Nike suspends relationship with Maria Sharapova!

[Halb]

Think I'm gonna buy some caffeine tabs.
http://www.pponline.co.uk/encyc/what-are-the-benef...

[Leithen]

Sport Mile with a 5 year old, 3 year old and 18 month old this Sunday. Thermos with triple shot nespresso going into the double pram...

[Halb]

Leithen said:

Sport Mile with a 5 year old, 3 year old and 18 month old this Sunday. Thermos with triple shot nespresso going into the double pram...

THat'll make the kids run faster.

[ewenm]

I took a pro-plus before running what turned out to be the 3rd fastest 20 mile race by a Brit in 2009. Definitely the caffeine that did it

[maxxy5]

ewenm said:

You'd have thought so. Multiple failures throughout her team no doubt, but the buck stops with her. She is responsible for what she puts into her body, so no sympathy.

According to the papers today, she missed 5 warnings about the drug being banned.

[SilverSpur]

Grindeks, the Latvian company that manufactures meldonium, said a typical course of treatment should only run to a few weeks.

"Depending on the patient's health condition, treatment course of meldonium preparations may vary from four to six weeks," its statement read.

"Treatment can be repeated twice or thrice a year. Only physicians can follow and evaluate patient's health condition and state whether the patient should use meldonium for a longer period of time."

[maxxy5]

There's an article in The Times today concerning the whole caffeine/legal drug thing.

"Take something as innocuous as caffeine. In the build-up to his 10,000 metres victory at London 2012, Mo Farah drank two shots of espresso 20 minutes before the race. .....

Until 2004, caffeine taken in large quantities was prohibited by Wada. Like all stimulants it boosts alertness but for distance athletes it has an additional advantage: it conserves glycogen. According to an academic study in 2008, “caffeine ingestion significantly improved five-kilometre running performance in well-trained and recreational runners”. The improvement was measured at more than 1 per cent. Would Pound describe this enhancement as natural? Or as antithetical to sport?

And what of Chris Froome, who had a hypoxic tent in his apartment in Monaco, just like hundreds of other clean athletes around the world. His bed was placed in this chamber, which artificially sucks oxygen out of the air (from a normal 20.9 per cent level to as low as 12 per cent), to force his body to produce more red blood cells, which are then available to transport oxygen to his muscles during competition. Is this “natural”? And if so, why are alternative techniques of boosting red blood cells, such as EPO or blood transfusion, considered heinous?"

[ewenm]

maxxy5 said:

There's an article in The Times today concerning the whole caffeine/legal drug thing.

"Take something as innocuous as caffeine. In the build-up to his 10,000 metres victory at London 2012, Mo Farah drank two shots of espresso 20 minutes before the race. .....

Until 2004, caffeine taken in large quantities was prohibited by Wada. Like all stimulants it boosts alertness but for distance athletes it has an additional advantage: it conserves glycogen. According to an academic study in 2008, “caffeine ingestion significantly improved five-kilometre running performance in well-trained and recreational runners”. The improvement was measured at more than 1 per cent. Would Pound describe this enhancement as natural? Or as antithetical to sport?

I *think* the logic with Caffeine (no longer restricted) is that it is so ubiquitous round the world that it is effectively a level playing field for everyone - cheap, easy to get hold of, no medical procedure to use, part of normal social life, etc.

maxxy5 said:

And what of Chris Froome, who had a hypoxic tent in his apartment in Monaco, just like hundreds of other clean athletes around the world. His bed was placed in this chamber, which artificially sucks oxygen out of the air (from a normal 20.9 per cent level to as low as 12 per cent), to force his body to produce more red blood cells, which are then available to transport oxygen to his muscles during competition. Is this “natural”? And if so, why are alternative techniques of boosting red blood cells, such as EPO or blood transfusion, considered heinous?"

These are interesting. Does it merely level the playing field for sea-level and/or poor athletes who aren't lucky enough to live at 3000m and can't travel there to train? Or is it technological doping? Again, it's down to the rules. They define what is allowed and what isn't. If I remember correctly, altitude tents are illegal in some countries where doping is a crime rather than just cheating at sport.

[Halb]

I was into getting one of those masks that does the same thing (it wasn't just to look like Bane as I batter ne'er do-wells), and from the research done they have little effect. To get the genuine effects of living at altitude, one has to live there for sufficient amounts of time, 6 months might be it, or a number I've just made up. Hence the MMA schools ate BIg Bear, and ppl like Mo moving to the mile high city and the like.

[jonby]

I don't get how you can have any system other than, if it's not on the list, it's legal. It's not perfect, but it's surely the only enforceable way of having a meaningful policy and as such, I don't hold anything against athletes doing everything they can that is within the rules

If she feels the drug helped and it wasn't on the banned list, I don't care if she took it solely to boost performance (prior to the ban coming in) though if so, it does mean she has lied about the reasons for taking it

It's a little like the difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion - one is legal and the more you earn, the more important it is to consider whilst the other is illegal.

