Sports integrity initiative

Features 9th December 2016 Mamadou Sak-who? Collateral damage in an era of name and shame

Isabelle Westbury @izzywestbury [email protected] The Liverpool footballer, Mamadou Sakho, was exonerated earlier this year following a flawed doping investigation. His career remains in the balance while WADA, the organisation that so ineptly policed the affair, has yet to be held to account.

A week is a long time in sports, as in politics. On 11 April this year UEFA, European football’s governing body, published an article on its carefully media-managed site entitled, ‘How Liverpool’s Sakho won over the critics’. It was full of gushing praise about how the French international had overcome childhood adversity, found maturity in a foreign environment, and developed a work-ethic that even his fellow professionals found impressive. Sakho’s career was soaring; he was a regular for Liverpool both in the Premier League and the Europa League, and was putting in strong performances for a French national side that was well positioned for a home European Championship.

Twelve days later, Sakho’s name was hitting headlines for entirely different reasons. ‘Sakho facing drugs ban’. ‘Sakho’s failed doping test’. ‘Mamadou Sakho let Liverpool down badly’. It was a field day for headline writers across the country as news emerged that Sakho was under UEFA investigation for an alleged anti-doping rule violation. The subsequent revelation that the drug in question was a so-called fat- burner increased the speculation; how had this finely honed athlete succumbed to taking trivial diet pills at the prime of his career?

The condemnation was unrelenting. Only one online blog, The Gegenpress, questioned the finding at the time, writing that Sakho’s alleged drug use did ‘not make any sense’, considering both his conduct and unblemished record until that point. The piece, later picked up by the Irish Examiner, suggested instead that the mental wellbeing of players needed examining far more than any violation itself. However, with little information to go on apart from news of a UEFA investigation, soon escalating to a worldwide FIFA suspension, the wider coverage might be forgiven for reporting what was known. Very little, as it turned out.

Within three months, UEFA dismissed the case, exonerating Sakho of any anti-doping rule violation. Coverage was subdued, caught up in the maelstrom of the Final of the 2016 European Championship between France and Portugal, that was to take place two days later. Sakho’s dream of representing France in a home final had long since vanished. Instead, the coverage of his innocence was akin to a tabloid retraction, hidden out of sight.

The ‘indelible stain’ of a corruption conviction on a sportsperson’s reputation and further career has been discussed before in these pages. Then, the article focused on the difficulty of returning to professional sport once time had been served and the process of law played out – for someone previously convicted of a crime. A guilty player may accept some stain on their reputation, but for the innocent, like Sakho, the miscarriage of justice endures.

Many observers may expect a player’s swift return to form, even a refreshed revival following time on the sidelines; the reality is often harsher. The personal toll is severe, exacerbated by trying to re-enter a newly settled team environment, readjusted to cater for a player’s absence. Innocent until proven guilty is not a concept Sakho will feel familiar with.

Any athlete that plays sport for a living understands the burden of their profession; unannounced drugs tests and careful nutrition monitoring are the norm. It’s a stressful existence. Just as one walks a little straighter on passing a policeman in the street, professional athletes succumb to the same Freudian phenomenon – no matter how clean an athlete is, they are forever looking over their shoulder.

Sakho had apparently always been reluctant to take any form of medication or supplementation, and had only started taking supplements at the instigation of the professional clubs and staff around him. Sakho, of all people, should have had less to worry about than most.

The positive doping result was a shock. Analysis of Sakho’s A sample revealed the presence of Higenamine, a substance speculated to have fat-burning qualities. UEFA duly notified Sakho of an anti-doping violation, stating that Higenamine was banned at all times under the WADA Prohibited List, as a category S3, Beta-2 Agonist.

The source of Higenamine was quickly found. It was in a nutritional supplement prescribed by Sakho’s personal trainer, who claimed that he had checked rigorously against WADA’s Prohibited List, as well as independently, for any illegal substance and found none. Since the source of the Higenamine was known, Sakho did not contest the result of the test and waived the right to have his B sample analysed (which, of course, contains the same urine as the A sample bottle).

What happened next however was remarkable; Higenamine’s status as a WADA prohibited substance, it quickly transpired, was no certainty.

Higenamine is not expressly mentioned in any WADA literature on prohibited substances; UEFA’s Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body (CEDB), who heard Sakho’s case, explicitly noted this. Although Beta- 2 Agonists are prohibited by WADA, it is not clear whether Higenamine falls into this category at all. The defence, at great personal expense to Sakho, commissioned reports from two experts in the field, one of whom was a recent recipient of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Their submissions ‘cast serious doubt’ upon WADA’s decision to treat Higenamine as a Beta-2 Agonist – as a result the case was dismissed.

More remarkably, and less reported, was how damning the CEDB was about WADA’s role in the whole affair. It found ‘inconsistency of testing amongst WADA accredited laboratories’ a code which ‘lacks universal enforcement’, that even ‘WADA accredited laboratories are uncertain of Higenamine’s status’ and that WADA ultimately had not made a ‘firm determination itself’ on the classification of Higenamine, let alone communicated it to its athletes.

