlier dates proposed by the Judicial Committee". Cian O'Connor, who has maintained his innocence throughout, told the Irish Independant: "I'm really looking forward to resolving the matter so that the sport as a whole can get back to normal, but [Easter Sunday] seems like a strange day to hold the hearing." In a further blow to Irish show jumping, Jessica Kurten's top mare Libertina has tested positive to traces of the banned substances caffeine and theophylline while competing in Calgary last year..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Dope testing and valerian
Josephine Carr
Horsendhound.co.uk (20 November 2003)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading text: "As doping makes the news once again, all riders need to be aware that it is their responsibility to ensure horses do not have access to any banned substances The recent cases of banned substances found in tests on top riders' horses has once again highlighted the fine line between feeding to get the performance you want and "performance enhancement". Valerian, one of the prohibited substances found in the test on Abbervail Dream, is a herb with sedative properties. It was banned in the US before the Jockey Club and FEI started testing for its active component, valerenic acid. Valerian is prohibited in competitions because the FEI takes the view that it has a pharmacological effect and could have a positive modifying influence on performance. However, competitors need to be aware that there are many products on the market that contain valerian, because it is useful to help calm nervous horses which aren't competing under rules that ban its use. While international competitors know that they could be routinely tested at a show, everyday competitors may not realise that horses taking part in any event in Britain could be tested at any time in the season. Ignorance of the specific rules is not an acceptable excuse for a positive test. It is up to every competitor to acquaint themselves with their sport's rules. Guidelines: Riders who compete in affiliated competitions must check the ingredients of all supplements being fed, including those with calming properties, either on the label or by phoning the manufacturer. Good hygiene in the feed room is vital to avoid accidental contamination. Wash hands before mixing feeds, especially after handling medicines and chocolate..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Avoiding prohibited substances
Josephine Carr
Horsendhound.co.uk (20 January 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading text: "Practical advice from HORSE magazine on how to prevent your horse testing positive for an unintentionally administered prohibited substance: Drug testing in equestrian sport has hit the headlines again recently, with event rider Rodney Powell the latest to fall foul of a positive test, in addition to the high-profile cases of show jumper Di Lampard pictured and dressage rider Ulla Salzgeber. All three were competing internationally and came under the testing regime of the FEI, and there is a tendency among competitors at lower levels to assume that they do not fall within the same rules, or that the chances of being tested are minimal. That could be a big, and potentially very embarrassing, mistake. Every equestrian sport, from TREC and showing to show jumping and eventing, has strict rules banning the use of performance-enhancing drugs and testing programmes designed to catch cheats. There are many traps for the unwary. A slip-up in the stable, use of a medicine that contains a banned substance, or a feed that has been contaminated, can all land you in the dock – as can failure to understand the time a drug takes to clear your horse's system. Sedating a horse to clip it a few days before a competition could result in a positive test, as ACP can take up to two weeks to clear the system. The penicillin regularly used for horses contains banned substances and can take up to 28 days to clear. The FEI is concerned about the lack of information in this area, especially as manufacturers rarely determine detection times..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Armstrong in doping probe
Agencies
Timesofindia.indiatimes.com (22 January 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading text: "ANNECY (France): French authorities have opened a preliminary inquiry into doping allegations made against six-time Tour de Fance winner Lance Armstrong in a book published last summer. Judicial officials confirmed the probe on Thursday but declined to give details, describing the case as confidential. The investigation centres on a magistrate's interview with Armstrong's former British assistant, Emma O'Reilly. Shortly before last year's Tour de France, O'Reilly made allegations in a book LA Confidential, The Secrets of Lance Armstrong. She claimed that Armstrong sent her on long road trips to pick up pills and dispose of used syringes. Because of allegations made in the book, Armstrong's Texas-based insurance company has withheld a $5 million bonus owed to him after he won his sixth Tour last July..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Gene doping, the next big thing confronting sports - A panel formed by WADA will meet next month to study the issuee
Kevin Van Valkenburg
