Athlete's Challenge
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| Here are links to the best information about Olympic drug testing. 3 Cheers for Italy - Italy Imposes $140K fine for Athletes Who Get Caught Doping: Click Here This is the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency: Click Here This is the World Anti-Doping Agency: Click Here This is an article from the Vancouver 2010 Olympic web site: Anti-Doping at VANOC: the Journey to Clean Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Vancouver 2010 Anti-Doping Program Mission - be sure to scroll down to the resources section and the partners sections for great links. Click Here |
| Take The Athlete's Challenge It is no secret that Jonathan and Kelly at Miles To Go are big Olympics fans. The Olympics represent an achievement of goal setting that is unprecedented. This Friday night (2/12/10) the games will open and approximately 2,500 athletes will begin competition in 15 sports with over 86 separate medal events. Before a single athlete passes over the starting line, they will all have been extensively warned about the drug testing rules and procedures, the list of banned substances, and had every opportunity to receive drug and competition awareness education. There will be no excuses or loopholes for athletes to try to beat the testing. 700 volunteers have been trained to conduct the blood and urine tests that can be given at any time from opening of the Olympic village until the closing ceremonies. The information is clear and concise, and the anti-doping organizations are trying to lead the way for exemplary planning and execution for future games. Because we are so committed to the idea of drug-free competition, Miles To Go is kicking off “The Athlete’s Challenge.” Over the next 10 years (which will include 2010, 2014 & 2018 winter Olympics and the 2012, 2016 and 2020 summer Olympics) Kelly and Jonathan will ask all athletes, coaches and teams to take “The Athlete’s Challenge” to compete fairly without using drugs. We feel this pledge should include the promise to avoid all drug abuse, not just those that enhance the ability to compete. In the coming years, we will invite partners to join us as we encourage athletes to preserve the integrity of their sport and not fall prey to the temptation to cheat despite the money and endorsements offered to them if they will. Never again do we want to hear an athlete say that they didn’t know they were given a banned substance; and we implore athletes to protect themselves against unscrupulous coaches and management by being responsible for everything they put in their bodies. We will continue to develop our web page called The Athlete’s Challenge over the years by providing information about doping and drug use among athletes, exposing inappropriate doping in the coaching field, and by giving teachers, advisors, parents, and coaches information so they can continue this discussion at school. We wish the best of luck to the competitors from all over the world and expect fair competition to be encouraged in all of our schools. |
| Simplifying a Complex Subject |
The following article is a reprint from the Partnership at Drugfree.org - it is a very important issue for all coaches, fans, players and students. Act Now & Make Your Voice Be Heard October 12, 2011 Help Hold the NFL and the NFL Players Association to Their Word on Human Growth Hormone Testing In July, the National Football League (NFL) and the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) approved a new 10-year collective bargaining agreement that included testing players annually and randomly for Human Growth Hormone (HGH). This groundbreaking agreement would make the NFL the first professional sports league to test for HGH. The Olympics have been testing for HGH since 2004 and Major League Baseball subjects its minor league players to this test. Since the collective bargaining agreement was signed, the players have raised a number of issues about the HGH test and the new testing protocol has not yet been implemented. Last week, Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) requested that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith and Travis Tygart of the United States Anti-Doping Agency meet with them to clarify the impasse. The Congressmen have said that they seek to "understand the concerns of the players and the league and to strongly convey our universal interest in protecting the health of millions of younger athletes across the country." Sending a clear signal that performance-enhancing substances, including HGH, will be not tolerated is an important part of teaching kids about the dangers of using these substances. And if the test is good enough for the Olympics, it should be good enough for the NFL. Please take a moment to weigh in with Congress and ask them to keep the heat on the NFL and the NFLPA in their closed-door meeting. Click here to complete the online comment form. After you take action, reply to this email to let us know - and please forward this message to your colleagues, friends and family so that their voices can be heard as well. Sample Wording for your message: Dear