The Olympic gold medalist said that he had used mildronate, also known as meldonium, in the past, but "[did] not even remember" the last time he had taken it and had seen in September that it would be added to the WADA Prohibited List.
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Four-Year Ban For Wurm, Who Admits Doping; Used Cobalt to Boost Performance
Chelsea LittleMarch 26, 2016
Austrian skier and former U23 World Champion Harald Wurm has been suspended from competition for four years, effectively ending the 31-year-old's career. He seems to have been using cobalt, which is highly effective at promoting the production of red blood cells when it is inhaled (much like xenon or argon).
Déjà Vu All Over Again: Marty Hall Speaks His Mind About Doping (Podcast)
Jason AlbertDecember 10, 2015
Just days after WADA released a comprehensive report on its findings regarding systematic doping in Russia, FasterSkier sought out the opinions of Marty Hall, a former coach of both the U.S. and Canadian ski teams. As expected, he didn't sugarcoat his reaction.
As WADA Commission Promises More To Come, Skiing’s Past Doping Scandals Emerge
Chelsea LittleNovember 24, 2015
Norway's TV2 says it has found out that Estonian cross-country skier Kristina Smigun is likely to be stripped of her 2006 Olympic gold medals; national and international federations seem happy to discuss, but the IOC will not. Meanwhile, a Norwegian Paralympian alleges Russians had separate (and comically short) doping control tests at the 2014 Olympics.
Chris Grover, Tim Burke Join Call for More Investigation into Doping in Nordic Sports
Chelsea LittleNovember 16, 2015
Following the World Anti-Doping Agency's report on systematic doping in Russian track and field and the failure of RUSADA, the country's anti-doping agency, biathlon star Tim Burke and U.S. Ski Team head coach Chris Grover want their questions investigated.
FIS and IBU Defend Anti-Doping Practices, but Urge Further Investigation and Sochi Re-Testing
Chelsea LittleNovember 11, 2015
The international federations for cross-country skiing and biathlon tout that they have done more against Russian doping than the IAAF - for instance, re-testing old samples with new methods, or sanctioning the Russian ski federation. But WADA's report still scared them, and they want more information.
WADA Independent Commission Strongly Implies Winter Sports at Risk From Doping
Chelsea LittleNovember 9, 2015
In confirming the lurid details of a state-sponsored doping scandal in Russian track and field, WADA's Dick Pound made clear, "We don’t think that Russia is the only country with a doping problem, or that athletics is the only sport with a doping problem." He also discussed how results from the 2014 Olympics in Sochi may be tainted, and said there is likely doping in cross-country skiing and biathlon.
Herbal Supplements Commonly Used by Athletes Lead to Emergency Room Trips
Chelsea LittleOctober 22, 2015
Herbal supplements and micronutrient vitamins are largely unregulated and may in fact contain substances prohibited by WADA. But a new study also shows that they cause thousands of emergency room visits per year in the U.S.
Will WADA’s Medal-Ceremony Proposal Work, or Is It Political Posturing?
Chelsea LittleOctober 14, 2015
Devon Kershaw has a great response to a new WADA proposal to "fix" the problem of awarding Olympic medals to dopers: "The reality is that when someone is cheated out of a medal at a championship like the Olympics, a 'fake real thing' will never be the same... the memories you have about that perfect race that YOU executed should remain."
WADA Sets Priorities for $12 Million Research Pot: Using Chemistry and Omics to Study Doping
Chelsea LittleMay 22, 2015
With $5.9 in pledges from 12 different countries and matching funds from the IOC, the World Anti-Doping Agency is kicking off their next research push. Among the priorities are learning how to use sophisticated genomic techniques to detect autologous blood transfusions. What the heck does that mean? Read on.
Methods Available, But Rarely Used, to See Doping Prevalence; Current Estimates Alarming
BrainspiralJanuary 29, 2015
Anti-doping scientists used "data triangulation" to gather many different types of evidence about doping, and concluded that between 14 and 39 percent of elite athletes dope. The number is impressive - in part because estimates of doping are rarely published. But, the authors note, "tools to evaluate the prevalence of doping use in sports are readily available; they only need to be used more often." So why are we only talking about it?
A transcript (find a link inside) of the German documentary which exposed systematic doping in Russia reveals an even worse situation than imagined: how easy it is to purchase cheap EPO without a prescription; how Russian officials threaten that any athlete who goes to the press might "have an accident". Plus, we talk to Lowell Bailey, Nathan Smith, and Max Cobb about the situation.
Hajo Seppelt's documentary on ARD talks to multiple whistleblowers within Russian sports, and discovers not only widespread systematic doping - to an extent comparable to the old East Germany - but regular procedures to cover up positive tests, as well as strange financial arrangements.
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.
This Month in Journals: With 2015 WADA Code on Horizon, Compliance with 2009 Code Remains Uneven
Chelsea LittleOctober 17, 2014
660 organizations, from governments to international sports federations, agreed to the 2009 World Anti-Doping Agency Code. But when it comes to enforcing its guidelines they don't all take their commitment so seriously, writes Dr. Barrie Houlihan in a new investigation. We ask: can the new 2015 Code do better?
Sachenbacher-Stehle Case Raises Questions about Supplement Use and Safety
Chelsea LittleJuly 21, 2014
Evi Sachenbacher-Stehle had three of her nine supplements - recommended by an experienced nutritionist - tested for banned substances. She read the ingredient labels carefully and googled their names with the phrase "doping". But the IBU rejected the idea of accidental ingestion and slapped her with the same 2-year ban that a Russian using EPO received on the same day. Is that fair?
IBU President Anders Besseberg explained to FasterSkier that he is "harmonizing" the blood screening procedures at Olympic Games between biathlon, skiing, and speedskating, and then the IOC will take over all administration of the tests. But his claims that VP for Medical Issues Jim Carrabre never contacted him about the issue is false, as e-mails shared by Carrabre show that he did try to ask the president why the decision was taken.
This Month in Journals: Detecting Xenon Gas, A New Banned Substance – and Why You’d Want To
Chelsea LittleJune 24, 2014
Regardless of whether breathing xenon gas was a prohibited method before WADA bothered to expressly ban it this spring, it would be hard to ban anyone for using it without direct evidence or a positive test. One group of German scientists has been working on developing just such a test, and says that their initial trials indicate that it may be a good match for anti-doping efforts.
The International Biathlon Union has for the first time confirmed that two athletes under investigation for doping since January are indeed Irina Starykh and Ekaterina Iourieva of Russia. The IBU announced that both women's "B" samples had tested positive for EPO, and disciplinary hearings will be held in the next few weeks.
Some of Irina Starykh's competitors are defending her, saying the investigation is not yet complete; administrators and coaches from Scandinavia wonder how stupid you'd have to be to try doping in the leadup to the Olympics; a former IOC medical director believes Starykh's coach and team doctor are the last vestiges of the old Soviet doping system, and hopes they will be weeded out.