Doping: Frequently Asked Questions

Let’s talk about the reasons for the Russian athletes use doping. Let’s pay attention to the fact that apart from the question of big money, ill-conceived system of payment, coaching careerism and peculiarities of national sport organizations, because of which the athlete feels socially vulnerable, there are political and technological aspects of the fight against doping.

In the past two years, Russian sport got some very painful blow to the reputation. Because of problems with doping disqualification earned just seven athletes, five masters of sports walking, representatives of the Russian national team in rowing, cross-country skiers and a number of other sports. Right now, unfolding several doping thrillers with the participation of our athletes. No matter what the advocates of a balanced approach, it's a lot. And it is unpleasant.

Is there an international anti-Russian Anti-Doping lobby?

It does not exist. But there is a so-called target testing, when the anti-doping service check not everyone, but those should be checked. Targeted measures are always more effective as motives can be very different: bad sport, any suspicious information, medical assumption banal "delation." For a number of features revealed on whom and what to set the trap. The message is this: it would be necessary to check. And check.

If in any country more and more cases of doping, concealment of positive samples seized from a drug - testing officers at the customs (in Russia, such measures are motivated by the struggle for biosafety) - WADA and the International Federation shall have the right guard. And run the program an additional external control. The international community, in fact, helps to ensure that a country the normal anti-doping control. Of course, it is better not to bring the matter to this offensive situation.

Whether Russia is currently subject to the application of special programs?

In individual sports to Russia special attention, there's no escape, themselves asked for. In biathlon, athletics, racing, swimming, rowing - in the first place. Here we check out a bit more than the others. However, not much. For example, last year the Russians target testing in athletics was about 180 samples of Americans - about 140 Chinese - 130. The figures are quite comparable, despite the high-profile cases of our women's track and field Seven, five walkers and so on.

Russia does not consider doping empire of evil. It is important nevertheless not to test the patience of others endlessly. Disturbances in the same sports, the inability to restore order, harm the mutual understanding. We are beginning to appear in its constancy of doping or narrow-minded, or arrogant people.

Could WADA become a tool of political pressure on Russia?

Excluded. Interests included in WADA organizations and individual officials are too scattered to organize revenge to someone and even more so to fulfill someone's order. Norwegians, Americans, British, Swedish and so on, in principle, are not able to agree, and in all sports to present a united formation against Russia. Unless we do them it does not provoke.

How often, in comparison with foreign athletes Russians caught for doping?

The percentage - not more, than most other major sports powers. However, the opinion of us a little bit worse than the other. This is due to our own attitude to this problem. Every poll shows that in Russia, the guilty athletes are heroes, to resist the onslaught of officials, coaches, doctors and other dark forces.

In order to change the situation, the WADA and RUSADA engaged in special educational programs, through which the population should be developed zero tolerance - zero tolerance for doping. It is to work with the athletes themselves, to information which is necessary to bring the simple idea that if they are caught, they are one hand not filed because of doping - is a fraud, fraud and crime. The desired orientation of the public opinion is very important in the fight against doping. In Russia, it is not: the press instead of a sober assessment of the situation artificially inflates the scandals in society rooted sympathy for the erring idols, disqualification is considered the universal injustice. (Meldonium scandal for example).

Who has the right to inspect Russian athletes for doping?

His and others' - RUSADA and international federations. It does it and WADA, but very rarely. For samples from abroad come specially trained people - doping - officers who may be in the most unexpected places. Several countries - such as France - have banned the free circulation on the territory of foreign doping - emissaries. In return, the French offered the services of approximately 600 of its own staff and volunteer collector doping samples. They went to meet him, since there are long-term and effective anti-doping programs.

In Russia, the sampling involved 20 - 25 people. All of them are our countrymen.

What percentage of the sample is positive, on average?

The French caught on doping 4-5 percent tested, the Russians, the Americans and the Chinese - about one and a half percent.

The high percentage of positive samples indicates a quality control or large of doping usagenational sport?

If you take 100 samples in the ballroom dance clubs and the adjacent basement where trained bodybuilders, the results will be, to put it mildly, do not coincide. In other words, everything depends on the control principles that guide national doping - service. The French, for example, prefer to control the problem areas: cycling, bodybuilding, etc. Other countries focused on checks, traveling teams abroad, so they understand the concern for national prestige. Still others try to cover something, and more. As a result, statistics of results not saying much. "Hunters" do not work better or worse in different countries - they work differently.

What are the "power" for the fight against doping exist in Russia?

