Needles as well as specimen jars may be added to the drug tester's paraphernalia after yesterday's decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to approve the methods of testing for erythropoietin or EPO. The IOC are now looking for blood.
In a significant step towards detecting the banned drug, for which no test had formerly been acceptable, the IOC medical commission yesterday approved separately-developed French and Australian detection tests which they now hope can be used for next month's Olympic Games in Sydney. The commission ruled that the tests would be valid only when used together.
An official decision, however, will not be made until an IOC meeting in Lausanne on August 28th and 29th when the medical commission's conclusions will go before an IOC judicial commission to determine whether they could pose legal problems. The worst nightmare for the IOC would be if an athlete turns up a false positive, or successfully defends a positive result in a civil court.
A statement yesterday, at the end of the two-day meeting, said: "The review group agreed unanimously that an EPO test designed for the Olympic Games in Sydney should be implemented. The test, based on a combination of blood and urine analysis, provides information on previous and current misuse of EPO. This test should be applied in addition to the existing testing programme."
The IOC have been coming under increased international pressure to arrest the use of drugs in sport and, as they were also enmeshed in corruption scandals, they have been desperately looking for a way of claiming the moral high ground and allaying public cynicism. Yesterday's decision, if legally sanctioned, would help to do this. A number of Irish athletes contacted yesterday were extremely supportive of the development.
"Brilliant news," said Olympic 400 metre hurdler Susan SmithWalsh. "That's fantastic. I'm delighted they have come up with something before Sydney. Hopefully they have developed a good test. I've no problem whatsoever about giving a blood sample." "I never think about whether I'm competing against clean athletes or not because it would only depress you. I always try to keep a positive frame of mind when I'm competing but this is good news."
Andrew Bree, selected just yesterday to swim for Ireland at Sydney, was also upbeat about the development.
"This is a good idea. I think they should definitely bring it in. I know there is controversy because it is blood they are taking but if it is done under proper conditions I'd have no hesitation. I'd definitely back it," he said.
The chairman of the IOC Medical Commission, Prince Alexandre de Merode said that a panel comprising key IOC members and a team of seven outside scientists had made the momentous decision after 36 hours of meetings. They concluded that the Australian test for EPO, based on blood sampling, could not be reliably used on its own. But in conjunction with the French method, which is based on urine sampling, the two were complementary and could be reliably used to detect the drug.
"The combination of the two should provide the guarantees we require," he said.
Jacques de Ceaurriz, who headed the French research team, conceded that using the two together was essential, and "rendered the testing process 100 percent reliable". His confidence was echoed by Rimanttas Kazlaukas, director of the Australian Sports Institute. "A test close to perfection," he said.
EPO is believed to be particularly widely abused in distance running, swimming and cycling and first hit the headlines when its use nearly halted the 1998 Tour de France, which began in Ireland. It boosts the body's red blood cell count, enhancing the blood's ability to transport oxygen to the muscles, thereby enhancing muscle performance and increasing stamina.
Occasional side effects of abusing the drug are that the blood thickens, which can lead to heart attacks. There have been a number of unexplained heart attack deaths in young, healthy cyclists, which have been unofficially put down to the abuse of EPO.
It was the endemic use of the drug during the 1998 Tour de France which sparked off fears that its usage could be rife by the time the Sydney Olympics came along. In the aftermath of that an edgy IOC announced that it was ready to review any research into EPO testing.
Those concerns were fuelled in recent days with the news that 1,000 vials of EPO had been stolen from a hospital in Alice Springs. This led to suggestions that they could be heading for the black market in Australia in the run-up to the Games. Batches of the drug coming into Australia had already been detected by customs officials well in advance of the Games.
Even if the scientists decide they need more time to validate the tests, it is understood that the IOC can wait until the very last minute before taking a final decision.
Sources close to the medical commission have made it known that they will be willing to hold fire until September 14th, the day before the Games start, to approve the tests. The urine test detects EPO up to three days after it has been injected, while the blood test can detect if EPO has been used at any time in the preceding three weeks.
There is expected to be some opposition from athletes who have principled objections about the removal of blood. It is likely to be another issue on which the legal commission will have to decide.