The Telegraph, Calcutta, India (20 January 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading text: "Gene doping can make one run like Marion Jones. Sometime in the near future, an athlete might walk into a lab and ask for an injection that, with the prick of the needle, will bring a world of possibility. Take this and hit home runs like Barry Bonds, the athlete would be told. Take it and fly around the track like Marion Jones. This might sound like another story about steroids, back in the headlines after baseball announced last Thursday that it was adopting a stricter testing policy amid calls for reform, but it’s not. The topic is genetic doping. Because it uses DNA to stimulate or block natural chemicals — chemicals that make changes within the body at the cellular level — it won’t show up in a blood or urine test. With billions of dollars at stake every year in sports and the lure of fame stronger than ever, gene doping is expected to be the next major issue for sports to confront. Experts in the field of genetic research predict it could happen in five or 10 years. Or sooner. “I don’t think it would surprise any of us if tomorrow we picked up a newspaper and saw that (an athlete) had died of a stroke after getting involved with gene therapy,” said Dr Theodore Friedmann, director of the gene therapy program at the University of California at San Diego. He is considered by many to be the world’s leading authority in the field. Genetic doping has the potential to make a mockery of what is currently considered fair athletic competition. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has formed a panel to study the issue and come up with methods for detection. The panel of scientists, led by Friedmann, will meet for the first time next month. “There’s no firm evidence right now that people are using genetic manipulation to enhance performance,” he said, “but there have been a number of studies done with animals like mice and rats that suggest such a thing can be done..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Tennis: Kuznetsova's lawyers join tennis doping storm
Reuters
The New Zealand Herald (20 January 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading text: "MELBOURNE - Svetlana Kuznetsova's lawyers entered the fray as the Australian Open doping scandal degenerated into largely a war of words between the Russian Tennis Federation and the Belgian Government yesterday. As the resilient Kuznetsova channelled her energy into matters more pressing - like trying to win a second Grand Slam title - Russian tennis chief Shamil Tarpishchev accused Belgian regional Sports Minister Claude Eerdekens of bias in the doping controversy. "What he has done is beyond any ethical norms accepted in the civilised sporting community," Tarpishchev said, echoing the sentiments on Tuesday of WTA boss Larry Scott. "He not only wrongly accused one of our top tennis players. By doing it, he also slandered the whole of Russia." Eerdekens revealed on Monday that Kuznetsova had tested positive for ephedrine at an exhibition event in Belgium last month. But the WTA cleared the world No 5 on Tuesday because the stimulant is permitted out of competition and also with a doctor's certificate. Kuznetsova, 19, admitted taking cough medicine during the exhibition event..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Kuznetsova a Star After Doping Allegations
Richard Vach
Tennis-x.com (19 January 2005)
[FullText] [Related reports: TurkishPress.com] [Author contact]

Leading text: "Winning the US Open was one thing, but after riding out false allegations of drug doping, Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova feels she has finally reached the big time. "I worked for this all my life," she said. "It was a big dream for me. And I was not so famous. Now everybody is coming to my press conference, looking at my practice. It feels totally different. I feel like a star here. This is the funny thing." Not necessarily funny-good for the introverted Russian. Kuznetsova returned to the court Wednesday after the WTA Tour said they would not seek action after allegations by a Belgian sports official over drug tests done during an exhibition last December. The Russian tested positive for the stimulant ephedrine, found in over-the-counter cold medicines, that is legal in out-of-competition play..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Race group plans to rein in horse doping
Carl Campanile
NYPost Online Edition (19 January 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading text: "Horse-racing officials announced they will start testing thoroughbreds for illegal, performance-enhancing "milkshakes" yesterday, as 17 people charged in a gambling scandal linked to equine doping were arraigned in federal court. The tests for the so-called "shakes," which involve a sodium bicarbonate cocktail fed into a horse's stomach, will begin early next month, and could lead to "severe" penalties, the New York Racing Association said. "Any violation of this new testing procedure will be met with stiff penalties," NYRA chief Charles Hayward said. The tests will take place at NYRA-administered tracks at Aqueduct, Belmont and Saratoga. The new penalties have not yet been worked out yet. Dr. Ted Hill said "milkshaking" was a known problem with harness racing horses and "standardbreds," but was identified as a problem with thoroughbreds only after a study was done in California last summer. "Until very recently [milkshaking] was not considered to be a problem in thoroughbred racing," said Hill, the steward for the NYRA tracks. The new rules come as the crew of alleged race-fixers and illegal gamblers appeared in federal court in Manhattan to be arraigned. The 17 named in the indictment are allegedly part of a massive gambling scheme which operated in five states including New York, where sources said Belmont Park was "riddled" with doping and loan-sharking. The group's alleged ringleader, Gerald Uvari, 67, of Florida, pleaded not guilty to a slew of gambling charges that could get him 368 years in prison..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Doping Baseball
Winston-Salem Journal
Journalnow.com (19 January 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Excerpt: "It is a sad commentary on the state of Major League Baseball that the relatively weak anti-doping program announced last week is being praised by management and the players' union. Rob Manfred, baseball's chief negotiator, said that the program "is as good as any policy in any professional sport." Donald Fehr, the players' union leader, said the policy successfully deals with the steroid problem. But their words are mostly hollow hype. The new anti-doping program will not cover amphetamines and will provide for relatively minor punishment the first three times a player is caught using steroids. The program was forced upon players as Congress threatened to intercede, but it is still not as strict as that for minor leaguers. It pales compared with that for Olympic athletes... The financial rewards for bulking up are significant. As player