MESO-Rx
Anabolic Steroids
WADA ... Olympics ...
- Thread starter Michael Scally MD
- Start date
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) acknowledges the ruling today by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to declare the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA) non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code (Code) for a period of two years and to impose significant consequences. This decision confirms in large part the recommendation made in November 2019 by WADA’s independent Compliance Review Committee (CRC), which was unanimously accepted by the Agency’s Executive Committee (ExCo) on 9 December 2019.
Today’s CAS ruling is a clear endorsement of WADA’s assertion that data from the Moscow Laboratory were intentionally altered prior to and while they were being forensically copied by WADA Intelligence and Investigations (I&I) in January 2019 as part of Operation LIMS, in contravention of critical criteria set by the ExCo when RUSADA was reinstated as compliant, under strict conditions, in September 2018.
Egan, 33, a United States Olympian in the sport in 2018, read that the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland had banned Russia from international competition as a consequence of its state-sponsored doping scheme. She thought the ban was a good thing.
But then she read the fine print. The ban was half the length of the four-year suspension initially proposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency and, she realized, not much of a ban at all. The vast majority of Russian athletes will still have an unobstructed path to competing at the next two Olympic Games, and although those athletes now will be required to take part as so-called neutral competitors, they will be allowed to wear their national colors and display the word “Russia” on their uniforms.
“I felt insulted, disappointed, discouraged,” Egan said. “It’s extremely difficult for me, and for clean athletes like me, to understand what the heck is going on over there to produce these types of decisions.”
Egan’s befuddlement mirrored the reactions of athletes and antidoping campaigners across the Olympic landscape. Another athlete lamented that Russia had largely escaped punishment despite being caught “red-handed.” A third said he now felt “a little hopeless” for the future of clean sport. All three agreed that the ruling most likely ensured that dozens of Russian athletes who cheated will never face punishment at all.
[OA] Doping Practices in International Weightlifting
Key points
The nations with the highest number of sanctioned weightlifters between 2008 and 2019 (the worst period of doping in weightlifting’s history) all had at least one overrepresented detected substance that accounted for 38–60% of all detected substances.
Improvements in the detection window for exogenous anabolic androgenic steroids resulted in samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games being re-analysed and 61 weightlifters produced retrospective Anti-Doping Rule Violations with the highest number of medallists (34) across all sports.
These findings suggest that weightlifting would benefit from the targeted testing of certain regions and further invest in long-term sample storage at other major competitions (i.e. World and Continental Companionships).
Background - The pervasiveness of doping and findings of anti-doping corruption threaten weightlifting’s position at the 2024 Olympic Games. Analysing the practices of doping in weightlifters could identify patterns in doping that assist in future detection.
Methods - We analysed publicly available data on sanctioned athletes/support personnel from the International Weightlifting Federation between 2008 and 2019 and announced retrospective Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) from the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.
Results - There were 565 sanctions between 2008 and 2019 of which 82% related to the detection of exogenous Anabolic Androgenic Steroid (AAS) metabolites and markers indicating endogenous AAS usage.
The detection of exogenous AAS metabolites, markers of endogenous AAS usage and other substance metabolites varied by IWF Continental Federation (p ≤ 0.05) with Europe (74%, 11%, 15%) and Asia (70%, 15%, 15%) showing a higher detection of exogenous AAS compared to Pan America (37%, 30%, 33%) and Africa (50%, 17%, 33%).
When looking at the 10 most detected substances, the nations with the highest number of sanctions (range 17–35) all had at least one overrepresented substance that accounted for 38–60% of all detected substances.
The targeted re-analysis of samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games due to the discovery of long-term metabolites for exogenous AAS resulted in 61 weightlifters producing retrospective ADRVs.
This includes 34 original medallists (9 gold, 10 silver and 15 bronze), the highest of any sport identified by Olympic Games sample re-testing. The exogenous AAS dehydrochloromethyltestosterone and stanozolol accounted for 83% of detected substances and were present in 95% of these samples.
Conclusion - Based on these findings of regional differences in doping practices, weightlifting would benefit from the targeted testing of certain regions and continuing investment in long-term sample storage as the sensitivity and specificity of detection continues to improve.
Kolliari-Turner, A., Oliver, B., Lima, G. et al. Doping practices in international weightlifting: analysis of sanctioned athletes/support personnel from 2008 to 2019 and retesting of samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. Sports Med - Open 7, 4 (2021). Doping practices in international weightlifting: analysis of sanctioned athletes/support personnel from 2008 to 2019 and retesting of samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games
Key points
The nations with the highest number of sanctioned weightlifters between 2008 and 2019 (the worst period of doping in weightlifting’s history) all had at least one overrepresented detected substance that accounted for 38–60% of all detected substances.
Improvements in the detection window for exogenous anabolic androgenic steroids resulted in samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games being re-analysed and 61 weightlifters produced retrospective Anti-Doping Rule Violations with the highest number of medallists (34) across all sports.