Sakho’s defence went further; they claim that of the seven papers WADA cited as evidence that Higenamine is a Beta-2 Agonist, two (which were both authored by one of the experts commissioned by Sakho) did not even examine Higenamine’s potential as a Beta-2 Agonist. One of these papers even indicates that Higenamine is in fact a Beta-1 Agonist which is a category of substance not prohibited by WADA, and not a Beta-2 Agonist.

Even if oral Higenamine could be classified as a Beta-2 Agonist, no evidence exists that it is performance-enhancing. This was confirmed by one of Sakho’s experts, who had conducted one of the only studies to examine the effects on humans of orally-ingested Higenamine. Nothing in WADA’s own policy justifies the inclusion of Higenamine on its Prohibited List. Despite being given the opportunity to defend its decision to treat Higenamine as a Beta-2 Agonist, WADA chose not to make any representations at Sakho’s hearing – perhaps not surprisingly. With the evidence so heavily in Sakho’s favour, and with the CEDB’s findings now public, it should be questioned why the case wasn’t dismissed earlier, or even that a hearing took place at all.

Perhaps UEFA were just doing their job in trying circumstances. Anti- doping violations are systematically hitting the headlines and the names of sporting heroes such as Lance Armstrong, Ben Johnson and Marion Jones are now synonymous with doping. Perhaps UEFA were simply trying to ensure that their own doping controls were robust.

This fails to recognise the impact on the individual charged. Sakho fought to return to playing for Liverpool as soon as possible, and to salvage any possibility of competing for France in the 2016 European Championship. Instead he watched from the stands as his compatriots vied to become champions of Europe. Acquitted just two days earlier, he was absent from what should have been the biggest event of his career.

Sakho missed 7 Liverpool games during his provisional suspension. Whether he might be banned remained uncertain for most of the summer’s transfer window as WADA did not rule out an appeal until the last possible moment. He has not featured for his club since he was notified by UEFA of the failed test.

It is unrealistic in football, as it is in politics, to expect that things wouldn’t have moved on in Sakho’s absence. Unsurprisingly, this has led to frustration for Sakho. An ill-advised early morning social media rant is only the latest story to emerge over his fractured relationship with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who is apparently ‘desperate’ to sell Sakho By contrast, just before Sakho’s case arose, Klopp had described Sakho as ‘spectacular’.

There is no doubt that this case has changed the course of Sakho’s career. A transfer appears inevitable, but the outcome uncertain. Whether Sakho can return to his previous form and status remains unknown. He will almost certainly never play in a major championship in his home country.

One terrifying aspect of Sakho’s case is that an even greater injustice might have befallen him if he had not had the means to instruct one of the World’s foremost anti-doping lawyers, Mike Morgan of Morgan Sports Law, and some of the leading minds in biochemistry. After all, very few athletes have ever successfully challenged WADA’s categorisation of a banned substance; the point being that things might have turned out very differently for Sakho if he had not had the means to stand up to WADA, with doping bans now extending up to four years. Spare a thought, therefore, for those athletes who might find themselves in the same position, minus the resources.

Sakho’s ordeal should not be repeated. The media is complicit, reporting the headlines, not the substance of this affair, and making little of the hearing vindicating Sakho. Such unbalanced accounts are a disservice to clean athletes worldwide. UEFA and WADA play an important role in sports governance, but they must be scrutinised, and held accountable, if they are to be effective. This does not undermine their role, but helps them become better organisations and, as a corollary, helps protect clean athletes from potential injustices.

Notwithstanding the vindication through the courts, Mamadou Sakho’s case must not be consigned to the annals of history past, for his is a future still at stake.

The full decision can be viewed here. http://www.sportsintegrityinitiative.com/mamadou-sak-who-collateral-damage-in-the-era-of- name-and-shame/

DW

TOP STORIES / SPORTS

SPORTS Bundestag Sports Commitee chairwoman: 'One year not enough' to evaluate Germany's anti-doping law It has been a year since Germany's anti-doping law came into force. Under the law, athletes who test positive for performance-enhancing drugs can face prison terms of up to three years. The law, which came into effect last December, also provides for jail sentences of up to 10 years for those who provide the athletes with performance-enhancing substances. No athletes have yet been prosecuted under the new law but according to the chairwoman of the German parliament's standing committee on sports, Dagmar Freitag, some investigations are underway. The Social Democrat member of the Bundestag also told DW that one year is not a long-enough period to determine whether it has been a success or a failure. Doping cannot be wiped out completely, she said, but the fight is an important one. She also said that she wasn't surprised by the findings of the second McLaren Report, released earlier this week, which said that more than 1,000 Russian athletes were involved in or benefited from widespread doping manipulation.

http://www.dw.com/en/bundestag-sports-commitee-chairwoman-one-year-not-enough-to- evaluate-germanys-anti-doping-law/a-36774031

CONI

Il TNA squalifica per 4 anni Gilberto Ciriello (ASI) e Daniele Geraci (ACSI). Quattro mesi a Federico Rossi (US ACLI), archiviazione per 2 non tesserati

Pubblicato: 07 Dicembre 2016

La Prima Sezione del Tribunale Nazionale Antidoping, nel procedimento disciplinare a carico di Gilberto Ciriello (tesserato ASI), visti gli artt. 2.3 e 4.3.1 delle vigenti Norme Sportive Antidoping, gli ha inflitto 4 anni di squalifica, a decorrere dal 7 dicembre 2016 e con scadenza al 6 dicembre 2020. Ha condannato altresì l’atleta al pagamento delle spese del procedimento quantificate forfetariamente in euro 378,00.