salaries spiral, a slap on the wrist won't dissuade players from hitting the illegal juice. The much-hyped program that baseball commissioner Bud Selig praised last week will dock a player for only 10 days worth of salary on the first offense, 30 days on the second and 60 days on the third. When players earn multimillions more by bulking up with steroids, the loss of 10, 30 or 60 days' salary simply becomes part of the cost of doing business. Only on fourth offense does a player lose a full season. Compare that to the two-year suspension that Olympic athletes face when caught for the first time. Second offense carries a lifetime Olympic sports ban. When it comes to amphetamines - stimulants that greatly increase a player's alertness and energy levels - baseball does even less. It does nothing, in fact. Amphetamines are not on the list of banned substances. This is so despite the death late fall of Ken Caminiti, a former National League most valuable player who died of a drug overdose and who had commented on the widespread use of amphetamines in baseball. Baseball has taken a small step toward controlling its drug problem, but it has not taken a decisive step. Fans will still go to the ballparks this spring wondering if they're watching players or drug addicts."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Harness Racing News: Doping allegations made against Poulin
Rangiawha, Jeremy
Harnesslink.com (15 January 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading text: "Standardbred driver Rene Poulin is among 17 people charged in a crackdown on gambling after he allegedly drugged a horse two years ago at Aqueduct. Poulin, 54, is charged for doping a 6-Year-Old gelding named A One Rocket in the first race at Aqueduct on December 18, 2003, according to the New York Post. He pleaded not guilty to federal gambling, horse doping and fraud charges in a Manhattan Federal Court on Thursday (January 13). The New York State Racing and Wagering Board suspended Poulin's racing license on Friday. Authorities estimate that over four years more than $200 million in bets were processed through the gambling operation Poulin was allegedly connected to. Poulin is a winner of 1399 races and $11.6 million lifetime..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Baseball players agree steroids bad for game
By John Fay, Enquirer staff writers
The Enquirer - Cincinatti.com (14 January 2005)
[FullText] [RSS Feed] [The Enquirer contact]

Leading text: "Major League Baseball's newly adopted steroid policy calls for more testing and stiffer penalties for steroid use. The new rules, announced Thursday in Scottsdale, Ariz., at the owners meetings, happened only because the rank-and-file players wanted it. So it's not surprising that the players greeted the news warmly. "It's a good thing," Reds catcher Jason LaRue said. "The legitimate guys who work hard and are clean won't be overlooked." Said Reds first baseman Sean Casey: "It's a step in the right direction. Either you play clean, or you don't play." Every player will be tested at least once each season. There will also be off-season and random testing, with no maximum number of checks. Players would be suspended 10 days after a first positive test, 30 days after a second positive test, 60 days after a third positive test and one year after a fourth positive test. The suspensions are without pay and will be made public..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Doping probe targets publications
Correspondents in Paris
The Australian (14 January 2005) 164(7): 58-62
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading text: "French police searched the offices of the weekly magazine Le Point and sports daily L'Equipe overnight in connection with the doping scandal that rocked cycling team Cofidis last year. Journalists at the two publications said police, led by investigating magistrates, spent several hours in their offices. At Le Point, police seized two computers and ordered two journalists to report for questioning. At L'Equipe, journalists declined to reveal whether any equipment had been seized during the search. Sources close to the investigation said the searches were linked to an investigation of possible leaks within the police force of information about the drugs affair, which saw the team accused of widespread doping..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

AP Breaking News: Baseball's new steroid policy just another a bunt at doping
Wilstein, Steve, AP Sports Columnist
San Francisco Chronicle (13 January 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading text: "Baseball players and owners are high-fiving themselves and think they've quieted critics by agreeing to a slightly stronger steroid-testing program. Don't be fooled: The new policy announced Thursday is progress that will keep the politicians at bay, but it's still just a bunt, not a home run, in the effort to rid baseball of performance-enhancing drugs. It's a watered-down version of the minor league anti-doping program that commissioner Bud Selig has been touting. It's more PR and a dangerous delay in acting decisively. Baseball released some details of the revised program, which, unlike the current system, includes penalties for first-time offenders. The penalties are still paltry: a 10-day suspension for a first positive test, increasing to one year for a fourth positive. Contrast that with the World Anti-Doping Agency's code, adopted by most Olympics sports, where the penalties are normally two years for the first positive test, a lifetime ban for the second. Penalties, as crucial as they are to success against doping, are only part of the solution. There are all those devilish details about when and where players can be tested, how the tests will be handled, which laboratories will do the analyses, and how extensive the list of banned drugs will be..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Sports arbiters set sights on dopes
Kernaghan, Jim, The London Free Press Sports Columnist
