Fallout 30
News
The CyclingNews repeats yesterday's story on "weight obsessed" Italian women's road champsion Marta Bastianelli who has posted a "non-negative" test for the dietary aid flenfluramine:Bastianelli's mother, Mirella, defended her saying the cyclist was incredibly careful that any medication she consumed complied with World Anti-Doping Agency rules. "My daughter only took a medicine for losing weight, Benfluorex, with the agreement of her doctor; she made sure that it wasn't a banned substance, it had a pineapple base," Mirella Bastianelli told AFP.
At Velonews, Andrew Hood paints the sunny side up, this time for sure picture about doping and enforcement at this year's Tour.
Is 2008 any different?
There’s a lot of evidence that it is. Doping controls run by the French national anti-doping agency (AFLD) were precise, diligent, numerous and — after four doping positives — accurate.
We don't know how anyone can deduce "precise" and "accurate" from the data available, and we still await any results on Piepoli's tests. Hood, among others, thinks there is a perceptible change in attitude. It would be nice if it were true.
The Kansas City Star says the revelation of childhood sexual abuse made public at the Floyd Landis/USADA hearings in May 2007, helped heal former Tour de France champ Greg LeMond.
The AP reports the International Gymnastics Federation will not appeal USADA's warning to Morgan Hamm, who tested positive for a prohibited substance for which he did not file a proper TUE. He's going to Beijing, while his injured brother is not.
The Journal of Internal Medicine is about to publish a lengthy review of doping by Catlin, Fitch and Ljungqvist. The press blurb includes:
"This major review by Professors Catlin, Ljungqvist and Fitch provides a concise description of the history of drug testing for the Olympic Games, with fascinating details on the evolution of laboratory equipment and analytical strategies" says Dr Thomas H Murray, President and CEO of The Hastings Center, a bioethics research institute based in New York.
"It identifies failings of the overall anti-doping system – most of them out of the laboratories control – and describes a number of challenges to be confronted.
"And it also shows us that there are five elements that are necessary for a successful anti-doping programme. These are: a strong commitment to – and sufficient funding for – research, a smart sampling strategy, adequate analytical capacity, a trustworthy adjudication process and a solid foundation of clear principles and transparent process."
Maybe some people are starting to hear the discord in the song currently being played.
Blogs
Pommi talks smack that TBV had better watch out, but TBV has 1167 miles this month, has lost 20 lbs, and last rode Diablo in 1:20.
Rant discusses refreshing Tour de France winner Carlos Sastre, and also wonders about the recent doping stories that have emerged with emphasis on Jessica Hardy and her curious "surprise" at testing positive. Rant notes that "the beast" must and will be fed.
The Producer of a KQED QUEST show about steroids repeats some misinformation about Landis, and seems enthralled by the science of the anti-dopers.
Alex Valentine, a UNIX user, looks positively at the tour, and touches on the Alpe D'Huez doping standard we've discussed in recent comments. He still thinks Landis was clean.
We are in receipt of a disturbing photo. Those with with low tolerance or small children, look away; others may click for larger. This may be from the 2007 Amgen Tour of California.
"Free Floyd" next to, um, something.
5 comments:
Here's an interesting quote from CN: "International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge, interviewed in the Belgian newspaper De Standaard, said he expected 40 athletes to be caught doping during the Beijing Games. Rogge based his statements on increased doping controls, when compared with previous Olympic Games. At the Sydney Games in 2000, there were 12 positives from 2,500 tests. This year, there will be 4,500 controls performed at the Olympic Games."
40 athletes to be caught doping...shoot why bother testing at all? Just pick your 40 and get it over with already! Wonder who they are targeting?
The real scandal of the games will not be from the 40 doping tests however. It will be notice that tests have shown that Katerina Pisetsky(see picture here http://ukrsg.narod.ru/pisetsky/ce_03_115.jpg ), leader of Israel's Rhythmic Gymnastics team, is shown to actually be a 250 lb man wearing a very slimming costume.
This will make the controversey over the Speedo Swimming suits pail in comparison.
Saw this in an article about the Olympics:
"Competitors must tell the International Olympic Committee exactly where they are, 24 hours a day, from this coming Sunday, whether or not they have arrived in Beijing."
What does this mean? On the cellphone with the IOC at all times?
"OK, I'm walking from the living room into the kitchen. Now I'm stepping into the pantry to get some plates. Now I'm back in the kitchen. Oh, wait, I need to go down to the basement to get some extra napkins ..."
Mark’s Daily Apple
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/should-we-allow-drugs-in-sports/
woody said...
Mark’s Daily Apple
The performance requirements set by the federations at the elite level of sport almost demand access to certain “banned substances” in order to assure the health and vitality of the athlete throughout his or her career and – more importantly – into his or her life after competition.
Even worse, athletes are avoiding non-banned substances for fear of trace amounts of some banned substance. And what it the result of that? No harm done? Amber Neber, in her own USADA hearing when she tested positive for an unlabelled ingredient in an energy supplement, said otherwise:
http://www.usantidoping.org/files/active/arbitration_rulings/arbitration_ruling_10_21_2003_Neben.pdf
"From a safety perspective, Ms. Neben testified that an athlete must take the electrolyte drinks and the gels which contained glucose to avoid fatigue and mental lapses. If the blood sugar level goes down so does concentration. Ms. Neben testified tearfully concerning the catastrophic consequences mental lapses can cause in Road Racing. A fellow competitor was killed in one of her races."
I'm guessing, given the timing, that this was Nicole Reinhart.
Despite this, USADA required Neben to meet with her team (T-Mobile) while on her suspension to warn them of the dangers of supplements (the danger appears to be a positive test, not any medical problems caused by the supplements). There was further verbiage in the arbitration report about USADA being "disturbed" by testimony from Neben, coaches, and others that 100% of cyclists use some sort of supplement for the reasons given above.
OK, here's a fair question:
Does USADA and/or WADA have Nicole Reinhart's blood on their hands?
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