Research published last fall found that using testosterone, even briefly, had long-lasting effects on muscle in mice - and extrapolated that in humans, these effects could last decades. The mechanism for this cell memory opens the door to similarly long-lasting effects of HGH or other performance-enhancing drugs.
Although Andrus Veerpalu technically won his doping appeal against FIS, the issues at stake actually had nothing to do with the ski federation - they were rather under WADA's domain. In an interview with FasterSkier, FIS Secretary General Sarah Lewis talked about what this means for federations like hers which have to follow WADA's scientific lead.
When Andrus Veerpalu tested positive for recombinant human grown hormone in both his A and B samples in the winter of 2011, FIS used a peer-reviewed, reliable test to detect the abnormalities and seemed to have a slam-dunk case. In a highly unusual appeals case that surprised scientists and anti-doping administrators alike, the Court of Arbitration for Sport found that WADA had made missteps in setting detection limits. Here's how Veerpalu won a case even though CAS was sure he was guilty.
The International Ski Federation (FIS) Doping Panel came to a final decision on Monday in Andrus Veerpalu’s case. The Estonian champion’s positive drug test from this winter, which came just before World Championships in Oslo and his abrupt retirement, still stands. His two-year ban from competition was extended to three; the end of the sentence in 2014 falls precisely on the closing ceremonies in Sochi. In February, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) found Veerpalu to...