Facts
The French Cycling Federation (Fédération Française de Cyclisme, FFC) charges respondent M67 for a violation of the Anti-Doping Rules. During a cycling event on June 11, 2006, respondent provided a sample for doping control purposes. Analysis of the sample showed the presence of betamethasone which is a prohibited substance according the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) prohibited list.

History
The respondent had mentioned the use of an ointment to treat clavicle fraction. This ointment contained betamethasone and was the cause the positive test in combination with the bandages he used. The prescription of the physician confirms a treatment for three months. The panel has no scientific proof that the positive test results unmistakenly derive from a thick layer of ointment with betamethasone.

Decision
1. The respondent is acquitted.
2. The decision will be published and sent to the parties involved.

Facts
The French Rugby Federation (Fédération Française de Rugby, FFR) charges respondent M66 or a violation of the Anti-Doping Rules. During a match on December 7, 2005, a sample was taken for doping test purposes. The sample tested positive on stanozolol which is a prohibited substance according to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) prohibited list.

History
The appeal committee of the FFR had sanctioned the respondent with a period of ineligibility of three years. Respondent appealed against this decision and the period on ineligibility was reduced to two years.
Respondent claims to have used foreign supplements which were contaminated with the prohibited substance, he also has contact with other rugby leagues.

Decision
1. The sanction is a period of ineligibility of two years in which respondent can't take part in competition or manifestations organized or authorized by the FFR or other French sport federation.
2. The decision will start on the date of notification.
3. The decision will be published and sent to the parties involved.

Characterization of two major urinary metabolites of the PPARδ-agonist GW1516 and implementation of the drug in routine doping controls / Mario Thevis, Ines Möller, Andreas Thomas, Simon Beuck, Grigory Rodchenkov, Wolfgang Bornatsch, Hans Geyer and Wilhelm Schänzer. (Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 396 (2010)7 (April); p. 2479-2491)

Since January 2009, the list of prohibited substances and methods of doping as established by the World Anti-Doping Agency includes new therapeutics such as the peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-delta agonist GW1516, which is categorized as a gene doping substance. GW1516 has completed phase II and IV clinical trials regarding dyslipidemia and the regulation of the lipoprotein transport in metabolic syndrome conditions; however, its potential to also improve athletic performance due to the upregulation of genes associated with oxidative metabolism and a modified substrate preference that shifted from carbohydrate to lipid consumption has led to a ban of this compound in elite sport. In a recent report, two presumably mono-oxygenated and bisoxygenated urinary metabolites of GW1516 were presented, which could serve as target analytes for doping control purposes after full characterization. Hence, in the present study, phase I metabolism was simulated by in vitro assays employing human liver microsomal fractions yielding the same oxygenation products, followed by chemical synthesis of the assumed structures of the two abundant metabolic reaction products. These allowed the identification and characterization of mono-oxygenated and bisoxygenated metabolites (sulfoxide and sulfone, respectively) as supported by high-resolution/high-accuracy mass spectrometry with higher-energy collision-induced dissociation, tandem mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Since urine samples have been the preferred matrix for doping control purposes, a method to detect the new target GW1516 in sports drug testing samples was developed in accordance to conventional screening procedures based on enzymatic hydrolysis and liquid–liquid extraction followed by liquid chromatography, electrospray ionization, and tandem mass spectrometry. Validation was performed for specificity, limit of detection (0.1 ng/ml), recovery (72%), intraday and interday precisions (7.7–15.1%), and ion suppression/enhancement effects (<10%).

Doping im Behindertensport : Dopingkontrollaktivitäten bei den Paralympischen Spielen 1984–2008 und in Deutschland 1992–2008/ Mario Thevis, Peter Hemmersbach, Hans Geyer, Wilhelm Schänzer. – In: Medizinische Klinik, 12 (2009), vol. 104 (December), p. 918-924

Efforts in anti-doping fight regarding the Paralympic Games can be traced back to 1984, when the first doping controls were carried out, along with the founding of the International Paralympic Committee exactly 20 years (1989) ago which has strengthened the systematic and specific challenges and introduced adapted controls, particularly in the Paralympic Summer Games numerous findings of prohibited substances (essentially anabolic-androgenic steroids, diuretics, corticosteroids, and stimulants) were conducted. Germany systematically conducts doping tests since 1992 in the field of disabled sports, organized by the German Disabled Sports Association and the National Anti-Doping Agency. Here too numerous parallels regarding the doping offenses analysis results and for doping use convicted non-disabled athletes. This work shows the available numbers of inspections carried out at the Paralympic Summer and Winter Games and sports for the disabled in Germany with the specifics of doping controls, the sampling and the special doping measures against the so-called boostings are shown.