[chris watton]

I found this article interesting regarding drugs and different sports:

"Do Drugs Only Help a Little?"

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/do-drugs...

[KTF]

chris watton said:

I found this article interesting regarding drugs and different sports:

"Do Drugs Only Help a Little?"

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/do-drugs...

I think its more that if a competitor is using it (assuming its within the rules) then so will they just in case it does make a small difference.

Its like all the kinesio tape that people are covering themselves in. It might not (probably doesnt) actually do anything but they dont want to be missing out.

Like the Moto GP rider (I forget who) that sticks his leg out before every turn. Achieves nothing yet everyone else now does it.

[xjay1337]

KTF said:

Like the Moto GP rider (I forget who) that sticks his leg out before every turn. Achieves nothing yet everyone else now does it.

I think it does achieve something else why would they do it.

[KTF]

xjay1337 said:

I think it does achieve something else why would they do it.

"Here's the surprise: When asked - as usual - at the pre-race press conference at the Sachsenring why he takes his foot off the peg - Rossi gave his standard answer, that he didn't know, but that it felt a natural thing to do, and it felt like it helped him brake. But he also revealed a fascinating detail: When he and Jeremy Burgess look at the data, and compare the corners where he does his signature leg wave with the same corner when he leaves his foot on the peg, there is no difference at all. The data shows exactly the same braking time and force, the same weight distribution, no difference whatsoever."

https://motomatters.com/opinion/2009/07/22/the_tru...

[xjay1337]

It may not achieve tangible data results but no doubts helps their mental game.

[KTF]

xjay1337 said:

It may not achieve tangible data results but no doubts helps their mental game.

That was my point Because person X does whatever and person Y does not, in the head of person Y they feel are at a disadvantage so they copy person X just to be on the safe side.

[xjay1337]

Ahh, I completely misunderstood. :-)

[VolvoT5]

I think it is debatable whether 'doping' should be illegal in sports. My view is most elite athletes are at it one way or another. Some of the things you see in sports are simply unbelievable - i.e. Djokovic and Nadal at it for 5 hours then fresh as a daisy the next day . Women athletes are now routinely as big as the East German athletes back in the day.... are we supposed to believe it all down to 'sports science' diet and training?

Sharapova has clearly been taking this previously legal drug for performance benefit on and off over the last 10 years. Why else would she be taking something not even licensed in her country of residence (USA)? And this is a drug that is used for severe heart disease yet numerous athletes all over the place are testing positive for it. Morally questionable but legal until banned.

Sharapova is either guilty of gross stupidity or arrogance in not noticing the rule change. If you are a professional earning millions a year and you know you are sailing close to the wind then you damn well keep an eye on which way the winds are blowing. Quite frankly it is hard to believe that someone who has a whole team of advisers failed to spot the rule change, so I can only assume she thought she would get away with it.

Her press conference on Monday was pure PR spin to try and drive the headlines and sadly it has worked to an extent. So many former players and fans are saying "poor old Maria, she made a silly admin mistake and forgot to read her emails". What utter BS, she is playing the poor blonde bimbo when she is anything but. Can you imagine Serena Williams getting the same kind of sympathy?

I hope she gets a proper penalty and not a mere slap on the wrist.

Like I said I think the doping rules in sports are questionable (mainly because they are practically unenforceable in real time) but as long as the system is in place the rules have to be enforced. You can't hand her an light penalty because she is incredibly popular, good looking and has slick media management.

Edited by VolvoT5 on Wednesday 9th March 18:36

[Halb]

chris watton said:

I found this article interesting regarding drugs and different sports:

"Do Drugs Only Help a Little?"

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/training/do-drugs...

Nice article!

[Pesty]

EricE said:

Here's an article on the drug:

https://jakegshelley.wordpress.com/2016/03/03/what...

article said:

One review (4) of the effects of Meldonium on exercise performance listed the following benefits:

• Decreased levels of lactate and urea in blood
• Improved economy of glycogen: level of glycogen increased in the cells during the long-lasting exercise
• Increased endurance properties and aerobic capabilities of athletes
• Improved functional parameters of heart activity
• Increased physical work capabilities
• Increased rate of recovery after maximal and sub-maximal loads
• Activates CNS functions and protects against stress

A published human research study (5) on the effects of Meldonium on sports performance used Russian judokas and gave them a dose of 0.5-1.0 g twice a day before training, as a 14-21 day course during the training period 10-14 days before competition. Some of the above effects published in the review article were reported from this study. Unfortunately, quite a lot of the research into this topic is only published in Russian (6). Another Russian study, translated into English, showed a significant improvement in the swimming of rats after Meldonium supplementation (1).

Oddly enough it doesn't mention diabetes.

Sounds fking awesome. Can't we put it in the water supply?,