A doping scandal of Olympic proportions?

[Oldman]

PR stunt. Nothing was revealed. Nothing was said. Nobody has tested positive afaik.

The number for the 2008 games in Beijing was 70 athletes.

Great point. Sounds like a pre-emptive whitewash so they can broadcast the heroic feats without ruining the Ad revenue. They may actually have advised the federations with suspicious members to take care of it,too.

 

[krebs303]

you doped but you didn't mean to defense works sometimes.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – A female Russian hockey player has been reprimanded for the first doping violation of the Vancouver Olympics.

IOC vice president Thomas Bach says the committee determined she committed a doping violation but was reprimanded only because it was a "special case."

Female Russian hockey player cited for doping

 

[Ferminal]

I'm placing money on the Biathlon.

Bit hard not to be suspicious of those Russian girls.

Edit: Read the thread, sounds as vicious as the retesting of the 2008 samples during this year's TdF.

 

[kiwirider]

I have a couple of friends that played hockey at a high Division 1 collegiate level; they have told me that the PED abuse in hockey is kind of similar to cycling in that it's mainly for recovery. Lot's of cortisone shots and rumors of HGH and T injections just to recover well for the next game. They play like 3 games a week in the NHL and the season is around 82 games long then playoffs which are a huge grind as well.

Anyway, I would most certainly put my money on the more endurance sports for this bust; XC skiing, biathlon, speed skating, etc. Certainly wouldn't be surprised if they bust some hockey players though.

Someone I know who has had first hand experience of pro hockey has told me that PED use is rife in the sport. According to them, PED's are used between periods both for recovery and to "hype up" the players. Same source has said that many of the pros wouldn't make it past the testing needed for worlds and olympics, which they say is why many top pros are "unavailable" or "not released by their team" for olympics and worlds.

In fact, a Canadian freind has commented before that it always freaks him out when they do the close ups of the players' faces at the start of the second and third periods as they (to use his phrase as best I remember it) "have absolutely crazy aggressive looks which they didn't have at the start of the game ... it's like they've just taken something during the interval". Pretty sad if a specatator can notice ...

As for potential sports that people are theorising on - how come no-one's thinking about the downhill power sports? I mean, think about the athletes in the sliding sports need the acceleration of a track sprinter and the alpine skiing events need some pretty serious strength - plus in both cases a certain (fairly high) level of bulk helps with speed ...

 

[pedaling squares]

Someone I know who has had first hand experience of pro hockey has told me that PED use is rife in the sport. According to them, PED's are used between periods both for recovery and to "hype up" the players. Same source has said that many of the pros wouldn't make it past the testing needed for worlds and olympics, which they say is why many top pros are "unavailable" or "not released by their team" for olympics and worlds.

In fact, a Canadian freind has commented before that it always freaks him out when they do the close ups of the players' faces at the start of the second and third periods as they (to use his phrase as best I remember it) "have absolutely crazy aggressive looks which they didn't have at the start of the game ... it's like they've just taken something during the interval". Pretty sad if a specatator can notice ...

I can't think of a single player who is unavailable to represent his country for the 2010 Games. Everyone who was selected is attending the tournament and there are no suspicious super-talents being left behind. About 10-15 years ago lots of players took ephedrine, and yes you could see it in their eyes. There's some great footage of Scott Stevens, hall of fame badass and apparently an ephedrine lover, with a look like he just ran down his momma to get the puck. But I haven't seen the same look in many years, since the league cracked down. I don't doubt that there is PED use in hockey, and it likely revolves around recovery like others have written, but I think your friend is passing on some urban legend.

 

[craig1985]

I have a couple of friends that played hockey at a high Division 1 collegiate level; they have told me that the PED abuse in hockey is kind of similar to cycling in that it's mainly for recovery. Lot's of cortisone shots and rumors of HGH and T injections just to recover well for the next game. They play like 3 games a week in the NHL and the season is around 82 games long then playoffs which are a huge grind as well.

Anyway, I would most certainly put my money on the more endurance sports for this bust; XC skiing, biathlon, speed skating, etc. Certainly wouldn't be surprised if they bust some hockey players though.

Would steroids play a part? Maybe it is the padding, but they certainly do look like big guys.

 

[kiwirider]

....but I think your friend is passing on some urban legend.

Would love to expand more on my comments, but I can't as I don't have my source's permission to identify them (which further comments would do) ... So, if I can simply say "no" and leave it at that ...

Sorry to have started a debate that I'm unable to finish ...

 

[pedaling squares]

Would steroids play a part? Maybe it is the padding, but they certainly do look like big guys.

I don't think anabolics are widespread. There have been a few players who showed up at training camp way bigger than the year before, but their added bulk just didn't translate into good performance. Most hockey players are muscular but not like a football or rugby player. The sport requires a mixture of explosiveness, flexibility, and endurance. I would bet that testosterone and HGH would be the better option.

 

[Ripper]

I'm placing money on the Biathlon.

I'd say X-Country and Biathlon. Both dirtier than h*ll, with numerous positives in the past (and with certain nations looking more than a little dirtier), and both are good candidates for blood profiling.

Sounds a lot like cycling

 

[sars1981]

I can't think of a single player who is unavailable to represent his country for the 2010 Games. Everyone who was selected is attending the tournament and there are no suspicious super-talents being left behind. About 10-15 years ago lots of players took ephedrine, and yes you could see it in their eyes. There's some great footage of Scott Stevens, hall of fame badass and apparently an ephedrine lover, with a look like he just ran down his momma to get the puck. But I haven't seen the same look in many years, since the league cracked down. I don't doubt that there is PED use in hockey, and it likely revolves around recovery like others have written, but I think your friend is passing on some urban legend.

hehe cant imagine why you would take ephedrine. I know that they sell it as a stimulant to help bodybuilders work out etc, but that just because d-meth is illegal. ephedrine is similar in effect to caffine. if you are going to use a stimulent, why bother with that half a$$ed sh$t

 

[flyor64]

I'd say X-Country and Biathlon...Sounds a lot like cycling

Agreed. It's impressive to behold. Both my favorites to watch in the winter while waiting for the cycling season to start back up...