These findings suggest that weightlifting would benefit from the targeted testing of certain regions and further invest in long-term sample storage at other major competitions (i.e. World and Continental Companionships).
Background - The pervasiveness of doping and findings of anti-doping corruption threaten weightlifting’s position at the 2024 Olympic Games. Analysing the practices of doping in weightlifters could identify patterns in doping that assist in future detection.
Methods - We analysed publicly available data on sanctioned athletes/support personnel from the International Weightlifting Federation between 2008 and 2019 and announced retrospective Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) from the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.
Results - There were 565 sanctions between 2008 and 2019 of which 82% related to the detection of exogenous Anabolic Androgenic Steroid (AAS) metabolites and markers indicating endogenous AAS usage.
The detection of exogenous AAS metabolites, markers of endogenous AAS usage and other substance metabolites varied by IWF Continental Federation (p ≤ 0.05) with Europe (74%, 11%, 15%) and Asia (70%, 15%, 15%) showing a higher detection of exogenous AAS compared to Pan America (37%, 30%, 33%) and Africa (50%, 17%, 33%).
When looking at the 10 most detected substances, the nations with the highest number of sanctions (range 17–35) all had at least one overrepresented substance that accounted for 38–60% of all detected substances.
The targeted re-analysis of samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games due to the discovery of long-term metabolites for exogenous AAS resulted in 61 weightlifters producing retrospective ADRVs.
This includes 34 original medallists (9 gold, 10 silver and 15 bronze), the highest of any sport identified by Olympic Games sample re-testing. The exogenous AAS dehydrochloromethyltestosterone and stanozolol accounted for 83% of detected substances and were present in 95% of these samples.
Conclusion - Based on these findings of regional differences in doping practices, weightlifting would benefit from the targeted testing of certain regions and continuing investment in long-term sample storage as the sensitivity and specificity of detection continues to improve.
Kolliari-Turner, A., Oliver, B., Lima, G. et al. Doping practices in international weightlifting: analysis of sanctioned athletes/support personnel from 2008 to 2019 and retesting of samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. Sports Med - Open 7, 4 (2021). Doping practices in international weightlifting: analysis of sanctioned athletes/support personnel from 2008 to 2019 and retesting of samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games
[OA] Commentary – Increasing Abuse of Anabolic Steroids and Chemsex Drugs as Performance and Image-Enhancing Agents
Whereas years ago, AAS were misused only by elite athletes, nowadays this mistreat is not confined to the Olympic and professional sports world, but it also involves amateur athletes and adolescents and young adults interested in appearance and performance enhancement.
Indeed, AAS misuse appears to be closely linked to the aim of achieving perfection, in an attempt to constantly produce the best sporting performance and improve one-physical appearance.
Remarkably, the reasons for using AAS are very different for men and women. Women and adolescents often use AAS for aesthetic and weight lifting purposes (e.g., models in fashion shows or fashion news reports), while men are more likely to use AAS for physical performance or sexual power in association with other substances.
In this latter concern, it has been demonstrated AAS are often taken in combination with psychotropic and non-psychotropic drugs in the context of “chemsex”, in which heterosexuals and homosexuals have sex under the influence of stimulating substances. In these contexts, poly-drug use has been shown to be frequent.
Zaami S, Tini A, Varì MR. Commentary - Increasing abuse of anabolic steroids and chemsex drugs as performance and image-enhancing agents. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2021 Jan;25(1):455-458. doi: 10.26355/eurrev_202101_24414. PMID: 33506936. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/24414
Whereas years ago, AAS were misused only by elite athletes, nowadays this mistreat is not confined to the Olympic and professional sports world, but it also involves amateur athletes and adolescents and young adults interested in appearance and performance enhancement.
Indeed, AAS misuse appears to be closely linked to the aim of achieving perfection, in an attempt to constantly produce the best sporting performance and improve one-physical appearance.
Remarkably, the reasons for using AAS are very different for men and women. Women and adolescents often use AAS for aesthetic and weight lifting purposes (e.g., models in fashion shows or fashion news reports), while men are more likely to use AAS for physical performance or sexual power in association with other substances.
In this latter concern, it has been demonstrated AAS are often taken in combination with psychotropic and non-psychotropic drugs in the context of “chemsex”, in which heterosexuals and homosexuals have sex under the influence of stimulating substances. In these contexts, poly-drug use has been shown to be frequent.
Zaami S, Tini A, Varì MR. Commentary - Increasing abuse of anabolic steroids and chemsex drugs as performance and image-enhancing agents. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2021 Jan;25(1):455-458. doi: 10.26355/eurrev_202101_24414. PMID: 33506936. https://www.europeanreview.org/article/24414
[OA] Performance-Enhancing Drug Use in Recreational Athletes
Family physicians may be surprised to learn the number of their patients who use performance-enhancing drugs, either deliberately to improve athletic performance or unknowingly through contaminated dietary supplements. Elite athletes account for only a small fraction of the approximately 3 million users of ergogenic drugs in the United States. Sports organizations have broadened their efforts to detect and deter doping (i.e., the use of performance-enhancing drugs in competitive sports) at all levels of competition, resulting in a surprising number of positive doping test results in masters and recreational level athletes.