We have something to catch - advanced laboratory works in Moscow. It employs around 40 well trained qualified staff.The laboratory equipment is able to determine samples in 10-billionths of a milligram - a very high figure. In its arsenal of instruments it has cost nearly a million dollars. Laboratory makes spectrometric, biochemical, isotopic studies and other types of modern anti-doping tests. Among other things, we easily determine the notorious EPO.

How RUSADA decides to control someone?

The National Agency is responsible for the sampling, monitoring of schedules, guided by a variety of considerations. For example, RUSADA entitled to consider that in any sport, there are special problems. Or that the first part of any national team checked regularly, but reservists dropped out of sight. Or pay attention to the wards of a single coach.

It would seem that with such a system RUSADA may intentionally provide headache any kind of sport. However, it is not. In the fight against doping exists a system of checks and balances - at least because a special unit responsible for doping control exists in the bowels of the Ministry of Sport. What an unnecessary bend immediately cause a reaction, until the scandal. This model is a kind of democracy in which the action plan is born at the crossroads of the interests of mutually independent structures. Relations between them are sometimes strained, which is also a testament to and a consequence of their independence. Instead, mutual responsibility - cooperation, sometimes without hassle.

Curiously, RUSADA the nature of their primary activity is not subject to anyone, although financed by the Ministry of Sports. Procedural dependence certainly exists, but it does not come out in the direct instructions. In turn, the world-wide agency also can not dictate who and how to check in Russia.

What is WADA in a structural sense?

It is not a secret Masonic lodge, but rather a transparent organization with a small number of employees and a budget. WADA The powers not stagger the imagination: no right to interfere in the activities of anti-doping services of individual countries, it does not matter. In fact, the World Anti-Doping Agency - is a group of technical experts, which sets out the general rules of the game - and only.

Each country has its own anti-doping service that the form may differ significantly from similar foreign organizations. At the same time there is a certain set of principles which need to comply with all participants in the process. It is called the WADA Code. The principles themselves may be rigid and not very much. For example, the list of prohibited items and terms of disqualification are the same for everyone. Much more can creatively vary.

WADA was founded in 1999. In 2007, the agency headed by an Australian lawyer John Fahey. Prior to that, the rules of the organization, its founder, the charismatic Canadian Dick Pound. That Pound insisted that WADA is headquartered in Montreal. Question transport it to Europe rises now quite common, since most of the countries contributing annually to the WADA budget, the maximum contribution - 500 thousand euros (including Russia), located in the Old World.

Budget WADA does not exceed several tens of millions of dollars. It is composed of the aforementioned contributions and IOC money. These funds WADA manages not only to maintain control, but also to fund research. For example, the development of methods of detection of growth hormone, which is for the sport a real headache. Underway as to pre-empt the work of doping manufacturers, as was the case with the preparation SERA issued by the Swiss pharmaceutical company. When he came to the market at the WADA has been the method of identification that was an unpleasant surprise for the Italians Riccardo Ricco and a group of other riders caught in the "Tour de France". Even before the release of the drug was evident that SERA go into the sport, and WADA had time to prepare. Nowadays it is Mildronate, which was banned in 2016.

In many cases, the development of drugs that can theoretically be doping, and methods for their detection is parallel courses. Pharmacology develop drugs and the WADA, knowing that a potential doping, taking preventive measures.

WADA The device has no more than 40 people. Collectors of doping - in the number of samples not included. In the world there are two independent firms whose people professionally engaged in the collection of samples on a global scale, - IDTM and ADC. Both are certified, that they make orders International Federations and WADA. Agents collect samples in the field and their deliver by the laboratories, which will point customers.

A very large part of WADA activities comprise educational programs. They think: to catch athletes - a little more important to convince them and educate.

Are there differences in the specialization of laboratories?

The differences are very small. For example, when it comes to the EPO, Phenotropil or Mildronate in the first place remember the French laboratory of Châtenay-Malabry and Lausanne. This trendsetter, their opinion is authoritative. But this does not mean that the EPO would not be caught in any other accredited laboratory. Must be, and with an equally high probability.

Can a national sports leadership to independently verify the athletes and not to wash dirty linen in public?

This has been a couple of decades ago. In the US, private check turned to hide the fact of positive samples before leaving athletes abroad. In the end, a member of the American NOC on behalf of Wayne Ekzum offended by something or someone told the truth in print. Terrible scandal broke out, it came to the Senate hearings. It was and we have something similar. Athletes controlled simply to be aware of and, if necessary, to avoid bad publicity. Unlike the Americans, before the scandal case we did not make it.

