Come August, one of the more popular activities worldwide will be watching,directly or indirectly, the greatest sports event in the world. Already, concerns have been raised about the air pollution in Beijing, with the Australian contingent reportedly delaying their arrival till just before their respective events, thereby giving the opening ceremony a miss.
To their credit, the Chinese authorites have spared no effort in ensuring that the skies will be clear. Some of the measures include allowing cars ending with even numbers on their registration plate to be permitted on the roads on even dates. This enables 1 million vehicles to be off the road at any given day!
The Shenyang Olympic Stadium is the main venue for the Olympics Aug 8-24, 2008
One of the potentially explosive health issues which will involve the athletes is the question of doping. Already, during the Sydney 2000 Olympics, some high-profile athletes were caught using prohibited performance-enhancing drugs.
Marion Jones used prohibited substances and was finally caught a few years later.
The most highly-publicised case was that of sprinter Marion Jones who was finally banned, jailed for 6 months (she is currently serving her term) and asked to return the 5 Olympic medals which she won in 2000.
Usage of performance-enhancing drugs is by no means confined to the Olympics as professional athletes have been caught in other sports as well.
However, I predict the Olympics will be a real testing-ground for two drugs whose usage is steeped in controversy on many counts.
The first is HGH (human growth hormone) which builds strength, bone density and endurance, minus the side-effects of steroids like what was used by Marion Jones. It is difficult to detect by conventional doping tests because it is a naturally-occuring substance in the body and, more important, can be withdrawn well before the event without any apparent untoward effects and therefore avoid detection.
The other performance-enhancer is EPO (erythropoietin) which is also a naturally occuring hormone that 
causes increased production of red blood cells in the body, thereby increasing the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood to the muscle tissues. Its like using high-octane petrol to boost your engine. The detection of EPO is complicated by the lack of accuracy of the current test methods. Marion Jones was tested positive at the Sydney Olympics but subsequently declared negative on the second test.
Whatever it is, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) which is responsible for testing the specimens are confident detection techniques have improved.For more, click here.
Tags: detection of drugs, doping, erythropoietin, health, human growth hormone, Olympics, Performance-enhancing drugs, ridzwan bakar, sports
July 23, 2008 at 2:13 am |
[...] doctor2008 wrote an interesting post today on Beijing Olympics Face Major Health Issues,including Doping. Here’s a quick excerpt: [...]
July 23, 2008 at 9:33 am |
Australia Cognizant of Beijing Smog Danger, Sending Team from Hong Kong Training Camp for Event Only; Olympics President Asked to Remove Triathlon, Marathon, and Cycling Out of Deadly Smog
Stephen Fox
Because of concern about air quality, most of Australia’s track and field
athletes will miss the Aug. 8 Olympic opening ceremonies in Beijing. With
events beginning after Aug. 15, one week after the opening, Athletics
Australia has chosen to hold its pre-Olympic training camp in Hong Kong.
Competitors will then fly to Beijing three or four days before their events.
“As many sports have said, China presents difficulties for athletes going in
and being there for a period of time,” Athletics Australia national
performance manager Max Binnington. “Anything more than five or six days and they inevitably end up with some sort of respiratory problem. So that was why many of the sports who don’t have to be in there early are choosing not to go in. And the outcome is that it’s almost impossible to go for the opening ceremony.” Australia’s triathletes will also miss the opening ceremonies for similar reasons. “Most of our athletes have accepted the decision straight away.”
Sun Weide, a spokesman for the Bejiing organizing committee, stated that
nations could be flexible for the opening ceremonies. “Every team can arrange its schedule according to its own plan,” Sun said. “As for the environmental problems, we’ve said many times that we’re confident that we can provide clean air during the Olympic Games.” A plan for Beijing’s
notoriously clogged traffic include half of the city’s 3.3 million vehicles
being banned each day, using an odd-even system from registration plates.
“Generally those competing of the first day or the second day don’t march,
standing up for eight hours a day or so before competition isn’t a medically smart thing to do,” AOC spokesman Tancred said. Australian and Hong Kong physicians have backed this up: see “Medical Experts Say Olympians Face Health and Performance Difficulties in Beijing’s Air Pollution from Hong Kong and Australian Physicians: Even Spectators Should Worry!” at:
http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=52625&ret=AccountDtl.aspx,
an article by Tan Ee Lyn.
Despite IOC President Jacques Rogge’s “Beijing air pollution cheer” a few
days ago from Lausanne, Switzerland, in which he basically dismisses all of these concerns, I would like you to be aware of my latest articles, which we refer to by URL in order to bring you the photo essay on Beijing smog:
[Title: Jacques Rogge and Olympic Committee: Please move Marathon, Triathlon, and Cycling out of Beijing's Deadly Air Pollution! Carbon Monoxide, Industrial Pollution,Lead,Particulate Matter, Ozone]
http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=52987&ret=AccountDtl.aspx
_______________________________
Please also see earlier article:
http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=52585&ret=AccountDtl.aspx
[Title: Beijing's Infernal Air Pollution Will Kill A Few Olympic Athletes;
Most US Athletes Will Wear Masks While Preparing for Their Events]
If you know Olympic athletes, physicians, sports enthusiasts, and
internationally minded people, please forward this to them, and to friends
and colleagues. If you comprehend that we could prevent a few athletes from inevitable expiration in the Beijing smog, you can also email Mr. Rogge directly:
http://www.olympic.org/uk/utilities/registration_uk.asp?prm_action=req
Stephen Fox, Contributing Editor Santa Fe Sun News
stephen@santafefineart.com
Photo Essay: Close Up of Bird’s Nest Stadium Engulfed in Beijing Smog:
http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/01JI8wJ5zmffG/610x.jpg
http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2008/07/10/a-month-before-the-olympics-beijing-still-failing-air-quality-test/
http://thinkorthwim.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/07/yutian-pollution.jpg
http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2007/10/25/beijing_narrowweb__300×375,0.jpg
One by my sardonic wise friend, James Fallows, Washington Editor Atlantic
Monthly:
http://www.chinaherald.net/uploaded_images/BJpollution-761160.jpg
August 15, 2008 at 5:28 am |
i love the olympics