Antidoping in paralympic sport / Peter Van de Vliet. - (Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine 22 (2012) 1 (January); p. 21-25)

This study reports in detail on the antidoping program of the Paralympic Movement to improve knowledge and optimize intervention programs, including educational and awareness initiatives. Data retrieved from annual statistics reports and historical records are complemented with personal observations. An overall incidence proportion of <1% of antidoping rule violations in the Paralympic Movement is reported, mainly resulting from urine testing during in-competition periods. This led to a total of 60 antidoping rule violations (of which 37 in the sport of International Paralympic Committee powerlifting) since 2000. A critical analysis of these data allows for an assessment of risk factors by sport. An efficient transfer of knowledge indicates the need to strengthen educational awareness, preferably imbedded in a multidisciplinary approach toward athletes' health. The particular case of autonomic dysreflexia is addressed as a separate theme.

Anti-doping analyses at the Sochi Olympic and Paralympic Games 2014 / Tim Sobolevsky, Grigory Krotov, Marina Dikunets, Maria Nikitina, Elena Mochalova and Grigory Rodchenkov. – In: Drug Testing
and Analysis, (2014), vol. 6 (October 13). - [published online]
DOI: 10.1002/dta.1734

The laboratory anti-doping services during XXII Winter Olympic and XI Paralympic Games in Sochi in 2014 were provided by a satellite laboratory facility. In total, 2134 urine and 479 blood samples were analyzed during Olympic Games (OG), and 403 urine and 108 blood samples-during Paralympic Games (PG). The number of erythropoietin tests requested in urine was 946 and 166 at the OG and PG, respectively. Several adverse analytical findings have been reported including pseudoephedrine, methylhexaneamine, trimetazidine, dehydrochloromethyltestosterone, clostebol, and a designer stimulant N-ethyl-1-phenylbutan-2-amine.

Telmisartan as metabolic modulator: a new perspective in sports doping? / Favian Sanchis-Gomar and Giuseppe Lippi. – In: Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 3 (2012), vol. 26 (March), p. 608-610

The World Antidoping Agency (WADA) has introduced some changes in the 2012 prohibited list. Among the leading innovations to the rules are that both 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-β-D-ribofuranoside (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-δ [PPAR-δ]-5' adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase [AMPK] agonist) and GW1516 (PPAR-δ-agonist) are no longer categorized as gene doping substances in the new 2012 prohibited list but as metabolic modulators in the class "Hormone and metabolic modulators." This may also be valid for the angotensin II receptor blocker telmisartan. It has recently been shown that telmisartan might induce similar biochemical, biological, and metabolic changes (e.g., mitochondrial biogenesis and changes in skeletal muscle fiber type) as those reported for the former call of substances. We suspect that metabolic modulators abuse such as telmisartan might become a tangible threat in sports and should be thereby targeted as an important antidoping issue. The 2012 WADA prohibited list does not provide telmisartan for a potential doping drug, but arguments supporting the consideration to include them among "metabolic modulators" are at hand.

Determination of 13C/12C ratios of endogenous urinary steroids: method validation, reference population and application to doping control purposes / Thomas Piper, Ute Mareck, Hans Geyer, Ulrich Flenker, Mario Thevis, Petra Platen and Wilhelm Schänzer. - (Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 22 (2008) 14 (July); p. 2161-2175)

The application of a comprehensive gas chromatography / combustion / isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC/C/IRMS)-based method for stable carbon isotopes of endogenous urinary steroids is presented. The key element in sample preparation is the consecutive cleanup with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) of underivatized and acetylated steroids, which allows the isolation of ten analytes (11beta-hydroxyandrosterone, 5alpha-androst-16-en-3beta-ol, pregnanediol, androsterone, etiocholanolone, testosterone, epitestosterone, 5alpha-androstane-3alpha,17beta-diol, 5beta-androstane-3alpha,17beta-diol and dehydroepiandrosterone) from a single urine specimen. These steroids are of particular importance to doping controls as they enable the sensitive and retrospective detection of steroid abuse by athletes. Depending on the biological background, the determination limit for all steroids ranges from 5 to 10 ng/mL for a 10 mL specimen. The method is validated by means of linear mixing models for each steroid, which covers repeatability and reproducibility. Specificity was further demonstrated by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for each analyte, and no influence of the sample preparation or the quantity of analyte on carbon isotope ratios was observed. In order to determine naturally occurring (13)C/(12)C ratios of all implemented steroids, a reference population of n = 61 subjects was measured to enable the calculation of reference limits for all relevant steroidal Delta values.

