Track & field

[Tyler'sTwin]

http://politiken.dk/sport/article165669.ece

Google translation:

Traces of doping in athletes under 23 Championship (should be 23 athletes at the european championships) in Sweden

Blood samples from the European Championships in Gothenburg indicates cheating with EPO and blood transfusions, but it must be confirmed by positive EPO findings in Additional urine samples before the suspects can be convicted of doping.

U.S. doping revealed super printers Marion Jones and Justin Gatlin are apparently far from the only athletic performers taking prohibited performance enhancing substances.

Americans European colleagues are clearly not better when it comes to cheating to sporting performance and cash prizes at major international athletics competitions.

The Swedish anti-doping authorities suspect so at least 23 participants in the just ended Athletics Championships in Gothenburg to have been doped.

Analyses of hemoglobin content in blood samples from the 23 European championship participants have given anti-doping authorities with a clear scientific indications that they were doped during the competitions in Gothenburg.

Signs of EPO abuse
"We took blood samples from a total 151, EM-participants. 23 of them exceeded the international athletics federation agreed levels, suggesting that they had taken EPO or blood doping, "said the Swedish anti-doping chief Bengt Eriksson.

"But not until next week, we asked whether the laboratory had also found traces of EPO in the suspect's urine samples, after which it is up to the European and the international athletics federation to decide whether there can and must raise a doping against them."

Doping huntsmen sounding the alarm when the content of hemoglobin in an athlete blood is higher than the limit, because it indicates that he has doped with EPO and / or transfusions with private or foreign blood.

When the limit of hemoglobin in a blood athlete found to be exceeded, the latter must immediately deliver a further urine sample, as it depends on waiting time in the laboratory may take up to two to three weeks to analyze.

'In this case carried out EPO tests at an accredited lab in Oslo. But besides the 23 participants in the European Championship, which will now have EPO tested their urine in the light of indications of doping in their blood, are laboratory also conducting a routine analysis of urine samples from 68 other European championship participants.

A total of 91 'EPO tests' from the EM equivalent to the laboratory performing at a half years - so it takes unfortunately a little longer than usual to get results, "said Bengt Eriksson.

Hard to track
Only if an athlete urine sample showing traces of EPO, initiated a doping in which both a a-test and a b-sample must be positive to result in a dopingdom with subsequent quarantine.

"And although we have blood tests with indications of doping, it can be difficult to find EPO in the additional urine samples because the substance is typically only detectable in the urine the first five days after ingestion," says Bengt Eriksson.

Immediately after the Athletics Championships came mainly Russian and Polish participants suspected of having been doped.

"There were found used syringes, needles and ampoules outside their hotels in Gothenburg. However, the only thing I know is that international athletics federation right now is out and chase some of the Russian women who participated in the Championship, "said Bengt Eriksson.

This kind of information only got out in the open because the swedish anti-doping agency spoke up. Otherwise it would have been lid on from the IAAF and EAA. Clearly, distance running is rife with blood doping and I'm gonna assume that such numbers are common, we just don't hear about it. The UCI are doing an amazing job in comparision with these guys. Arne Ljungqvist pulled out the "nothing to see here" nonsense in response. Apparently, 23 runners with a >50% hct is not really that damning. He did the same thing when Saltin criticised the COMPLETE lack of blood testing in africa (you know, where a large majority of the world's distance running elite train...)... "That's ridiculous, they are tested when competing in Europe instead!"

The cops also found actovegin at that champs...

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=trackandfield&id=2557332

Police drop doping investigation over equipment found near hotelsEmail Print Associated Press

STOCKHOLM, Sweden -- Swedish police have dropped a doping investigation spurred by a stash of syringes and drugs found near hotels used by several athletes at the European Athletics Championships in Goteborg.

None of the drugs found in two plastic bags outside the hotels were illegal substances according to Swedish doping laws, causing police to drop its investigation, police spokesman Thomas Fuxborg said Tuesday.

The bags were found Aug. 14, a day after the championships ended, and police initially said they thought the contents had been used for doping.

Although a lab analysis showed none of the drugs were against Swedish law, one of the substances -- actovegin -- was banned by the International Olympic Committee in 2000 as a form of blood doping.

European Athletic Association spokeswoman Emily Lewis said the organization did not plan to investigate any further.

"If the police say the investigation is closed, then we accept that decision," Lewis said. "And there is no proven link that what was found was in any way related to the competition."

 

[Tim_sleepless]

"Doping huntsmen" in Sweden eh?... not a good time to be a moose.

 

[Ferminal]

Go the Swedes...

 

[Ferminal]

Antonio Pettigrew, who was stripped of a 2000 Olympic 4x400 metres relay gold medal for doping, has been found dead at the age of 42, University of North Carolina officials said.

There was no word on the exact time or possible cause of death for Pettigrew, whose body was discovered on Tuesday according to a spokesman for the university, where Pettigrew was an assistant athletics coach.

http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,27539472-23218,00.html

EPO and hGH were among his exploits, sad news nonetheless.