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Great, more testing.... glad I'm not an athlete.
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Jan 29, 2:53 PM (ET)
By STEPHEN WILSON
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) - A test for human growth hormone is almost complete and most likely will be introduced at the Athens Olympics.
Human growth hormone, which was previously undetectable, is considered one of the most widely used banned substances in sports. Even if the test is not ready for Athens, officials will be able to retest samples later to punish cheaters retroactively.
"We've never been so close to having a test in our hands," Olivier Rabin, science director of the World Anti-Doping Agency, said Thursday.
Human growth hormone, or hGH, works like an anabolic steroid, building muscle mass and helping athletes recover from training faster.
Although hGH has been around for decades, standard doping controls haven't been able to distinguish between the naturally produced hormone and the synthetic version used by cheaters.
Attempts to devise a test for hGH have dragged on for years, with a number of projects stalled by lack of funding.
Rabin said WADA is in the final phase of validating two hGH tests developed by scientists in Britain and Germany. Both involve blood, not urine, tests.
WADA will not announce when or if the test is ready, preferring to keep the drug cheats guessing. Rabin said WADA could also have new tests for blood-based oxygen carriers, illegal blood transfusions, insulin and new steroids.
"There will be new substances detected in Athens, there's no question about that," Rabin said. "We hope hGH is one of them. But we don't want to tell the athletes when it's coming."
Rabin stressed that if a test is not used in Athens, it will be put into practice shortly after the Olympics. The Athens samples will be stored and reanalyzed for hGH once the test is completed, he said.
Retesting of drug samples took place in several sports last year following the unmasking of the steroid THG.
Rabin said WADA had evidence that at least one other steroid devised specifically to avoid detection was circulating in sports.
"We are asking labs if they see any unusual readings to keep the samples and retest them to identify any unique pattern," he said.
Also Thursday, basketball's world governing body became the 24th summer Olympic federation to adopt WADA's anti-doping code, which sets out uniform rules cutting across all sports and countries.
Under the accord, NBA players eligible for Olympic teams will be subjected to out-of-competition drug tests before Athens just like athletes in other sports.
Soccer, cycling, volleyball and badminton are the four sports yet to formally enact the code, but WADA director general David Howman expects all to sign up as required before Athens.
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Jan 29, 2:53 PM (ET)
By STEPHEN WILSON
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) - A test for human growth hormone is almost complete and most likely will be introduced at the Athens Olympics.
Human growth hormone, which was previously undetectable, is considered one of the most widely used banned substances in sports. Even if the test is not ready for Athens, officials will be able to retest samples later to punish cheaters retroactively.
"We've never been so close to having a test in our hands," Olivier Rabin, science director of the World Anti-Doping Agency, said Thursday.
Human growth hormone, or hGH, works like an anabolic steroid, building muscle mass and helping athletes recover from training faster.
Although hGH has been around for decades, standard doping controls haven't been able to distinguish between the naturally produced hormone and the synthetic version used by cheaters.
Attempts to devise a test for hGH have dragged on for years, with a number of projects stalled by lack of funding.
Rabin said WADA is in the final phase of validating two hGH tests developed by scientists in Britain and Germany. Both involve blood, not urine, tests.
WADA will not announce when or if the test is ready, preferring to keep the drug cheats guessing. Rabin said WADA could also have new tests for blood-based oxygen carriers, illegal blood transfusions, insulin and new steroids.
"There will be new substances detected in Athens, there's no question about that," Rabin said. "We hope hGH is one of them. But we don't want to tell the athletes when it's coming."
Rabin stressed that if a test is not used in Athens, it will be put into practice shortly after the Olympics. The Athens samples will be stored and reanalyzed for hGH once the test is completed, he said.
Retesting of drug samples took place in several sports last year following the unmasking of the steroid THG.
Rabin said WADA had evidence that at least one other steroid devised specifically to avoid detection was circulating in sports.
"We are asking labs if they see any unusual readings to keep the samples and retest them to identify any unique pattern," he said.
Also Thursday, basketball's world governing body became the 24th summer Olympic federation to adopt WADA's anti-doping code, which sets out uniform rules cutting across all sports and countries.
Under the accord, NBA players eligible for Olympic teams will be subjected to out-of-competition drug tests before Athens just like athletes in other sports.
Soccer, cycling, volleyball and badminton are the four sports yet to formally enact the code, but WADA director general David Howman expects all to sign up as required before Athens.