Nel procedimento disciplinare a carico di Daniele Geraci (tesserato ACSI), visti gli artt. 2.1, 4.2.1.2 delle vigenti NSA, gli ha inflitto 4 anni di squalifica, a decorrere dal 7 dicembre 2016 e con scadenza al 6 ottobre 2020, dedotto il presofferto. Ha disposto inoltre l’invalidazione dei risultati eventualmente conseguiti all’esito della gara in data 22 maggio 2016 e ha condannato l’atleta al pagamento delle spese del procedimento quantificate forfetariamente in euro 378,00.

Nel procedimento disciplinare a carico di Federico Rossi (tesserato US ACLI), visto l’art. 2.1 e 4.5.1.1 delle vigenti NSA, gli ha inflitto 4 mesi di squalifica, a decorrere dal 7 dicembre 2016 e con scadenza al 6 febbraio 2017, dedotto il presofferto. Ha inoltre disposto l’invalidazione dei risultati eventualmente conseguiti a partire dal 24 luglio 2016 e ha condannato l’atleta alle spese del procedimento quantificate forfetariamente in euro 378,00.

Nel procedimento avviato nei confronti di Benedetto Carrera e di Danilo Orazio Agnelli, soggetti non tesserati per l’ordinamento sportivo, la Prima Sezione del TNA - viste le richieste avanzate dall'Ufficio di Procura Antidoping ed esaminati gli atti depositati dalla stessa UPA - ha disposto le archiviazioni dei procedimento.

La Prima Sezione del Tribunale Nazionale Antidoping, nel procedimento disciplinare a carico di Mirko Sansubrino (soggetto non tesserato), dispone, su richiesta dell’avvocato dell’incolpato, l’audizione di quest’ultimo, assente in udienza per causa di malattia e il rinvio dell’udienza in data 21 dicembre 2016 ore 15.15.

http://www.coni.it/it/attivita-istituzionali/antidoping/12766-il-tna-squalifica-per-4-anni- gilberto-ciriello-asi-e-daniele-geraci-acsi-quattro-mesi-a-federico-rossi-us-acli-,-archivazione- per-2-non-tesserati.html

WADA

December 15, 2016

WADA announces composition of 2017 Expert Groups

The Agency outlines the composition of its six Expert Groups for 2017

Each Expert Group is mandated to provide specialist advice and to make suggestions to

WADA’s Management on issues pertaining to its particular area.

There is an Expert Group for the following areas:

• Ethics

• Gene and Cell Doping

• Laboratories

• Prohibited List

• Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs)

• Technical Document for Sport Specific analysis (TDSSA)

Membership to the WADA Expert Groups will commence on 1 January 2017.

https://www.wada-ama.org/en/media/news/2016-12/wada-announces-composition-of-2017- expert-groups

SWIM SWAM RUSSIAN CHIEF SALNIKOV BELIEVES DOPING DRAMA HURT OLYMPIC PERFORMANCE

ANCE

10Braden Keith |

December 15th, 2016 | Europe, International, News

Vladimir Salnikov pointed specifically to Vlad Morozov's (above) being unable to final in either the 50 or 100 free in Rio as evidence that the turmoil impacted Russia's Olympic perfo

