The Julie Coram case has exposed the incompetence and unfairness of the “natural” bodybuilding competitions sponsored by FAME and the World Natural Sports Organization (WNSO). Coram was stripped of her WNSO pro card after testing positive for metabolites of three different anabolic steroids, boldenone, oxandrolone and DHEA after winning the Ainsley McSorley FAME Model Search Championships in Winnipeg.
Coram has now been stripped of her title and banned from the organization due to her choices as we are serious when it comes to our drug testing procedures and want to keep not only a natural stage but a healthy stage too.
Rick Collins and Mike DiMaggio of Collins, McDonald and Gann recently reported the drug test results of Julie Coram conducted by a legitimate anti-doping organization.
…Julie Coram was subjected to an impromptu drug test by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES), the testing body responsible for administering drug testing under the Canadian BodyBuilding Federation’s (CBBF) anti-doping program. The results are in, and Ms. Coram tested negative for all prohibited methods and substances.
Collins compares and contrasts the fairness and reliability of the CBBF testing protocols with those of FAME.
We are grateful that the CBBF subjected Julie Coram to a prompt, fair and reliable drug test, said Rick Collins, an authority in the field of doping legalities and Ms. Coram’s lawyer. The results were not at all surprising to us. She tested absolutely clean “ she had no traces whatsoever of any banned substances in her sample. Julie has been exonerated. Collins said that the result is particularly significant because the testing protocol of CBBF is stricter and more sophisticated than the test that FAME conducted. It is also significant in light of the substances that Julie was alleged to have tested positive for, which included a metabolite of a horse steroid that is reportedly detectable for up to five months.
Drug testing expert Dr. Mauro DiPasquale weighs in on the lack of crediblity of FAME’s anti-doping procedures.
The CBBF result casts serious doubt on credibility of the FAME test. World renowned doping control expert Dr. Mauro DiPasquale, who was not involved in the case but read the media coverage of Ms. Coram’s alleged positive test, commented: Inferior drug testing protocols can yield inaccurate results; however, the reliability of the CCES drug testing protocol is in line with the World Anti-Doping Agency, which is considered the gold standard for drug testing.
FAME asserts it is “serious” about drug testing. In actuality, FAME is seriously incompetent. Rather than follow the “gold standard” of athletic anti-doping procedures consistent with WADA, they have chosen ridiculous procedures such as “Physique Screening” and “Voice Stress Analysis.”
Neither is FAME serious about maintaining a “natural” competition. Their rules permit everything that can be purchased over the counter at a supplement store. Prohormones and prosteroid formulations sold over the counter (including 22 OTC dietary supplements that contain anabolic steroids) are technically allowed under FAME/WNSO. In other words, FAME/WNSO rules permit competitors to use some anabolic steroids. In addition, FAME/WNSO openly admits the inefficacy of the urinalysis and the problem with false positives from over the counter supplements.
One thing that is clearly worse than no drug testing in bodybuilding is incompetent, unfair, and unreliable drug testing.
Rick Collins still has hope for FAME.
Or better yet, perhaps natural bodybuilders should just abandon FAME in favor of a real natural bodybuilding organization like the World Natural Bodybuilding Federation (WNBF) who is serious about drug testing and conducts its anti-doping procedures in a manner consistent with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
About the author
Millard writes about anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs and their use and impact in sport and society. He discusses the medical and non-medical uses of anabolic-androgenic steroids while advocating a harm reduction approach to steroid education.
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