Chairman Issa and Ranking Member Cummings: Thank you for your efforts to hold the National Football League (NFL) and the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) to their collective bargaining agreement regarding a test for Human Growth Hormone (HGH). We sincerely hope that this new testing protocol will be initiated this season and the NFL will become the first major sports league to test for this substance. There has been a scientifically valid test for HGH used in the Olympics since 2004. Countless athletes have been subject to this test and scientists have no doubt that the test is able to distinguish between naturally-occurring HGH and the synthetic variety used in sports doping. There is also a new test on the horizon which can detect HGH for up to three weeks after use and could be approved by the World Anti-Doping Agency soon. This new protocol has been closely scrutinized and is the subject of more than 30 peer-reviewed scientific articles. Having a valid HGH test in effect in the NFL will protect the integrity of the game and, more importantly, will send an important message to young fans. Football players, like all professional athletes, are role models and their use of performance enhancing substances, including HGH, sends the wrong message. We applaud you for your bipartisan efforts to meet with the NFL and the NFLPA to move them past their current impasse and see that they begin testing for HGH as they agreed to do. |
| This very important article was printed online in the Science Daily seen below for reports and research. Web address: Click here Biker's Warning! EPO Hits Blood Vessels to Raise Blood Pressure in the Brain ScienceDaily (Dec. 9, 2011) — Erythropoietin or EPO might be considered a "performance enhancing" substance for athletes, but new research published online in The FASEB Journal shows that these enhancements come at a high cost--increased risk of vascular problems in the brain. According to the study, short- or long-term use of EPO raises blood pressure by constricting arteries, which reduces the flow of blood to the brain. This finding also contradicts earlier evidence suggesting that EPO may be a viable early treatment for stroke victims. "The new findings of this study urge to scrutinize present indications for EPO, and so help to better delineate positive versus adversary health effects of EPO for each patient," said Peter Rasmussen, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. "Future research should aim at developing an EPO-based agent for treatment that does not have a negative effect on the blood vessels of the brain." To make this discovery, Rasmussen and colleagues evaluated the effects of acute high doses of EPO for three days and chronic low doses of EPO for 13 weeks in two groups of healthy males. Responsiveness of brain vessels during rest and during bike-riding exercise, with and without hypoxia, was examined. Blood vessels were also analyzed using ultrasound measurements and by measuring how much oxygen reached the brain. They found that prolonged EPO administration increased hematocrit, while acute administration did not. They also found that both groups had increases in blood vessel constriction and higher blood pressure. "EPO is used by doctors to increase red blood cells in sick people who can't make enough of them: it's called honest medicine. When EPO is used by healthy bikers and runners to boost their performance, it's called cheating. Now we know that folks who use EPO covertly are cheating not only the time-clock, but themselves," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "Not only is EPO likely unsafe in healthy athletes, but there are many other ways to build up stamina without drugs." Story Source: The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Journal Reference: P. Rasmussen, Y.-S. Kim, R. Krogh-Madsen, C. Lundby, N. V. Olsen, N. H. Secher, J. J. van Lieshout. Both acute and prolonged administration of EPO reduce cerebral and systemic vascular conductance in humans. The FASEB Journal, 2011; DOI: 10.1096/fj.11-193508 Need to cite this story in your essay, paper, or report? Use one of the following formats: APA MLA Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (2011, December 9). Biker's warning! EPO hits blood vessels to raise blood pressure in the brain. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 12, 2011, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2011/12/111209171938.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily% 3A+Latest+Science+News%29 Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead. Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff. |