Russian Swimming Federation president Vladimir Salnikov, a past Olympic champion himself, says that he believes that Russia’s performance at the 2016 Olympics was impacted by the doping issues that led up to the Games. In an interview with the Russian Olympic Committee, Salnikov painted a considerably rosier view of the outcome in Rio than have most observers – noting that the 4 medals won were the same as the London Games 4 years earlier, but ignoring that in both cases that outcome was considered an under-performance in multiple areas. In the interview, Salnikov says that he believes the issues many Russian swimmers faced, including being uncertain if they’d be allowed to participate even after the Olympics started, hurt them. “It is necessary to take into account the conditions under which the whole Olympic team prepared for the Olympic Games,” Salnikov explained. “Many Russian athletes were not able to perform in Rio for reasons that have nothing to do with sport. Fortunately, the swim team was able to compete at full strength, for which I am grateful to all those who defended the rights of athletes. But jitters could have affected the results. I am convinced that under normal conditions, the same Vladimir Morozov, who recently became the first Russian in historyto win the overall FINA World Cup title, would have been on the Olympic podium.” Morozov has never had a positive test against him, but was for a period removed by FINA from the Olympic roster after being named in the WADA IP “McLaren” report as an athlete who had previous positive tests covered up by the Russian government. Eventually, Morozov, and every other Russian swimmer, was allowed to compete, in spite of an IOC directive that should have excluded several of them. Morozov wound up missing the final in both the 50 and 100 meter freestyles, and the Russian 400 free relay placed 4th (after qualifying through 1st from prelims). The 400 medley relay also wound up 4th. Overall, Salnikov remained positive about the outlook of swimming in Russia from top to bottom. He pointed to programs to attract and retain youth talent in the sport (“I’m a Champion!”) that bred teen medallists Evgeny Rylov (200 back bronze) and Anton Chupkov (200 breast bronze). He also pointed to the fact that the Russian Swimming Federation has regional organizations in 75 of Russia’s 85 Federal Subjects. Besides the goal of growing that to 85 out of 85, Salnikov laid out two other areas of focus for Russia moving forward. He pointed to the American high school and university athletics system as something that gives the United States an advantage, but that is under-developed in Russia. He also pointed to a desire to improve Russia’s open water results – their highest finisher was Anastasiya Krapyvina, who was 8th in the women’s race. Salnikov said that Russia’s climate doesn’t lend itself to open water swimming, but that the federation was working on solutions to improve results regardless – which thus far has included sending European Champion Kirill Abrosimov to Miami, Florida to train. Overall, he says the federation’s biggest challenge is funding young athletes to keep them in the sport over more lucrative endeavors. But, he says, that’s a problem that can’t be solved by the federation and where the Russian government will have to step in.

https://swimswam.com/russian-chief-salnikov-believes-doping-drama-hurt-olympic- performance/

MD Direct blood doping, another PED Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Erythropoietin (EPO) is a great drug for people who have chronic anemia (low red blood cell count) because of chronic disease. It stimulates the bone marrow to produce red blood cells and is useful for those with chronic kidney disease including those on dialysis, cancer, chemotherapy and inflammatory bowel disease. For the most part, these are the only people who should be taking this medication. But don’t tell that to endurance athletes who want the benefit of extra oxygen carrying capacity in their bloodstream. Blood doping is not legal, it acts like a performance enhancing drug and has life threatening complications.

Erythropoietin is manufactured within the kidney and is very sensitive to the body’s environment. Receptors can judge the amount of red blood cells within the bloodstream and if there aren’t enough, the level of EPO rises and causes the bone marrow to manufacture more red cells. Red cells contain hemoglobin, the molecule that attaches to oxygen in the lung and delivers it all the organs and tissues in the body, including muscles. Muscles need oxygen and glucose to function aerobically and get maximum performance. The more oxygen that can be delivered, potentially the longer the muscle can contract and the further and faster an athlete can run.

EPO is very sensitive to the body’s hypoxic (hypo=less +oxic=oxygen) stress, meaning that if oxygen concentrations in the bloodstream decrease, even over a short period of time, EPO concentrations increase, more red blood cells are manufactured and the concentration in the bloodstream increases. More hemoglobin presumably means more oxygen deliver and the hypoxic stress is relieved.

Patients with kidney disease, or those who become anemic from cancer or chemotherapy, cannot generate enough natural EPO to stimulate the bone marrow. Fortunately, over the past generation, pharmaceutically created EPO can be injected to help treat anemia and allow a better quality of life. More red cells allow the patient to be able to not feel constantly short of breath or weak.

Now imagine an endurance athlete who would like the benefit of 5 or 10% more red blood cells and oxygen carrying capacity in the blood. Not only would the length of activity be increased for training but so would the speed. The Olympic motto “faster, higher, stronger” “citius, altius, fortius” was meant to be achieved by perseverance and training, not necessarily living better by chemistry. Injecting erythropoietin or its cousin, the long acting darbypoietin would be a short cut to the hours spent training. It comes with a cost and that is the increased risk of stroke and heart attack. Too many red blood cells can cause blood to sludge and not flow easily through the narrow blood vessels in the body…arterioles, venules and capillaries.

EPO was a chemical way to enhance the body. Old school blood doping used more crude methods. An athlete would donate a unit of blood (about 500cc or a pint) a month or more before a competition and store it. Red blood cells have a shelf life of about 90 days if cared for properly and during that time, the body would gradually replace the lost blood. Just before the event, the blood would be transfused back into the athlete and voila…more oxygen carrying hemoglobin magically available to help performance. Same risks as EPO for heart attack and stroke.

The body’s naturally occurring EPO has a different chemical signature than artificial EPO, so testing has caught up can tell the difference proving who has been less than nice should they inject the drug.

There are legal ways to blood dope, if you have enough money. At altitude, the air contains less oxygen than it does at sea level. The body’s receptors recognize this oxygen deficiency causing EPO levels to rise and force the bone marrow to create more red blood cells to compensate for fewer oxygen molecules available with each breath. Unfortunately, training at altitude is less efficient than training at sea level, so the athlete needs to sleep at higher altitudes and train lower down. This is expensive and more than a little inconvenient. Nike developed a high-tech solution called Project Oregon. The company built a tightly sealed house in Portland where filters could decrease oxygen in the air inside to a level found at 12,000 feet. Athletes sleep at altitude and walk out the door to train at sea level. Nice if you can afford it.