Recreational athletes who have been caught intentionally doping have reported many reasons for doing so, including keeping up with others in their age group in training and competition and for faster recovery from training and competitions so that they can continue to compete at a maximal level.
The prevalence of performance-enhancing drug use among athletes and the general public has led the World Health Organization to recognize the use of these drugs as a public health issue. Over the past decade, the emergence of novel doping agents (particularly drugs aimed at boosting endogenous hormone levels and anabolic agents), increased acceptance of complementary and lifestyle medications, and increased contamination of dietary supplements have contributed to this growing public health concern.
…
Smith T, Fedoruk M, Eichner A. Performance-Enhancing Drug Use in Recreational Athletes. Am Fam Physician. 2021 Feb 15;103(4):203-204. PMID: 33587578. Performance-Enhancing Drug Use in Recreational Athletes
Family physicians may be surprised to learn the number of their patients who use performance-enhancing drugs, either deliberately to improve athletic performance or unknowingly through contaminated dietary supplements. Elite athletes account for only a small fraction of the approximately 3 million users of ergogenic drugs in the United States. Sports organizations have broadened their efforts to detect and deter doping (i.e., the use of performance-enhancing drugs in competitive sports) at all levels of competition, resulting in a surprising number of positive doping test results in masters and recreational level athletes.
Recreational athletes who have been caught intentionally doping have reported many reasons for doing so, including keeping up with others in their age group in training and competition and for faster recovery from training and competitions so that they can continue to compete at a maximal level.
The prevalence of performance-enhancing drug use among athletes and the general public has led the World Health Organization to recognize the use of these drugs as a public health issue. Over the past decade, the emergence of novel doping agents (particularly drugs aimed at boosting endogenous hormone levels and anabolic agents), increased acceptance of complementary and lifestyle medications, and increased contamination of dietary supplements have contributed to this growing public health concern.
…
Smith T, Fedoruk M, Eichner A. Performance-Enhancing Drug Use in Recreational Athletes. Am Fam Physician. 2021 Feb 15;103(4):203-204. PMID: 33587578. Performance-Enhancing Drug Use in Recreational Athletes
Evaluation of Blood Parameters by Linear Discriminant Models for The Detection of Testosterone Administration
The steroidal module of the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) has been used since 2014 for the longitudinal monitoring of urinary testosterone and its metabolites to identify samples suspicious for the use of synthetic forms of Endogenous Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (EAAS). Multiple recent studies have suggested that monitoring of blood parameters may provide enhanced detectability of exogenous testosterone administration.
Transdermal and intramuscular testosterone administration studies were carried out in fifteen subjects and the effect on blood steroidal levels, hematological parameters and gonadotropins was evaluated. Serum testosterone and dihydrotestosterone levels increased while gonadotropin levels were suppressed after administration. A modest increase in reticulocytes was also observed.
The blood parameters that were responsive to the administrations were combined into several linear discriminant models targeting both administration (on) and washout (off) phases. The models were effective in detecting the large dose intramuscular administration but were less successful in the detection of the lower dose transdermal application. The blood profiling models may provide complementary value but do not appear to be substantially more advantageous than longitudinal urinary profiling.
Nair VS, Sharpe K, Husk J, Miller GD, van Eenoo P, Crouch A, Eichner D. EVALUATION OF BLOOD PARAMETERS BY LINEAR DISCRIMINANT MODELS FOR THE DETECTION OF TESTOSTERONE ADMINISTRATION. Drug Test Anal. 2021 Feb 24. doi: 10.1002/dta.3017. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33629499. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/dta.3017
The steroidal module of the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) has been used since 2014 for the longitudinal monitoring of urinary testosterone and its metabolites to identify samples suspicious for the use of synthetic forms of Endogenous Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (EAAS). Multiple recent studies have suggested that monitoring of blood parameters may provide enhanced detectability of exogenous testosterone administration.
Transdermal and intramuscular testosterone administration studies were carried out in fifteen subjects and the effect on blood steroidal levels, hematological parameters and gonadotropins was evaluated. Serum testosterone and dihydrotestosterone levels increased while gonadotropin levels were suppressed after administration. A modest increase in reticulocytes was also observed.
The blood parameters that were responsive to the administrations were combined into several linear discriminant models targeting both administration (on) and washout (off) phases. The models were effective in detecting the large dose intramuscular administration but were less successful in the detection of the lower dose transdermal application. The blood profiling models may provide complementary value but do not appear to be substantially more advantageous than longitudinal urinary profiling.
Nair VS, Sharpe K, Husk J, Miller GD, van Eenoo P, Crouch A, Eichner D. EVALUATION OF BLOOD PARAMETERS BY LINEAR DISCRIMINANT MODELS FOR THE DETECTION OF TESTOSTERONE ADMINISTRATION. Drug Test Anal. 2021 Feb 24. doi: 10.1002/dta.3017. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33629499. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/dta.3017
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