| Association of Surfing Professionals http://www.aspworldtour.com/2012/01/15/asp-international-initiates-anti-doping-policy-at-elite-level-of-competition/ ASP International Initiates Anti-Doping Policy at Elite Level of Competition [ 24 ] January 15, 2012 | ASP International The new ASP Anti-Doping Policy is activated for the 2012 season. COOLANGATTA, Queensland/AUS (Monday, January 16, 2012) – ASP International has initiated a new Anti-Doping Policy for the world’s best surfers which will be activated for 2012 ASP World Title season. “This policy represents a consensus between our surfers, events and administrators in evolving the sport of surfing to a more professional level,” Richard Grellman, ASP Executive Chairman, said. “The desire to initiate this kind of policy has existed within ASP for several years now and with the approval of resource and budget allocation at the November 2011 Board Meeting, we are pleased to announce its activation. We believe this to be an important further step in enhancing professional surfing.” The new ASP Anti-Doping Policy will apply to ASP Top 34 and ASP Top 17 members competing on the ASP World Title Series and ASP Women’s World Title Series respectively. ASP surfers played a crucial role in the initiation of this policy and are in full support of its activation. “The men strongly support the implementation of the ASP Anti-Doping policy,” Kieren Perrow, ASP Top 34 competitor and surfers’ representative, said. “It is a positive step which enhances the professionalism of competitive surfing and sends a great message to the kids out there who look up to us as role models.” The ASP Anti-Doping Policy involves standards prescribed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code and Prohibited List with any testing performed implemented at International Standards. “As the sport of surfing continues to grow its audience every year, so grow the responsibilities of our athletes,” Jessi Miley-Dyer, surfers’ representative and newly-appointed ASP Women’s World Tour Manager, said. “The activation of the ASP’s Anti-Doping Policy is a logical step in the organization’s continued pursuit of professionalism and has the full support of the women.” The new ASP Anti-Doping Policy can be viewed in full at aspworldtour.com/pdf/aspantidopingpolicy.pdf The first stop of the 2012 ASP World Title Series will be the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast from February 25 to March 7, 2012. For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com |
Just as the U.S. Attorney’s office closed the case on a 2 year investigation of Lance Armstrong’s doping accusation, Alberto Contador loses his Tour de France title. We want the doping scandals to end! The following story appeared in USA Today Sports on 2/6/12: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/cycling/story/2012-02-05/alberto-conatdor-race-verdict/52974030/1 The following story appeared in the LA Times on 2/3/12: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/02/us-attorney-closes-investigation-into-lance-armstrong-and- others.html |
2 months and counting until the Olympics: Here are the updated stories in the news No booze for Russians at Summer Olympics click here This article appeared in USA Today online 5/21/12 London 2012: Steve Redgrave regrets Olympic drug ban ruling Click here This article appeared in the BBC Sports 5/18/12 London 2012 Olympics: I made a massive mistake and I am so sorry, says former drugs cheat Dwain Chambers Click here This article appeared in The Telegraph UK 5/27/12 Hi-tech tests to catch Olympics drug cheats at London 2012 Click here By Matthew Knight, CNN - April 12, 2012 -- Updated 1120 GMT (1920 HKT) Top Saudis will miss Olympics after being handed drugs ban Click here By Sportsmail Reporter - This article appeared in the UK Daily Mail London 2012: NOC (Nigerian Olympic Committe) to punish athletes, coaches on drugs Click here This article appeared in PUNCH (Nigerian News Online) Olympic Boxing May Damage the Brain Click here This article appeared in Science Daily |
Cheating news as we look for the healthy role models along the way! Scroll down for all articles on this subject. London Summer Olympics 2012 Reports:
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| Welcome Sochi Winter Olympics 2014 We're proud of all of the athletes who set a goal and followed their dreams. Unfortunately a few, either by choice or by accident, were caught cheating in the 2014 Olympic games. The World Anti Doping Agency's mission is to lead a collaborative worldwide campaign for doping-free sport. Read more about their mission at http://www.wada-ama.org/ The WADA Say No to Doping campaign can help coaches & teachers http://www.wada-ama.org/en/Education-Awareness/Say-NO-to-Doping/ Two more athletes test positive: read the article here from ESPN Australia Athletes Banned From Drinking At 2014 Winter Olympics Click here |
| Click here for our recent Drug Fact Update titled Athlete's Challenge Alert: Energy Drink Warnings for Coaches, Parents, Students and Teachers |
| Spit It All Out, Tour Golfers: Few Speak of Tobacco Habit By KAREN CROUSEMAY 2, 2014 http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/03/sports/golf/spit-it-out-tour-golfers-few-speak-of-tobacco-habit.html?_r=1 |
| 3 Cheers for the World Dancesport Federation for supporting the World Anti Doping Code. This highly athletic ballroom dance competition has very strict rules in these world-wide, high-stakes tournaments. Don't be surprised when Dancesport joins the Olympics in the future. If you want to see people sweat, this is the sport to watch! http://www.worlddancesport.org/Rule/Athlete/Anti-Doping/WDSF_Anti-Doping_Code |