There are opportunities to bend the rules. Blood doping is not legal and is potentially life threatening, however your body can be tricked into doing it legally by the letter of the rule, not necessarily by the intent. It has been a long time since the concept of a level playing field for all actually mattered.

This entry was tagged blood transfusion, bone marrow, complications, darbypoeitin, EPO, erythropoeitin, heart attack, oxygen, red blood cells, stroke http://mddirect.org/2016/12/14/blood-doping-another-ped/

EUROPE.NEWSWEEK

OPINION ARE ANTI-DOPING TESTS FOR RECREATIONAL ATHLETES WORTH IT? Drug tests in schools have proven ineffective and expensive, why should gyms be different? BY KATINKA VAN DE VEN , KYLE J.D. MULROONEY ON 12/15/16 AT 10:22 AM

Filipino activists protest against Duterte's drug war killings

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Anti-doping is not just something that exists in elite sports; it’s increasingly being applied to recreational gym users. While most countries focus on prevention and education, a handful have taken the drastic step of introducing doping controls in commercial gyms. In 2003, Belgium became the first country to introduce such measures. Sweden, Denmark and Norway soon followed their lead.

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Since the early 2000s, recreational trainers in Belgium—especially in Flanders—have been forbidden from using substances banned by the World Anti-Doping Code (WADC), that governs elite athletes. They also face the same sanctions as elite athletes. To vet people, anti-doping officials use muscle profiling. Although doping controls are meant to be random, it is often male weight trainers with a more muscular appearance who are tested for the use of steroids.

Police are able to conduct a home search based on a positive test, and an athlete may be subject to both a doping and a drug investigation for the same offence. These people face criminal prosecution for the use or possession of illegal substances and they also face sanctions from the Flemish national anti-doping organization (NADO). If a person tests positive, and it’s a first offence, they may be banned by NADO Flanders for two years from every gym and any form of organized sport in the region. They may also receive a fine of, on average, 1,000-2,000 euros, although fines can be as high as 25,000 euros.

In Denmark any person training in a gym that has entered into a collaboration agreement with Anti-Doping Denmark (the country’s national anti-doping organization) may be subject to doping controls. Gyms in Denmark must indicate at their entrance and on their website by means of a happy or frowning icon whether or not they are part of this agreement.

Sweden also has doping controls at training facilities and Norway’s anti-doping strategies have an element of monitoring and policing. For instance, fitness centers that adopt the anti- doping programme in Norway receive a licence to carry out tests on members suspected of doping. There is no legal obligation to sign up to be a “Clean Center,” but gyms that do are perceived to have a reputational advantage. About half of Norway’s fitness centers now have a Clean Center certificate.

Not a deterrent

The goal of these doping controls is to deter people from using substances that may be detrimental to their health. But, aside from privacy and human rights issues, such as undressing in front of a doping officer and targeting certain groups, recent research shows that doping tests in gyms may be ineffective anyway at preventing or reducing doping use. Rather, there are possible unintended negative outcomes that may increase health risks. For instance, users may train in basements and private clubs, stop training altogether, displace to other countries with no doping controls, or undertake more dangerous doping practices to avoid a positive test.

Drug testing in schools—including for doping—has proved ineffective in preventing students from trying drugs or doping substances. Not only do doping tests appear to have little deterrent effect, but it also is an extraordinarily expensive process.

While it is true that people are increasingly using steroids and other image enhancing drugs, testing in gyms does not seem to be the answer. If we have learned anything from the war on drugs, it is that repression does little to curb drug use. Instead, it contributes significantly to health and societal problems.

Criminalising recreational users and elite athletes not only leads to increased stigmatization and marginalization, but it maximizes the risks associated with use (unsafe products) and hinders the implementation of harm-reduction initiatives.

As it becomes clear that doping use among the general public is a growing phenomenon, we must confront the issue head on. However, the use of performance enhancing drugs in society must be addressed not as a sporting issue nor as a criminal one, but rather as a matter of public health. We should focus attention on methods that have proved to be successful in addressing the use of performance and image enhancing drugs within the general population such as prevention and education, while seeking to reduce the harm associated with its use. One study of 15 to 21- year-olds found that combining anti-doping education with practical strength training can help prevent doping. Let’s go with the evidence and put an end to punitive measures.

