Drug Misuse

[richardm]

Does anyone know of anyone in orienteering who has failed a drugs test please.
I have an A level PE interview this week and need information about drug testing and misuse in the sport - i have info about wada and bof rules, but i was can't find any records of an orienteer failing a test. i know there cant have been many, if any cases, but i would like to get my facts right.
thanks,
Rich

[Oldman]

I don't know of any, but I think it likely that any there have been will be for inadvertent use of a banned subtsance or failure to request a TUE.

[Scott]

The Norwegian women's relay team were stripped of second place at WOC 1993 after one of them tested positive for a banned substance - perhaps someone older and wiser than me can shed some more light on the circumstances?

[awk]

The Norwegian women's relay team were stripped of second place at WOC 1993 after one of them tested positive for a banned substance - perhaps someone older and wiser than me can shed some more light on the circumstances?

I don't know about wiser, but yes I'm older - or at least I can remember the incident!
Torunn Fossli was the runner - she tested positive for phenylpropanolamine. It was a fairly standard drug in cold cures - a decongestant - and she took a couple of tablets without checking with the team doctor. It looks to have been a genuine mistake. Her individual results (4th in middle - then called short - and 9th in long) remained on the books. She ran in the 95 and 97 World Champs, winning silver with the Norwegian team in the 97 relays. Later known as Torunn Fossli Saethre. I can't remember precisely what punishment was meted out other than the disqualification itself, but I'm fairly certain that it was not significant.

[PorkyFatBoy]

This thread may be of interest.

http://forum.nopesport.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=8156&start=0&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=EPO

[Neil M40]

WADA has some statistics for recent years

http://www.wada-ama.org/en/

programs>Science & Medicine>Anti doping laboratories>Laboratory Statistics/Archived Laboratory Statistics

These show 16 "adverse findings" for orienteering in 2006, 10 in 2005, 6 in 2004 and 6 in 2003.

An adverse finding means they found something, but does not mean a failed drugs test ("sanctioned case") - these statistics are compiled by the labs, before the findings are compared to TUE lists and other checks. You also can't tell from the stats which sport took which drugs.

There are no statistics for "sanctioned cases" on the website, but there should be in the ADAMS system which is now used to manage the anti-doping program and somebody at BOF might have access to.

If anybody has failed a drugs test we would probably have heard about it.

[greywolf]

How good do you have to be to need a TUE?

[JEP]

Its not all black and white this dugs business. I am sure half the seniors at my golf club that take money off me every week are on banned substances without a TUE. One owns up to taking eight tablets every day but then he is 78 but still takes the money now and again - generally about £2 max though.

Wonder how many none elite orienteers, particularly vets, are on something or other.

Then again the press seem to think Dwain Chambers is pretty evil but presumably Carl Myyerscough and Linford Christe (now a UK coach) are ok. You can't really not pick someone on the basis that you do not like tham but that it seems is what UK Athletics seem to want to do.

[Snail]

How good do you have to be to need a TUE?

I think in theory anyone can be tested, although clearly most of us won't be. In the UK my guess would be that testing is only likely at level 1 and 2 events. (No idea for overseas.) And I think testing in practice has been restricted to the "top" classes, although it isn't obvious why it shouldn't be applied to any age band.

Ideally anyone taking something on the list(s) should get one, but I would suggest that it is essential for:
- anyone in a GB representative team, at any level (including juniors, student champs etc)
- anyone entering 18/20/21E courses - whether or not they are likely to be at the sharp end
(because testers may pick some people at random from the start list)
and perhaps strongly recommended for:
- people likely to be in the A finals at events like WMOC
- people in home country representative teams (Home Internationals, Interland etc)

[redkite]

Anyone any idea where the banned list of drugs is listed? Just wondering if my asthma drug that is full of steriods is inlcuded.

[Neil M40]

Anyone any idea where the banned list of drugs is listed? Just wondering if my asthma drug that is full of steriods is inlcuded.

http://www.wada-ama.org/rtecontent/docu ... ist_En.pdf

[greywolf]

Just wondering if my asthma drug that is full of steriods is inlcuded

http://www.wada-ama.org/rtecontent/document/2008_List_En.pdf

I think the relevant bit is:
S9. GLUCOCORTICOSTEROIDS
All glucocorticosteroids are prohibited when administered orally, rectally, intravenously or intramuscularly. Their use requires a Therapeutic Use Exemption approval.
Other routes of administration (intraarticular /periarticular/ peritendinous/ epidural/ intradermal injections and inhalation) require an Abbreviated Therapeutic Use Exemption except as noted below.
Topical preparations when used for dermatological (including iontophoresis/phonophoresis), auricular, nasal, ophthalmic, buccal, gingival and perianal disorders are not prohibited and do not require any form of Therapeutic Use Exemption.

I don't pretend to understand all that...but it appears to depend on how and where you apply your medication

[Scott]

How good do you have to be to need a TUE?

For competitions under BOF jurisdiction (as oppoed to those under IOF jurisdiction), see article 4 of the BOF Anti-Doping Rules: basically, all members of the International, National and Domestic Testing Pools (that is, respectively, those in the IOF testing pool, those in the World Class Squad, and those in the Start Squad) should apply for a TUE if they're taking a banned substance. Anyone else may be tested but can apply for a retroactive TUE, either at the time of testing or within five working days.
For competitions under IOF jurisdiction (WOC, JWOC, WMOC, WC, EOC), all athletes need to apply for a TUE at least twenty-one days before the event.

[Oldman]

Anyone any idea where the banned list of drugs is listed? Just wondering if my asthma drug that is full of steriods is inlcuded.

You may find http://www.100percentme.co.uk useful

[Gross]

[quote="SnailIdeally anyone taking something on the list(s) should get one, but I would suggest that it is essential for:
[/quote]

CRAP..... never take adhoc advice from a nameless internet punter:) The ONLY advice to follow regarding drugs is that offered by the NGO (BOF) the international body (IOF) or WADA. Don't listen to hearsay or rumour:)

Snail should not be offering drugs advice on internet... it's stupid:)