they are supposed to stop 3rd parties from disclosing information while an investigation is going on
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Glad you said, “supposed to stop disclosing information” I guess that depends on who it is and how much they donate to the bottomless christmas fund.
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At Senate Estimates for Health portfolio ( Community Affairs Committee ) Sport is scheduled for 10.30 am Wedenesday 28 February. From the listing, it looks like the hearing will be limited to the Australian Sports Commission.
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70% of Norway’s skies use asthma medication…just saying:
Yep, 6000 doses for 109 athletes over 17 competition days. 10 x more than what the Finns took (106 athletes).
I don’t know how WADA can keep a straight face when talking about Asthma medication. Scientific studies have stated athletes get an 8% increase in oxygen intake into their lungs…W T F. An unfair advantage over any athlete not taking those “cures”. Many inhalers contain steroids.
How can they possibly point the finger ar AOD or TB4 when give the green light to Ventolin etc.
At the Vic Junior Championship on the weekend I saw several female teenage athletes on the warm up track using their inhalers… inhalers that may or may not stop an asthma attack, but also most certainly gives “users” an 8% increase in lung capacity…an advantage. Seriously farked up logic WADA. More to come on this me thinks given Norwys dominace over the last couple of weeks.
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Like the AFL, WADA never admit they’re wrong. Ventolin is fine, that’s way too big a can of worms to open.
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The puffers used to treat an asthma attack - like ventolin- were taken off the banned list a while back, but are subject to a maximum daily intake.
In the Froome case ( use of puffer over the limit) , the defence may be that the urine tests are not the proof, rather the limit prohibition is on how many puffs were taken, not what remains in the urine.
The preventers - seretide, symbecourt and the like- do contain steroids and require a TUE exemption. They are of no use in an asthma attack.
Arguments have been made that , due to the intensive nature of some sports , the asthma could be sport-induced. However, to use a puffer before the start of an event could raise questions.
Without further information on what was used by Norway and when , I would treat the comparative statistics and science cited with caution, including their source( a vet from Sweden).
Considering WADA’ s reach to all levels of sport, including the almost comprehensive range of junior and senior spors , the tolerance of asthma medications is probably understandable, even if it is inconsistent with bans on other substances with next to no performance enhancing or health effects.
Brings me to the point whether ‘amateur type’ sports or ‘junior type sports’ should be under the WADA Code ? I see no reason why you waste resources in chasing ‘weekend warriors’ who compete for $300 prize money - It also places unnecessary pressure on these ‘amateur’ type conditions to adhere to the WADA code It also pads NADO’s number of positive tests and gives a false economy of their success - And we could also add indigenous sports and other Non-Olympic sports.
Finally, Norway is another league when it comes to abusing the ‘grey area’ in Winter Sports - Asthma medications, Kenalog, TUE’s by the bucket.
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There is a clause in the UNESCO anti-doping treaty that discourages Government signatories from providing financial assistance to sports that have not signed up to WADA. That would explain why Ireland’s pitch and putt sporting body has signed on to WADA. Unlike Australian Rules, pitch and putt is an international competition ( played between the Irish Republic and the UK, at least the Northern Ireland part of it).
However, the UNESCO clause is not an absolute prohibition , the US for example gets around it with massive subsidies at central and local government level to sports stadiums.
To some extent, the relevant UNESCO clause had an altruistic element, in regard to protecting health. But health protection should not be left to WADA, whose scientists have no expertise in that area ( a cynic might say in any scientific area). The World Health Organisation should be the international point of reference on health.