Katinka van de Ven is Lecturer in Criminology at Birmingham City University and Kyle J.D. Mulrooney is a Ph.D. Fellow, Doctorate in Cultural and Global Criminology at the University of Kent. http://europe.newsweek.com/doping-anti-doping-controls-athletes-recreational-athletes- gyms-531940?rm=eu

MARCA

Deportes de Invierno BIATLÓNAmenaza con boicotear la Copa del Mundo si no hay sanción para los 31 dopados

Fourcade: "Si no hay huevos para sancionar a los

rusos, nosotros tomaremos una decisión"

Martin Fourcade, durante una competición. AFP

• AFP • Actualizado 16/12/2016 12:10 CET

El doble campeón olímpico de biatlón, el francés Martin Fourcade, amenazó con lanzar un movimiento de boicot a las pruebas de la Copa del Mundo de la especialidad en caso de clemencia con los rusos envueltos en dopaje, tras la publicación de la segunda entrega del informe McLaren. La Federación Internacional de Biatlón (IBU) indicó en un comunicado que 31 atletas rusos aparecían en el informe hecho público el 9 de diciembre. "No es como si hubiera uno o dos. Son 31, que se añaden a los 12 que había ya en el biatlón. Espero que si mi Federación no tiene los suficientes huevos de tomar una decisión, los atletas tomarán la suya. Si nada se hace de aquí a enero, pediré a mis colegas no participar", declaró Fourcade a la cadena de televisión noruega NRK. "Estaré orgulloso de hacerlo para que mi deporte sea limpio", añadió el quintuple ganador de la Copa del Mundo. El noruego Emil Hegle Svendsen, tercero del esprint de Nove Mesto, también desea que la IBU muestre "un ejemplo claro para avisar de que no hay que tolerarlo".

El ruso Anton Shipulin, también interrogado por la NRK, defendió a su país: "No hemos visto suficientes pruebas. Todo el mundo puede lanzar esas alegaciones. Es erróneo descalificar sobre esa base. Me gustaría que hubiera menos política en el deporte". La Federación Internacional, que ha nombrado un grupo de expertos tras la publicación de la segunda entrega del informe McLaren, precisó que propondrá sanciones para estos 31 atletas rusos el 22 de diciembre. http://www.marca.com/deportes- invierno/2016/12/16/5853cb8eca4741155c8b4585.html

20 MINUTOS Rusia podría renunciar a mundial de esquí por dopaje

15 dic 2016

Rusia está dispuesta a renunciar a la sede de eventos del campeonato mundial de esquí a campo traviesa como parte de sus esfuerzos para resarcir la maltrecha imagen del país por un amplio escándalo...

AP. 15.12.2016 - 09:26h PST Rusia está dispuesta a renunciar a la sede de eventos del campeonato mundial de esquí a campo traviesa como parte de sus esfuerzos para resarcir la maltrecha imagen del país por un amplio escándalo de dopaje.

Elena Valbe, presidenta de la federación rusa de esquí a campo traviesa, dijo que "sin duda" permitiría que la ronda final de la Copa del Mundo, programada para disputarse entre el 16-19 de marzo en Tyumen, sea cambiada a otro país si ayuda a generar buena voluntad para que Rusia pueda competir en los Juegos Olímpicos de Invierno de 2018.

"Estoy convencida de que ahora tenemos que pensar en que nuestro equipo compita en los Juegos Olímpicos", dijo Valbe el jueves a la agencia estatal de noticias R-Sport. "Una copa del Mundo es un asunto secundario". Rusia está bajo la lupa después que un informe divulgado la semana pasada por el investigador de la Agencia Mundial Antidopaje, Richard McLaren, detalló un amplio programa de dopaje y encubrimientos patrocinado por el Estado.

Entre los hallazgos, McLaren dijo que el dopaje involucró a 12 atletas rusos que ganaron medallas en los Juegos de Invierno de 2014 en Sochi. El martes, la federación internacional de bobsled y skeleton anunció que el mundial de 2017 ya no se realizará en Rusia, como estaba previsto, porque varios atletas dijeron que no competirían en ese país. http://www.20minutos.com/deportes/noticia/rusia-podria-renunciar-a-mundial-de-esqui-por- dopaje-69654/0/

PERIÓDICO DE SANCTI SPÍRITUS Viernes 16 de Diciembre de 2016 English . RSS . Mapa del sitio

Ciencia y salud para el deporte ELSA RAMOS. Jueves, 15 diciembre, 2016 . . 0

Sesionó en Sancti Spíritus la reunión nacional del sistema de medicina deportiva

Cuba enfrenta el control antidopaje con preocupación y ocupación.

De seguir las tendencias actuales en los controles antidopaje, las tablas de preseas de las ediciones de los Juegos Olímpicos pudieran voltearse bruscamente y emergerían otros campeones y medallistas.

Por eso Cuba enfrenta el flagelo con preocupación y ocupación, al decir del doctor Jorge Pavel Pino Rivero, director del Instituto de Medicina del Deporte en Cuba, que esta semana condujo los debates de la reunión nacional de este sistema, con sede en Sancti Spíritus.

Explica. “El mundo del dopaje está muy convulso y las cifras de la Agencia Mundial Antidoping dicen que cada día hay más controles, y también más atletas que se dopan y eso tiene que ver con las exigencias del deporte, donde como tendencia importa más el dinero y no la salud del atleta. Siempre estamos expuestos al estar insertados en ese contexto, con deportistas que participan en competencias, en bases de entrenamiento y en contrataciones”.

