That's a very timely article. Doesn't do much about the overall drug situation, but at least it alleviates a few obvious inconsistencies (if it passes).
> "We cannot look retroactively at what has happened in the past," > Ljungqvist said. "The list in existence is the one you have to > observe. My first thought when I read that was that it sounds like a one-way street. They won't retroactively clear someone for something later removed from the list, but they will proactively ban someone for something not yet on the list. I'm sure Kelli White has some interest in that apparent contradiction. The whole "related substances" thing doesn't really change it. Related substances could be about as far reaching as you want to make it... Then again, it seems Ljungqvist has come to the same conclusion in his recommendation to remove the "related substances" clause, yet it's still being used to pin White. Odd. Dan --- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > Olympics may drop caffeine from drug list > - - - - - - - - - - - - > By Stephen Wilson > > Sept. 17, 2003 | LONDON (AP) -- Drinking too much coffee or taking a > common cold tablet will no longer get athletes disqualified from the > Olympics for a doping offense. > > A positive test for marijuana, though, will still result in a drug > penalty. > So will the medication at the center of American sprinter Kelli White's > doping scandal. > > That's the scenario under the proposed new global list of banned > substances > drawn up by the World Anti-Doping Agency, The Associated Press has > learned. > > After more than two years of research, analysis and debate, experts have > produced an all-encompassing list of prohibited steroids, stimulants, > blood-boosters, narcotics and other drugs. > > Among the key recommendations: caffeine and pseudoephedrine, an > ingredient > of the cold remedy Sudafed, are removed from the banned category. > > Cannabis, or marijuana, remains on the list. > > Modafinil, which could cost White her two world championship gold > medals, > is specifically named for the first time among the banned stimulants. > > The decisions were disclosed to the AP by professor Arne Ljungqvist, the > Swedish anti-doping official who heads WADA's medical research > committee. > > "We must adjust our list to modern thinking and to changes of attitude > and > changes of knowledge," he said. > > The list must still be approved by the doping agency's executive > committee, > which meets in Montreal next Monday and Tuesday. > > If ratified, it will go into effect Jan. 1 and apply to all sports and > all > countries covered by WADA's global anti-doping code. The list will be in > force for next year's Summer Olympics in Athens. > > It replaces previous Olympic movement banned lists, which were more > limited > in scope and enforcement. > > "The work, the process this time is far more far-reaching and deep than > has > ever been done before," Ljungqvist said. "Hundreds and hundreds of man > hours have been devoted to this. But the result is not revolutionary. > You > end up with compromises." > > Ljungqvist, chairman of the medical commissions of the IOC and the > International Association of Athletics Federations, said individual > sports > bodies will have the option of adding substances to the list if they get > WADA approval. > > The decision to omit caffeine, pseudoephedrine and another minor > stimulant, > phenylpropanolamine, from the list would prevent cases of athletes being > disqualified and stripped of medals for what some considered innocuous > reasons. > > Previously, a urine sample showing a concentration of caffeine greater > than > 12 micrograms per millileter was considered a positive test. > > U.S. sprinter Inger Miller was stripped of a bronze medal in the 60 > meters > at the 1999 world indoor championships after a positive caffeine test. > > At last month's Pan American Games, Letitia Vriesde of Surinam lost her > gold in the 800 meters for the same offense. > > Pseudoephedrine, contained in Sudafed and other over-the-counter > medications, caused one of the Olympics' highest profile doping cases. > > Romanian teenage gymnast Andreaa Raducan had her all-around gold medal > taken away at the 2000 Sydney Games after her doctor gave her a cold > tablet > containing pseudoephedrine. > > "We cannot look retroactively at what has happened in the past," > Ljungqvist > said. "The list in existence is the one you have to observe. In 2000 > pseudoephedrine was on the list." > > Ljungqvist said ephedrine, considered a stronger stimulant than > pseudoephedrine, remains banned. > > Modafinil, meanwhile, would be listed by name. > > White tested positive for the substance at last month's World > Championships > in Paris, where she won the 100 and 200 meters. She said she used the > medication for a sleep disorder and didn't know it contained banned > substances because it didn't appear on the list. > > The IAAF said modafinil was covered under the category of "related > substances," rejected White's explanation and ordered U.S. authorities > to > take disciplinary action. She stands to lose her gold medals. > > Ljungqvist said his panel has recommended removing the "related > substances" > clause from the new list, but the issue remains open. He proposes a > "fast-track" process for adding substances to the list as soon as > they've > been identified as doping agents. > > The status of cannabis, which covers marijuana and hashish, was the > subject > of particularly intense debate. > > Some have argued that cannabis should be left off the list because it's > not > performance-enhancing. > > But Ljungqvist noted that the new definition of doping also covers > substances which violate the "spirit of sport." > > Ross Rebagliati, a Canadian snowboarder, was initially stripped of a > gold > medal at the 1998 Nagano Olympics after a positive marijuana test. He > was > reinstated because cannabis wasn't officially on the banned list. It has > been specifically prohibited since then. > > Dr. Gary Wadler, a leading American doping expert who serves on the WADA > committee, declined to comment on the specific recommendations but said > the > process had been invaluable. > > "We have only one real shot at this," he said. > > "Not everybody gets everything they want. > > Every substance, every category was the subject of serious debate." > > > > Phil > > > ===== http://AbleDesign.com - Web Design & Custom Programming http://Run-Down.com - 10,000 Running Links, Fantasy T&F ------------------------------------------------------------ @ o Dan Kaplan - [EMAIL PROTECTED] <|\/ <^- ( [EMAIL PROTECTED] or [EMAIL PROTECTED] ) _/ \ \/\ (503)370-9969 phone/fax / / __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com
