Wada

[stotty]

Russian hackers have broken into the confidential medical files of the 2016 Olympic athletes. Naturally the hackers knew exactly which athletes to target. The Williams sisters were the very first off the bat along with the gymnast Simone Biles. A host of others will soon follow.

WADA insists all the athletes targeted are clean and used drugs only for "Therapeutic Use Exemptions" (TUEs). But the hackers claim the system is being exploited by some athletes and that TUEs should not be allowed because they can clearly be used as window for athletes to performance-build.

Many feel, given the mistrust the public has in sport, it's time to make all TUEs public, and that the private medical records of athletes should be fully revealed.

I am of the view TUEs should be banned and that athletes should be left to recover from ailments naturally. With chronic, ongoing medical conditions that require steroids this decision is harsh I know, but it's tough to see a way round it.

When you look at the hacked list and what some athletes are taking medications for it does make you wonder. Is WADA corrupt? Is WADA pro some athletes or countries?

Tennis has been tainted with drugs in recent times, and TUEs have been known to be used by some of our sport's most elite.

Stotty

[johnyandell]

What drugs were taken if you know. Not sure steriods could ever be called therapeutic--just a personal opinion.

[stotty]

So far it has been determined that Serena Williams used oxycodone, hydromorphone, prednisone and methylprednisolone. Venus Williams has used prednisone, prednisolone and triamcinolone. I have no idea about these drugs and what they do, or if they can be used to performance-enhance a tennis player. No other TUE drugs they used have been divulged as yet as far as I know.

I did find it interesting that the hackers went straight for the Williams sisters. I find it interesting that they didn't make a beeline for Nadal who has frequently used TUEs in the past. Seems he must be completely clean of TUEs these days. They would have gone for him if he had a suspect file.

Being Russian, the hackers are likely keen to expose Yanks wherever they can.

The Williams sisters are clearly not guilty as far as WADA and the relevant governing bodies are concerned. The question mark is over the TUEs policy itself. At least this is the way it is seen over the pond.

Stotty

[johnyandell]

Very informative!

[faultsnaces]

I very much agree that TUEs should be eliminated: if you need banned drugs, then don't play until you are well enough to play clean. Doesn't really seem too extreme, especially in the case of drugs which have large performance benefits and wide-ranging uses (e.g.: steroids, namely prednisone and friends).

It seems absurd to grant these exemptions in secrecy: at the minimum, require full public disclosure of the drug exemption(s), the condition requiring the exemption(s), and the dosages prescribed. No reason for medical records to be private when one is looking for exemptions to these rules. Pro athletes on US teams don't get to hide behind HIPPA privacy (c.f.: Matt Harvey's slightly embarrassing urinary tract issues), and there's no reason for individual athletes to hide, either.

Lastly, particularly wrt Olympic sport, seems any records by athletes competing under TUEs should be asterisked, with full details in the record footnotes.

It's kind of sad that it seems the lesser funded athletes are left to cheat the drug rules by sneaking around and avoiding detection, while the megabuck athletes get the benefit of legalized 'cheating' with compliant doctors and a team of lawyers.

As a specific side note, what on earth would be a legit use of oxycodone?! Every time I've taken that crap, I'm a useless turd for 12 hours or so - I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn with a tennis ball, I'd be lucky to find the ball with the racket! But as a "get to sleep after a painful match" aid, probably a miracle drug.....

[faultsnaces]

What drugs were taken if you know. Not sure steriods could ever be called therapeutic--just a personal opinion.

Steroids are a standard treatment for Venus' Sjogren's Syndrome condition. Of course, the benefit(s) of the steroids are not limited to treating the specific condition they are prescribed for, which is the very heart of the problem of admitting TUEs, IMHO.

What condition / aliment does Serena have that require steroids as a treatment? That question raises the issue of just what medical justification and documentation has been provided to justify a TUE: is it really a legitimate condition, or just a compliant doctor? The broader public has a major problem with overly compliant doctors handing out opioid prescriptions (e.g.: oxy and friends) like candy, so it's completely reasonable to expect that this is similarly a problem in sport, where large amounts of money can follow from abusing medical justifications for drugs.

[johnyandell]

One question is timing. Can you continue to take steroids while you play with a doctor's note?

[faultsnaces]

One question is timing. Can you continue to take steroids while you play with a doctor's note?

Yes, the TUE permits an ongoing exemption; essentially, the TUE permits the drug to be detected without resulting in a ban. So, the athlete may have taken the drug before or during competition.

[stotty]

I very much agree that TUEs should be eliminated: if you need banned drugs, then don't play until you are well enough to play clean. Doesn't really seem too extreme, especially in the case of drugs which have large performance benefits and wide-ranging uses (e.g.: steroids, namely prednisone and friends).

It seems absurd to grant these exemptions in secrecy: at the minimum, require full public disclosure of the drug exemption(s), the condition requiring the exemption(s), and the dosages prescribed. No reason for medical records to be private when one is looking for exemptions to these rules. Pro athletes on US teams don't get to hide behind HIPPA privacy (c.f.: Matt Harvey's slightly embarrassing urinary tract issues), and there's no reason for individual athletes to hide, either.

Sure, there is no question athletes shouldn't use TUEs if an injury can heal naturally. I would ban TUEs precisely for the reasons you suggested; doctors being as vulnerable to corruption as anyone else.

And how much must that Spanish judge have been paid who ordered those 200 blood bags to be destroyed some years ago? What kind of a judge destroys evidence?

I would be against athletes being publicly humiliated unnecessarily. Private conditions can remain private if they don't relate to performance enhancement.

Stotty

[stotty]

I was put on a course of steroids recently and the difference they make in a very short space of time is quite remarkable. Steroids are a miracle drug in so many ways. What I didn't realise is how quick they work. In literally 24 hours you are jumping around like a youngster again.

Has anyone experienced steroids on the forum? Mine were prescribed for an internal inflammation. I felt better in no time. All my physical stiffness and aches disappeared literally overnight. Steroids are incredibly powerful.

Stotty

[bottle]

Yah, when I had walking pneumonia a few years ahead of Hillary. A quick lift but they make you yumpy too.

[stotty]

I was put on steroids for sometime and aithough they do work the side affects are awful,so best to use for a short period of time.They are so strong it takes 6 months to clear your system once you stop taking them.side affects are weight gaine and sometimes depression even.
I would only recommend them if there was no other option availble.