La ocupación tiene que ver, según el experto, con la participación de todos los integrantes del sistema que agrupa a más de 1 700 profesionales y técnicos de varias disciplinas mediante el contacto directo y diario en los entrenamientos deportivos para conocer qué medicamentos y suplementos nutricionales pueden no solo en los centros, sino también en sus casas.

“Hay más de 400 sustancias que están prohibidas y los pocos casos que hemos detectado en el país muchas veces tienen que ver con el desconocimiento o la insuficiente información sobre el tema. Estamos trabajando, pero todavía nos falta mucho por hacer porque la salud tiene que primar por encima de la medalla.

Pino Rivero ponderó el trabajo que desarrolla la provincia en tal sentido y explicó el alcance de los controles y muestreos realizados a los alumnos-atletas que se realizan en diferentes centros, como en la EIDE Lino Salabarría Pupo, objeto de unas de esas prácticas esta semana.

“Hay que crear una cultura sobre el consumo de medicamentos y no solo en el deporte, sino en los gimnasios particulares, donde se están consumiendo sustancias prohibidas que llegan a matar personas”, añadió el directivo.

Los expertos de la medicina deportiva cubana dedicaron tiempo de análisis a la necesidad de solidificar el rigor científico. “El Instituto promueve la realización de doctorados y maestrías, busca además que el personal se involucre en proyectos de investigación y que le aporten desde la ciencia un mayor rigor al deporte porque para que Cuba siga entre las veinte mejores potencias del mundo, nosotros, que tenemos pocos recursos financieros, tenemos que seguir potenciando el desarrollo de la ciencia, vinculada a los resultados del deporte”, enfatizó.

El encuentro también evaluó lo necesario que resulta mantener condiciones higiénico- epidemiológicas favorables y el balance kilo-calórico en la alimentación de los atletas de las escuelas de iniciación deportiva y las academias de todo el país, así como la atención integral tanto en lo clínico como en lo psicológico. http://www.escambray.cu/2016/ciencia-y-salud-para-el-deporte/

ACTA SANITARIA

PUNTO DE VISTAAPUNTES DE UN BOTICARIO El notario del medicamento PEDRO CABALLERO-INFANTE — SEVILLA 16 DIC, 2016 - 12:00 PM

En un momento en que aumentan las informaciones sobre productos falsificados, entre ellos los medicamentos, el autor destaca el papel del farmacéutico como garante de aquellos que expide en su establecimiento, hasta el punto de haber sido utilizado en la publicidad como garantía de productos que salen al mercado y que utilizan la farmacia como punto de venta.

Era muy frecuente, previo a las TIC, que ante una discusión más o menos bizantina sobre, pongamos por caso, si Pelé marcó más o menos goles que Maradona durante sus respectivas trayectorias profesionales, los debatientes recurriesen a las hemerotecas periodísticas. Dábase incluso el caso, (yo viví alguno en directo), que los discutidores llamasen a horas intempestivas a un periódico para que los sacasen de dudas. Al hilo de esto cuento lo que solía hacer un veterano periodista cuando se producía este hecho. Al primer interrogador le decía, sigo con el símil futbolístico, que el récord era de Pelé y al antagonista, que también se ponía al aparato para confirmar la verdad, le decía que Maradona. Colgaba el auricular mascullando: “Y ahora que se partan la boca por llamar a estas horas dando por saco”.

Evidentemente, estos gurús infalibles e indiscutibles, hablo de la antigua prensa, han pasado a la historia porque hoy, con un móvil y en la barra de un bar, no sólo puedes confirmar el nombre del primer ser humano que pisó la luna sino el número de zapato con el que la holló.

Farmacias y Notarías

Todavía siguen vigentes dos marchamos de garantía históricos cuales son las farmacias y las notarías

Sin embargo todavía siguen vigentes dos marchamos de garantía históricos cuales son las farmacias y las notarías. Si alguien pone en duda alguna causa, el que la asevera le dice al receloso: “¿Lo vas a dudar si está firmado ante notario?”.

La otra garantía determinante sobre la sospecha ante un producto sanitario está en la frase que aparece impresa en él y que no es otra que la: “De venta exclusiva en Farmacias”. Este slogan, que se viene usando desde hace mucho tiempo, generó, unos años atrás, un importante debate que creó un serio precedente. Creo recordar que el problema fue promovido por una afamada multinacional, a la que por solidaridad corporativa no nombro, que inició la salida de sus productos de dietética infantil del canal farmacéutico. A este producto y compañía le siguieron otros como colutorios, cosméticos, pañales infantiles, y otros parientes y afectos.

De venta en farmacia

Esta nueva estrategia, y hablo por referencias pretéritas, trajo cola en la profesión farmacéutica que lógicamente sin darles visos oficiales, cosa que demuestra que todavía hay clases, y de común acuerdo dejó de canalizar estos productos a través de sus farmacias. Antes de que se produjese este desgarro en productos históricamente de “venta exclusiva en Farmacias” la premisa básica y fundamental en boca del visitador de farmacias era un profundo énfasis sobre que el objeto presentado al boticario era exclusivo de su establecimiento sanitario privado de interés público, vulgo farmacias.