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What is the problem with Kenalog.? Although subject to restrictions, it can be bought in Australia without prescription. The health effect appears to to be related to pregnancy, But as to performance enhancing effects, who knows.? Might be useful to trace through the patent holders of those WADA banned substances (the meldonim patent resides in Lithuania, no profit for Big Pharna)
ASADA does when it suits them…ie in the senate where is could incriminate them
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All my reading suggests that Kenalog also known as triamcinalone is used to treat inflammation caused by asthma and hay fever - In most sports it can be used with a TUE - It’s extremely popular in cycling and in fact was the centre of the Fancy Bear’s hacking of Bradley Wiggins TUE records in which it was used in three consecutive years before his biggest race of the year - And of course the Norwegian Olympic’s team brought a truckload of asthma medication to the Winter Olympics inc Kenalog - Grey Area doping is big business in professional sport.
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It would be interesting to know the percentage of asthmatics across the Norwegian general population. Asthmatics making up 70% of a team seems high to me. Also, as a life long sufferer of asthma I agree that taking ventolin before an event is of no benefit - it is a reliever only. All my preventer meds contain steroids.
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So does Serena Williams and she has permission from WADA to use it. So, I guess it all depends…
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I recently saw an article about exercise-induced asthma. According to the article , Winter sports and in particular cross- country skiing are the most likely to induce asthma ( in about 50% of participants ) . If the article is correct, it would not be valid to compare exercise induced asthma in some sports to the percentage of the general population with a predisposition to asthma.
Other articles suggest exercise-induced asthma is a problem fot road cyclists because of all the gunk they are breathing in from the road surface.
On the other hand swimming is reportedly beneficial to the health of asthmatic sportspeople as they are exercising and competing in a warm controlled environment . IIRC Dawn Fraser took up swimming to overcome her asthma.
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Ok. Does Asthma medication give the user an advantage over non Asthma medication users. Yes or No ! If it does they are performance enhancing…simple, if they increase the capacity of lung to intake oxygen when training because its use leads to distriburing more oxygen to muscles…its performance enhancing, more so than TB4 IMO, and well fark me dead…its legal !!!
Saddly it appears if you want to be competitive in some sports and you are not asthmatic, your choice is to fake it or be a loser. That is seriously farked up on so many levels its nearly incomprehensible that WADA has signed off on it.
So this sets up for teenagers basically pumping steroids into developing bodies to be competitive and it is OK ??..well given the last 5 years it does my head in. Rant over !??
I don’t disagree with the thrust of your post.
WADA could be asked whether the structures of its regulations are in fact health adverse, including not only the use of asthma medication ( which should be sport specific) but also in regard to bans on substances which promote rapid healing of sport induced injuries without adverse health effects.
Roger Pielke has tweeted that he is finalising a paper on scientific integrity in doping regulations. I would expect it to be critical.
As to meldonium, questions are being asked about its performance enhancing effects and why so many Russians continue to use it. Word has it that is part of Russian medical folklore that strenuous exercise can damage the heart and meldonium acts as a preventer. There is conjecture that It got put on the banned list because it was primarily used by Russians and hence must be used for doping purposes.
Then again there is the role of Big Pharma in guiding WADA what to add to or remove from the list.
And, to bang on, if TB4 is performance enhancing, why is it that the E34 are the only athletes in the world found guilty of using it…?
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Just watched ASADA at Senate Estimates. It seemed to me that Senator Farrell and ASADA are best mates. From the tenor of Farrell’s questions and the ASADA CEO Sharpe’s answers it looked like they had got together and worked out the questions and answers.
Essendon got mentioned once in relation to operation Cobia. Sharpe said ASADA had put to the Wood enquiry that ASADA’s investigation framework should be streamlined to make ‘it more efficient for the athlete’. I took that to mean ASADA wants to make it easier to convict athletes.
No questions were asked about ASADA leaking the results of Jessica Peris’ urine test.
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When relevant questions are not answered or, are answered in a convoluted fashion which generally leads to asking further questions because people want more information which is not forth coming.
It seems to me that the lack of trust by ASADA/WADA with athletes “guilty until proven innocent” and the confusion from WADA’s way of probing, answers nothing. The continual leaking of information does not create a place where any actual negotiation can take place.
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