Did you see any of the Tour De Ski this year? It was hard to watch some of the performances without scepticism...

 

[sida-mot]

I'd say X-Country and Biathlon. Both dirtier than h*ll, with numerous positives in the past (and with certain nations looking more than a little dirtier), and both are good candidates for blood profiling.

Sounds a lot like cycling

Sure those two are the prime candidates. I'd also guess that skating might be up there.

 

[pmcg76]

30 athletes, where is the outrage from the Germans now, are they going to stop covering the Winter Olympics!!!

 

[Anonymous]

I knew curling was dirty!!!

 

[Oldman]

30 athletes, where is the outrage from the Germans now, are they going to stop covering the Winter Olympics!!!

Not as long as Maria Raisch could beat Lindsay Vonn.

 

[Cobblestones]

According to Gerhard Geiberg of the IOC, talking to VG,

http://www.vg.no/sport/ol/2010/artikkel.php?artid=583967

nobody has tested positive, but thirty athletes have been "asked" not to participate, because their values, I assume that is blood values, have been fluctuating unnaturally and suspiciously over time. He further says that there might be dopers among the thirty, but there's not evidence of that.

Interesting. I looked at some of the Norwegian papers and I was surprised to see one article in VG discussing the use of centrifuges, and another one in Dagbladet about hematide.

I started a thread about SESTide/HemoMer a few weeks ago. I believe it has been used in cycling already. Interesting to see a national medium (in Norway at least) to write about its potential use during the winter games.

 

[Escarabajo]

30 athletes, where is the outrage from the Germans now, are they going to stop covering the Winter Olympics!!!

LOL. I know, they complain about cycling being so full of doping.

 

[Lifeshape]

Just heard American skier Lindsay Vonn's bruised shin is using some kind of cheese as a press compound. I hope its not Michele Ferrarie's cheese!

 

[Willy_Voet]

30 athletes, where is the outrage from the Germans now, are they going to stop covering the Winter Olympics!!!

One has to love the selective, self-righteous indignation of the Germans.

 

[Ripper]

I knew curling was dirty!!!

I think I would throw up from laughing too hard if someone in curling were popped for anything, but it would truly be a kicker if it were EPO. Oh, the stamina and endurance required! Curling is the hardest sport in the world

 

[Lifeshape]

I think I would throw up from laughing too hard if someone in curling were popped for anything, but it would truly be a kicker if it were EPO. Oh, the stamina and endurance required! Curling is the hardest sport in the world

Oh, hell yeah! You gotta be at Lactate Threshold to slide on 1 foot and sweep the ice in tandem with your partner. Can you imagine if one sweeper was faster than the other? The stones would be off-balance... the pressure... I gotta take a break...

 

[Ripper]

Oh, hell yeah! You gotta be at Lactate Threshold to slide on 1 foot and sweep the ice in tandem with your partner. Can you imagine if one sweeper was faster than the other? The stones would be off-balance... the pressure... I gotta take a break...

Annnnnd, with that intensity, you have to yell all the time. "Heavy hard!"

 

[skidmark]

I knew curling was dirty!!!

I curl in a league, and I can guarantee that the biggest performance-enhancing drug (or maybe, more accurately, just 'drug') used at the club level is beer. There's an omerta in curling about the overuse of this drug, and they have it dialled into the very systems that support curling... for instance, in my curling club there is a little speaker box in the middle of the rink that athletes and team members can discreetly go to in the middle of a game, call up to the bar, and have the waitress bring down however many beers the athletes feel like popping at the time. The effects are numerous and sometimes subtle - the lack of inhibition to allow you to yell 'hurry!' or 'whoa!' a little bit louder, the extra need to lean on the broom as you go down the ice to increase sweeping power, the lack of focus necessary to avoid the pressure of a tough shot. All minor adjustments, but that makes all the difference at that level. And as far as a recovery drug, I can attest to seeing almost all curlers drink a few beers - openly - after every game, sometimes to the point where they're not even themselves at the end of the night, stumbling and getting friends to drive them home. If you're not drinking beer, you'll get smirks and laughs from the other curlers, and nobody even dreams of speaking out against it. Omerta, man, it's pretty crazy.

I'm comfortable discussing this behind the veil of anonymity that the internet offers, but I guarantee that if any of my teammates knew I was writing this, I'd be looking for a new team next week.

 

[pedaling squares]

If you're not drinking beer, you'll get smirks and laughs from the other curlers, and nobody even dreams of speaking out against it. Omerta, man, it's pretty crazy.

Ok, that's very funny because it's probably 100% accurate.

Anyone know yet which countries the 30 athletes come from? I heard a rumour that 8 Russians were in the mix, but nothing from a media source.

 

[skidmark]

Ok, that's very funny because it's probably 100% accurate.

It is true, all jokes aside. The 'elite' level of curling in the last 15 years has undergone a change to make it kinda like a 'real' sport with increased media exposure (at least here in Canada), but I still remember when I was a kid we'd watch the national championships on TV and they'd have the guys' bios and it'd be like 'occupation: fireman' or 'house painter' or something like that. And they'd smoke and drink while playing in the national or world championships. Pretty fantastic that it's an olympic sport.