Young players on supplements face serious issues

DRUGS IN SPORT - ANALYSIS: The introduction of drug testing in schools and underage club rugby is a positive step by the ISC

THE IRISH Sports Council’s (ISC) positive decision to introduce drug testing in schools and underage club rugby represents an undertaking, endorsed by the IRFU, in educating young players about the dangers of taking supplements without medical advice or supervision. It is not a process constructed with the specific aim to catch out, an assertion borne out by upcoming and current campaigns that warn of the risks attached from a health perspective.

The Head of Anti-Doping at the ISC, Dr Una May, pointed out that there are a number of serious issues facing young players who take supplements. The first concerns the accelerated development of muscle in bodies that are still growing.

“It’s a recipe for disaster in terms of injuries. A process that develops muscle at an appreciably faster rate than that of the bone structure can lead to stress fractures and other serious problems. From an anti-doping perspective there is a real concern with regard to the products. There are issues of quality control and contamination, especially for those purchased over the internet. You’ve no idea what’s going into it.

“That can also apply to supplements bought in shops. Not all the ingredients are listed all the time, leading to a product being potentially compromised in terms of a banned substance. It exaggerates hugely a risk of testing positive. Supplements are a big concern from that perspective.

“There is a time and place for some supplements but that is under the supervision of a medical professional. Most athletes and young people don’t understand the basics of medication. There are steroids to be found in some cough medicines and those for asthma.

“We are looking to educate young people and we’re looking for schools and parents to buy into the process. We want to send out a strong message so that everyone is appraised of the risks that they are taking. Our policy is one of information and guidance. We look to work with sporting bodies to implement best practice.”

The IRFU clearly outlines its policy on actively discouraging the taking of supplements by young players. At the recent National Talent Screening Camp in Clongowes Wood College for 115 of the best young players at U-18 Schools and Clubs and U-19 Schools and Clubs, there was a talk on drugs and drug testing conducted by the ISC’s Ailish Keaveney.

Irish rugby’s governing body has also produced a document containing guidelines on the issue of supplements. It includes the following edicts: “The use of protein supplements should not be recommended by schools, coaches, teachers or others involved in the training of young rugby players.

“The IRFU strongly advises against the use of nutritional ergogenic aids (creatine, caffeine tablets, individual proteins, amino acids, Chromium Picolinate, Fat Burners etc), in particular creatine, in young rugby players under 18 years of age.”

The supplement creatine (taken to increase muscle mass) has received most attention in the last 10 years having first come to light in athletics terms at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.

The IRFU pointed out that “it (creatine) is not illegal in Ireland and is not a banned substance (World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada)); that performance benefits can occur in some adult athletes and that its long term safety is not known”.

Creatine is just a popular example of a supplement according to anecdotal evidence in the schools rugby world.

There are varying reports on the efficacy of the product, and as to how it should be used effectively. There also has also been some debate as to the classification of creatine as a medicine or as a food substance and currently there is no product authorised as medicinal.

There have been reports, mainly in the US, of products labelled as creatine which when tested also contained the stimulant ephedrine.

The current chairman of the Irish Ant-Doping Committee, Professor Brendan Buckley, has in the past strongly condemned the use of supplements for young people across sports, but particularly in rugby. Buckley didn’t see the problem in isolation for juveniles but placed an onus on school teachers and parents to monitor what type of products are being taken.

“You can see tribunals about this in 20 years’ time. It is leading to a process in which schoolboys are being essentially turned into gladiators, not for their own good. Other people are getting their kicks out of this, which is deeply distasteful, but, above all, it is putting young people at risk.”

He continued: “Ultimately this is going to have to be parents and teachers and school boards setting the agenda that we put before them. If they decide that they’re happy to go with the gladiatorial misuse of their children, well that’s their business, but our job is to highlight it.”

The glare will be much brighter in a few months’ time.