La definición que acabo de hacer no es un eufemismo que se pueda prestar a la mordacidad, sino una verdad absoluta y poco valorada. El farmacéutico es el cuidador, vigilante, depositario y, en definitiva, garante de todo aquello que dispensa.

Y es aquí, en lo que a continuación transcribo, cuando alguien, que no ha reparado en valorar esta cualidad profesional del farmacéutico, se acuerda de Santa Bárbara porque ya está tronando peligrosamente.

Noticia llamativa

Pasen y lean esta noticia, que es tan sólo una muestra gratuita que os oferto en mis “Apuntes”: “La Guardia Civil ha desmantelado en Cantabria, Valencia, Alicante, Málaga y Granada el entramado financiero de una importante red dedicada a la distribución de sustancias prohibidas en el deporte, principalmente anabolizantes, la hormona del crecimiento humano, EPO y clembuterol. El aparato financiero, desmantelado en la denominada operación ‘Escudo Concordia’, era utilizado por cinco grupos criminales dedicados a la distribución de medicamentos y sustancias prohibidas en el deporte, cuyos beneficios eran luego introducidos en el canal legal. Las pesquisas de los agentes han podido constatar que la organización podría haber blanqueado cerca de dos millones de euros procedentes de su actividad ilícita en el dopaje deportivo, según la Guardia Civil. Durante la operación han sido detenidas nueve personas de nacionalidad española y han sido investigadas otras trece, ocho españolas, dos brasileñas, una dominicana, una búlgara y otra inglesa. Además, se ha procedido a la anotación preventiva para imposibilitar la trasmisión patrimonial de una oficina de farmacia”.

La excepción de esta “oveja negra” en la manada farmacéutica, mencionada al final de la nota, confirma la regla y es algo consustancial al ser humano. Dicho en plan coloquial: Es algo que ocurre en las mejores familias.

He transcrito tan solo esta “muestra”, pues diariamente aparecen muchas más, por su vigencia y porque lo verdaderamente preocupante es lo que está ocurriendo con el mercado ilegal de las llamadas ventas “on-line” que se están haciendo de oro ofertando con enorme éxito productos farmacológicos entre los que se llevan la palma, además de los descritos en la noticia, los destinados a “curar” la disfunción eréctil y la obesidad.

Productos milagro

El 10% de los medicamentos que circulan por el mundo son falsos

Que sepan estos inocentes, o quizás vergonzantes, “usuarios” de estas milagrosas “medicinas” que las que no haya sido dispensadas en una farmacia no solamente son ineficaces sino que pueden producir efectos indeseables para la salud y a veces la muerte.

Sepa también la opinión pública que nuestras corporaciones, los respectivos Colegios Oficiales de Farmacéuticos, reciben puntualmente y desde la cúpula de los mismos cual es el Consejo General de Colegios Farmacéuticos, en estrecha colaboración con la Agencia Española del Medicamento y Productos Sanitarios (AEMPS), comunicados sobre la aparición de productos con falsas indicaciones que estos reexpiden en el acto a todas y cada una de las casi 22.000 farmacias españolas.

Y precisamente, dentro de este tema, creo justo citar a una de las mayoritarias “ovejas blancas” de la profesión cual es la de un compañero erudito entre otros, pero especialmente, de este preocupante asunto. Se trata del Doctor en Farmacia y Académico de la misma Álvaro Domínguez-Gil Hurlé, que recientemente y en una conferencia impartida en el Club Prensa Asturiana de La Nueva España afirmó, entre otras cosas, que el 10% de los medicamentos que circulan por el mundo son falsos. La ruta de esas medicinas falsificadas, dijo, se extiende por América, Asia, África y Europa, donde los productos entran por aeropuertos como Londres, Madrid o Palma de Mallorca.

El Doctor Domínguez-Gil ha dedicado buena parte de su actividad profesional a estudiar el fenómeno de falsificación de medicamentos, que existe desde siempre, pero que ha aflorado en los últimos años y se ha extendido de forma global debido a los altos beneficios que reporta. En el curso de su disertación, este experto farmacéutico aclaró que los productos que se falsifican difieren según los países. “En los estados desarrollados son productos para adelgazar o relacionados con la medicina estética, frente a las sustancias básicas con las que se comercia en países del Tercer Mundo”, indicó. La red es hoy un gran escaparate en el que se ofrecen desde anabolizantes y viagra hasta leche materna y vacunas, que como se vio en un caso reciente eran suero fisiológico.

Este farmacéutico agregó que la primera vez que se hizo pública la falsificación de un medicamento fue en la película “El tercer hombre”.

Con lo que, y así acabo estos “Apuntes”, se demuestra que en nuestra profesión tenemos, además, hasta farmacéuticos de cine. http://www.actasanitaria.com/el-notario-del-medicamento/