Personal and Psychosocial Predictors of Doping Use in Physical Activity Settings: A Meta-Analysis / Nikos Ntoumanis, Johan Y.Y. Ng, Vassilis Barkoukis, Susan Backhouse. - (Sports Medicine (2014), 20 August)

BACKGROUND:

There is a growing body of empirical evidence on demographic and psychosocial predictors of doping intentions and behaviors utilizing a variety of variables and conceptual models. However, to date there has been no attempt to quantitatively synthesize the available evidence and identify the strongest predictors of doping.

OBJECTIVES:

Using meta-analysis, we aimed to (i) determine effect sizes of psychological (e.g. attitudes) and social-contextual factors (e.g. social norms), and demographic (e.g. sex and age) variables on doping intentions and use; (ii) examine variables that moderate such effect sizes; and (iii) test a path analysis model, using the meta-analyzed effect sizes, based on variables from the theory of planned behavior (TPB).

DATA SOURCES:

Articles were identified from online databases, by contacting experts in the field, and searching the World Anti-Doping Agency website.

STUDY ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA AND PARTICIPANTS:

Studies that measured doping behaviors and/or doping intentions, and at least one other demographic, psychological, or social-contextual variable were included. We identified 63 independent datasets.

STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHOD:

Study information was extracted by using predefined data fields and taking into account study quality indicators. A random effects meta-analysis was carried out, correcting for sampling and measurement error, and identifying moderator variables. Path analysis was conducted on a subset of studies that utilized the TPB.

RESULTS:

Use of legal supplements, perceived social norms, and positive attitudes towards doping were the strongest positive correlates of doping intentions and behaviors. In contrast, morality and self-efficacy to refrain from doping had the strongest negative association with doping intentions and behaviors. Furthermore, path analysis suggested that attitudes, perceived norms, and self-efficacy to refrain from doping predicted intentions to dope and, indirectly, doping behaviors.

LIMITATIONS:

Various meta-analyzed effect sizes were based on a small number of studies, which were correlational in nature. This is a limitation of the extant literature.

CONCLUSIONS:

This review identifies a number of important correlates of doping intention and behavior, many of which were measured via self-reports and were drawn from an extended TPB framework. Future research might benefit from embracing other conceptual models of doping behavior and adopting experimental methodologies that will test some of the identified correlates in an effort to develop targeted anti-doping policies and programs.

Reticulocytes in Sports Medicine: An Update / Giovanni Lombardi, Alessandra Colombini, Patrizia Lanteri, Giuseppe Banfi. – Advances in clinical chemistry 59 (2013) Chapter 5; p. 125–153)

• DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-405211-6.00005-X

Reticulocytes are young red blood cells which develop from erythroblasts and circulate in the bloodstream for about 1-4 days before maturing into erythrocytes. With the introduction of reticulocyte count in equations and statistical models for detecting suspected blood doping, its application to sports medicine has attracted growing interest in reticulocyte behavior during training and competition seasons in athletes and experimental blood doping treatment in healthy volunteers. An update on recent publications is therefore needed to improve the interpretation of reticulocyte analysis and its variability in sportsmen. Reticulocyte count constitutes a robust parameter during the preanalytical phase, but cell stability can be assured only if blood samples are kept at constantly cold temperatures (4 degrees C) and test results will differ depending on the blood analyzer system used. Marked intra individual variability is the principal finding to be evaluated when exercise-induced changes are observed or illicit procedures suspected. Furthermore, reticulocyte variability is greater than that of other hematological parameters such as hemoglobin or hematocrit. Ideally, any variation should be interpreted against long-term time series for the individual athlete: values obtained from large athlete cohorts ought to be used only for extrapolating outliers that deserve further examination. Reticulocyte distribution in athletes is similar to that found in the general population, and a gender effect in some sports disciplines or selected athlete groups may be seen. Reticulocyte variability is strongly influenced by seasonal factors linked to training and competition schedules and by the type of sports discipline. Published experimental data have confirmed the high sensitivity of reticulocyte analysis in identifying abnormal bone marrow stimulation by either erythropoietin administration or blood withdrawal and reinfusion.