North Korean Olympic shooter caught doping ?

[Rob Boudrie]

I agree. If the shooter/competitor can prove that there is a legitimate reason for him/her to be on a medication such as a long standing heart condition, migraines since early childhood, or something like that and declares straight up front in big, bold letters that they are taking a medically prescribed drug for a valid reason there is no reason, in my opinion, for that to be a problem. I don't a medical condition should keep someone from competing.

What if the legitimate drug gave an real advantage - someone being treated for a medical condition would have an edge. Consider the case of beta blockers - the meal winner presents with normal blood pressure and a letter from a government employed MD in the eastern bloc host nation stating that he had hypertension before taking the Rx. Does the IOC take the MD's word, or require the winner to go off medication for a few days to prove the hypertension returns and verity the Rx was for a legitimate medical need?

[carinab]

:roflol: :roflol:

[el pres]

That is a great cartoon !!!

I've been saying for a few days now that they may have the most Gold medals

, but think what they have to lose if they did'nt !!

[Hank Ellis]

To find out the current list of prohibited substances and methods, go to the source.

http://www.wada-ama.org/

[XRe]

Does the IOC take the MD's word, or require the winner to go off medication for a few days to prove the hypertension returns and verity the Rx was for a legitimate medical need?

No, they require that he get permission from the WADA before starting to take the drug - and that process includes proving that the drug in question is the only available treatment option that will work for the competitor, and that the competitor truly has the condition in question. Its been a while since I read the WADA stuff (since the first talk of IPSC implementing something similar), so I don't recall what happens in the case of a competitor who was on a drug before they started competing in the sport in question, or something to that effect. IIRC, though, you had to go through a huge process, and the WADA could require that the competitor change their treatment regimen if other, non-restricted options are available....

[-JQ-]

I was picturing an air-gunner with a huge finger....I guess heart rate control makes "sense"

[Johann the Horrible]

Is there any drug that would help in IPSC- I believe not. The ones that make you more accurate make you slow and the ones that makes you fast makes you inaccurate by giving you the shakes. Still at every single National I attend over here I declare the one banned substance I take because of a medical condition. Every time I hand in my medical certificate. Every time the registering official gives it back to me thinking I am putting them up as a joke. Drug tests do happen in IPSC but only rarely because there is IMHO no drug that would give a tangible advantage.

[JKSNIPER]

Beta blocker can give you such an advantage they can advantage you right into cardiac arrest for those NOT having to take them for a legit medical problem.

Any idiot that tries to unfairly give him/herself an advantage by taking meds they do not need kind of deserves what he/she gets.

Not to mention possible overdosing.

Anyone suffering from a medical condition requiring the use of "banned" medications is NOT gaining an advantage by taking them over another athlete in "normal" physical condition.

Case in point my wife takes BP/hypertension meds and they bring her heart rate down to what you or I have without taking the medication.

She works out with it and it does not give her advantages.

Makes her tired and as another wondeful side effect she gets muscle pains even if she lays off the weight room.

Not fun.

No real advantage there.

Practice to gain advantages...forget the meds.

Not worth the possible side effects and trouble.

JK

[JimmyZip]

I used to be on Digitek and Atenelol. Took a year to get the dose "right". Felt like I was on dope the whole time.No Fun, no energy, new doctor, no mas! Now I can run and gun as fast asI do (slowly) but I feel WAY BETTER doing it. I did notice that when I was on the meds and shot my first competitions before joining USPSA, I was very calm and little could crank me up.

But , proper breathing controls taught to most long-range shooters can slow the heart considerably. We used to practice this as kids (jackrabbit and coyote hunters) and get it down to mid 50s

[bberkley]

My son was put on Propanalol when he had his 2nd episode of SVT at 11 months. The medicine gave him nightmares, he was not the same child on the drug as he was off it.

After 1 month of hell, the Pediatric Cardiologist switched him to digoxin, which he took for 1 year with no side-effects. He is now 5.5 years old and hasn't had a recurrence of SVT.

I know an adult that was on it post-heart attack, and he said he had the oddest dreams.

Not a drug I would be interested in taking if it messes up your sleep.

[CenTX]

20+ years ago, I heard of some competition shooters putting some sort of alchol in there Gatorade to ease there nerves.

[shred]

Alcohol is one of the banned substances for Olympic shooters.

[BPiatt]

From what I was told, it takes a lot to conform to the Anti-Doping program used in the Olympics. Once you're on the team, you have to advise them where you are at all times. Anytime during the year, they can call you in for testing. If they can't reach you for testing or you're out of town and you forgot to tell them, then you're considered "in violation". What a hassle.... catch a cold and you just suffer. No over-the-counter cold medicines... nothing. Once you're on the team you have to comply, not just in the Olympic year.

Playing the drug game, as mentioned in the other posts, is a dangerous thing to do. Every drug has it's side effects. Most effect you heart and many effect vision, which is in my opinion, pretty important to shooting ;-)

I've talked to an International Skeet Shooter from another country who tried amphetamines to enhance his reaction time. He said it worked BUT his attention span became very short. He'd call pull and if it happened to be a long delay, this thoughts would wonder and he'd be way behind the curve.

[kevin c]

Many moons ago, an Olympic swimmer from my High School was stripped of a medal (gold, I think) because he tested positive for his asthma medication. I think that is allowed now, though. Generally, asthma meds are considered necessary treatments that do not enhance performance so much as allow the athlete to compete to the potential he or she has trained to.

Seems that beta agonists are in a middle area - needed for some, but considered performance enhancers.

[goldfieldshooter]

As a taker of 'beta blockers' over the last two months I can tell you that they have NO advantage for 'Action' or IPSC type shooting. Your mind can be as sharp as a tack and you can see that target like Day Glo, BUT your reactions are like wadeing through glue. Beta Blockers are for ISSF, bullseye shooters, to get the heartrate down low enough to shoot the shot between heartbeats. I managed to get the Cardiologist to drop them as meds and I must admit I feel a lot more active. Healthier? Time will tell.

Coatesy