classic1

WADA considering banning altitude tents
Cyclingnews 12/4/06
By Jeff Jones

https://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?...y06/may12news2

The World Anti-Doping Agency is considering banning altitude tents, devices used by athletes that create hypoxic (low oxygen) conditions in order to stimulate the production of more red blood cells. Such devices are "probably contrary to the spirit of the sport," according to WADA's ethics committee, and they will be one of the subjects of discussion at WADA's upcoming meeting on May 13-14 in Montreal.

In a pre-meeting briefing, WADA president Dick Pound said, "We have an interesting discussion forthcoming with respect to the whole issue of hypoxic chambers and the whole concept of artificially induced hypoxic conditions. This has been an issue that has gone back and forth in the sports community and the business community for a number of years.

"Our medical authorities agree that the creation of these conditions can be performance enhancing. Our ethics and education committee has concluded that the use of these devices is probably contrary to the spirit of sport, and it will be up to the executive committee to decide how it wants to proceed with it.

"If the executive committee wants to get further input on it, I think one of the possibilities will be to add this to the draft list that will be circulated with respect to 2007. As you know, that is a list that is widely circulated for consultation, reaction and response to something in excess of 1500 stakeholders and others involved in laboratory work and so forth, so we'll get additional input on that before deciding definitively in September whether or not it goes onto the list."

Currently, many of the top professional cyclists use altitude tents, which up until now have always been legal. Training and living at altitude is also legal, and presumably will remain so. But if WADA does decide to ban hypoxic tents, then it will have to consider the issue of enforcing the ban. Bedroom raids or an honesty system, anyone?

classic1

I hear that eating food and drinking water are performance enhancing. I wonder what position WADA takes on these performance enhancing practices.

Tools

dolophonic

I think they are illegal in Italy,didnt someone get busted at last years giro?

zimbo

All's I know is that having sex in a hypoxic tent is really exhausting.

--Steve

56/12 and 22/28

What about the Helium tents?

What are they going to do about those?

DocRay

Hypoxia can lead to new dangerous blood vessel growth and promote tumour growth at the level done in these tents.
WADA is just trying to level the playing field and make racing safer. If left up to the riders, they would enhance to the point of health detriment later in life, this was done in the 50-60s with sad results.

Helium tents are hypoxic tents.

Vinokurtov

I hear they are going to ban training at altitude next. All the riders will have to wear GPS tracking braclets and the minute they hit 100 feet above sea level...

NoRacer

Likely, pro cyclists, like world class runners, will move to high altitude. It makes training less convenient, because it's easier to "live high, train low" (to an extent) with the chamber, but they'd probably get better results actually living high and training low then sleeping "high" and living "low":

https://physiotherapy.curtin.edu.au/r...s/00/cheuk.cfm

teamawe

Every racer that spends more then 3 months at altitude a year (6K+ft) will have a handicap on race day. Miles of the stage (M) * months greater then 3 at altitude (A) * .03 (the percent gain they MIGHT have because of extra red blood cells). All pro team riders will have a GPS tracking chip implanted. In addition to calculating time at altitude this chip will be used to track all substances ingested or administered to the athletes, oh and to measure how often they have sex. (The WADA guys need more to micro-manage)

teamawe

Vino and I thought the same thing, I just took longer to type. /grin

classic1

Plus, all pro riders will have to have their body waste tested daily by WADA. Funnily enough, no rider is complaining about having to send their poo to Dick Pound. Lance Armstrong is so excited by this prospect he is considering a comeback.

Cypress

LOL.


Banning the tents would be rediculous. How would they control that sort of thing anyways?

Cromulent

WADA should just ban training altogether. Or having two legs. Having two legs gives some riders an advantage. Any rider considered a GC contender in any grand tour should have one leg removed. That'll show those 'winners'.

Idiots.

Vinokurtov

Pound, Dick will do the vulcan mind meld with every rider. Or he will look into his crystal balls.

classic1

Pound wouldn't want to clang those crystal balls together. They might shatter and cut Dick.

Cypress

I should get rid of my tent.


Wouldn't want to rub Dick the wrong way.

classic1

Dick would be stiff if he didn't pass these rules. How will Dick penetrate the hole..um whole of the issues spreadeagled before him? Will Dick pull it off?

DocRay

It's still not as funny as (GW)Bush and Dick (Cheney).

Cypress

Personally I think Bush get's in Dick's way. But then, Bush couldn't do anything to prevent Dick from shooting someone in the face.

Eatadonut

Exactly. This is ridiculous, and will just lead to richer teams traveling more, and poorer teams losing, and getting poorer.

DocRay

But low 02 tents are lower than high altitude 02 levels. that's the point, it's dangerous.

WADA has authority to drug test any rider, at any time and enter and search his house. WADA entered and searched Sheryl Crowe's place in Manhattan and demanded a sample from Armstrong on the spot last June.

Snicklefritz

What was done in the 50-60's? are you talking about trying hypoxic tents? Or some other "performance enhancing" thing?

Snicklefritz

They should ban sport drinks and Gu next. I heard those enhance performance too.

Keith99

Yes, rather than leveling the playing field this tilts it farther still.

alpe d'issaquah

Aren't bikes performance enhancing? They should just chop off their legs and let them try and crawl through the stages. The sprint would be hilarious