Medicine and science in the fight against doping in sport / D.H. Catlin, K.D. Fitch, A. Ljungqvist. – (Journal of Internal Medicine (2008) 264 (Aug) : p. 99-114)
- DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2796.2008.01993.x.
Content:
- Introduction
- The IOC medical commission era
- The WADA era
- Detection of doping substances and methods
- Stimulants detection by gas chromatography Anabolic steroid detection by ummunoassay
- Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry
- Detection of testosterone and other endogenous steroids
- Isotope-ratio mass spectrometry
- Erythropoietins
- Flow cytometry to detect blood doping
- Human growth hormone
- Profiling of blood or urine: longitudinal testing, passports and volunteer programs
- Dietary supplements
- Designer anabolic androgenic steroids
- Rapidly deployed proactive methods
- Doping controls at Olympic games
- Therapeutic use of prohibited substances
- Conclusions
The fight against doping in sports commenced as a result of the death of a Danish cyclist during the Rome Olympic Games in 1960. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) established a Medical Commission (IOC-MC) which had the task of designing a strategy to combat the misuse of drugs in Olympic Sport. Some International Sport Federations (IF) and National Sports Federations followed suit, but progress was modest until the world's best male sprinter was found doped with anabolic steroids at the Olympic Games in Seoul in 1988. Further progress was made following the cessation of the cold war in 1989 and in 1999 public authorities around the world joined the Olympic Movement in a unique partnership by creating WADA, the 'World Anti-Doping Agency'. The troubled history of the anti-doping fight from the 1960s until today is reviewed. In particular, the development of detection methods for an ever increasing number of drugs that can be used to dope is described, as are the measures that have been taken to protect the health of the athletes, including those who may need banned substances for medical reasons.