The London Free Press Sports (12 January 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading text: "Now that they've got a pretty good handle on doping, the people who arbitrate sports appeals are going to work on dopes. Dopes, as in wackos like the defrocked Irish priest who came out of the blue to push an Olympic marathon runner into the crowd and out of gold- medal contention. Richard McLaren, who spoke yesterday to the Canadian Club of London about drugs in sports, will participate in the aggrieved marathoner's quest for a gold medal as a member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Brazilian runner Vanderlei de Lima may have been en route to a gold medal in Athens when Cornelius Horan burst from the crowd and grabbed the runner, propelling him into the crowd on the opposite side of the street. De Lima regained his balance, if not his rhythm, and got back into the race to finish third and win the bronze. The runner, whose once-large lead had been slowly shrinking, lost several seconds and eventually was overtaken by Stefano Baldini of Italy, the winner in two hours, 10 minutes, 55 seconds, and Mebrahtom Keflezighi of the United States (2:11:29). De Lima finished in 2:12:11. The Brazilian federation protested the result and sought a duplicate gold for de Lima but was rejected..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Spain to toughen anti-doping code
No Author
Rediff.Com Sports (5 January 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading text: "Spain is to introduce an anti-doping code to improve detection procedures, speed up the implementation of sanctions and clamp down on the trading of banned substances. "The national anti-doping plan will be based on a combination of prevention, control and punishment in order to reach the goal of zero tolerance in the use of banned substances in sport," sports minister Jaime Lissavetsky was quoted as saying by the Spanish media on Wednesday. "The cheats have to understand that they will not be allowed to win this battle." Lissavetsky said Spain had become a centre of trading in banned substances used in many sports but that the government had started to take measures to deal with the problem. "In the past there was a certain degree of permissiveness which allowed banned substances such as human growth hormone to be acquired in our country," he said. "But since September it can no longer be sold in chemists and we are also carefully monitoring the amount of EPO that is being sold in each chemist in the country." Leading Spanish sportsmen such as distance runner Alberto Garcia, cyclist Santi Perez and cross country skier Johan Muehlegg have tested positive for the blood-boosting agent EPO in recent years. Lissavetsky said the introduction of the new code would help boost Madrid's bid to hold the 2012 Olympics by demonstrating the country's commitment to combat doping in sport..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Positive test costs Germany Olympic gold
Carla Passino
Horseandhound.co.uk (6 December 2004)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading text: The FEI found German show jumper Ludger Beerbaum guilty of breaching FEI regulations and has disqualified his horse, Goldfever 3, from the Athens lympics. The German show jumping team stand to lose their gold medal after the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) disqualified Ludger Beerbaum's mount, Goldfever 3, for failing a dope test in Athens. The FEI has confirmed “there had been a breach of [their] general regulations relating to the presence of the prohibited substance Betamethasone in the horse Goldfever 3.” Goldfever 3 tested positive to the anti-inflammatory drug betamethasone in Athens and Beerbaum admitted that he had treated his horse with an ointment to cure a skin irritation. The FEI Judicial Committee accepted that the medication was a “legitimate treatment” and that Beerbaum had no malicious intent to enhance performance when he administered it. The committee found “no evidence that the [Beerbaum] had either risked the horse's welfare or gained any advantage during the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.” However, he had omitted to follow the appropriate procedure required by the federation's veterinary regulations, leaving the FEI “no other option than to disqualify the horse Goldfever 3 from all competitions at the Olympic Games Athens 2004..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Chinese doping center ratified for 16th consecutive year
No Author
Chinaview.cn (5 January 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading text: "The Chinese Doping Center has received the accredited laboratory certificate issued by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the Chinese Olympic Committee (COC) announced here on Wednesday. The laboratory director Wu Moutian showed to Xinhua the certificate, which is signed by WADA president Richard Pound..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Rogge takes hard line on doping
From correspondents in Berlin
The Weekend Australian (1 January 2005)
[FullText] [Author contact]

Leading text: "The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) made great strides in its fight against doping in 2004, but athletes who miss doping tests should be immediately disqualified in future, according to IOC president Jacques Rogge. In an interview in Germany's Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, the International Olympic Committee head said 2004 represented a breakthrough in the battle against doping, adding there had been a complete change in the mentality against drug cheats. "We need stricter punishments on athletes who fail to appear for tests," he said. "They should be disqualified, period. "Anyone not available should have at most an hour or two. "But no more exceptions for those who miss three, four or five tests." Rogge applauded an eight-year suspension recently handed to US sprinter Michelle Collins. "That would have been impossible earlier," he said. "I welcome this change in mentality." Rogge said the efficiency of tests had improved considerably even in the past six months and would get even better. "What's most effective is the unannounced tests," he said..."

contributed by Alexei Koudinov | This item permanent URL

Watch latest original research on doping published in other journals. Click here.