Today, this is almost impossible. RUSADA encrypts and sends the sample to the laboratory, and that, before sending back results inform about it the WADA, absolutely not knowing who this sample belongs. In case of a positive analysis of the information will be in a central database in Montreal. The opportunity for fraud, bribery or telephone law is virtually absent. In addition, the chain is too small intermediaries, in the case of the slightest inconsistencies suspicion will fall on the one who is really to blame.

Fraud is extremely difficult even in such closed countries such as China, built since WADA system is simple and transparent. By the way, there are cases where the Chinese are chafing at 40 - 50 "dirty" athletes almost from the aircraft just before sending it to the competition, although their interest in the political system of concealing scandals should be, logically, it is quite large. In China, already understand: the prestige of the country is ensured not by how carefully hidden positive samples, but by how carefully these cases are being investigated.

Often if there is an attempt to fool the anti-doping service?

In the fight against doping happen any tricks. Hungarian throwers at the Olympics in Athens five years ago, developed an incredible device. The rectum was inserted into a container of urine, it was deduced from the disguised tube with a button. At the right time of the surrender of the person imitated sample, I pressed the button, and the test tube was flowing "clean" urine pre-prepared. All this horror, however, came to light: a hellish design caught discus thrower Robert Fazekas. Blacksmith striker Adrian Annush swiftly left the sport and refused all tests, although there were very strong reasons and accused of a similar trick. Naturally, all this cost the Hungarians selected with a terrible shame Olympic gold medals.

In some cases, experts say, trainers and doctors have refrigerators with a "clean" urine conserved active athletes in the event of DNA analyzes. This procured for substitution. People do not want to be caught in the mismatch of the molecular code. In this scam, oddly enough, has its advantages: if the infringers think about how not to get caught sooner or later they will come to the fact that it is better not to break.

That is how it is to this most sports officials. Few of them around the world, including Russia, has now made a choice in favor of "chemical" gold compared to "clean" the fourth or fifth place. Because then all that can be hurt, ashamed and insecure career.

And that in such a situation, choose the athletes?

Several years ago, the Americans interviewed more than five hundred professional athletes. They were asked to answer the question: if you are given medicine to help win the Olympic Games, but in five years you will die, take him?

More than half of respondents said they are willing to take such a drug. And it proves once again: Sport - the element of desperate and sometimes irrational people that must be control by the anti-doping services and dense educational work.

Irina Korzhanenko, was caught on doping in Athens without a medal taken away because they are afraid of her revelations?

Medal Korzhanenko long ago turned into an ordinary piece of metal. This "gold" is located at the Cuban Kumba, shown in ancient Olympia, the second result. The international sports community in this case chose not to make trouble, and just spit and forget.

Why in November our biathletes tested Moscow laboratory, were "clean" and "dirty" were announced in December of samples taken in the Swedish Ostersund?

It often happens that athletes simply do not expect is competitive control. Check inside the country, left, relaxed. And we got a surprise. But there is another important factor.

In many sports, there is the so-called hematological passport athlete. Several times a year, the athlete takes the blood and analyzed on a special machine, which draws an individual schedule. It does not indicate a dope, but to determine whether to do with the blood of anything at all in this period. The graph crawl "tails" and uncharacteristic changes. If they are, there is a suspicion. Control is enhanced.

From the body of EPO it takes out in two days, but its effect on the blood is noticeable for weeks, which inevitably gives rise to questions. Sometimes to the point where concrete that is almost clear that a person has been and where it is more convenient to catch.

In any case, it is necessary to wait for the official decision of the Russian Biathlon Union. Prior to its adoption of the athletes will be considered not guilty, and is temporarily excluded. This is absolutely normal practice, because history has known many cases where the results of thorough investigations surfaced most unexpected details, including related laboratory results.

Is it possible to completely hide the use of performance-enhancing drugs?

Theoretically - yes. There are drugs that allow conceal traces of the EPO, Mildronate and Phenotropil. That's just they themselves also leave traces that are now considered to be doping. Such funds do not help to win, but are masking illegal pharmacology and therefore strictly prohibited.

Is there an underground drug industry?

The situation is so serious that the fight against doping industry - the production and transportation of black Pharmacology - engaged Interpol signed an agreement with WADA.

Several years ago, Federal Drug Control Service discovered and defeated near Moscow, the illegal production of doping. At the end of last year in the Urals were criminal cases against several distributors of anabolic steroids. Customs officials are constantly monitoring the way of delivery of doping from China.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has covered 65 clandestine laboratories for the production of banned substances last year. And there are sure that this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Does the Chinese EPO differ from European or American?

It differs only by price. The risk of getting caught on and the other the same as "efficiency". Generally Chinese EPO becomes a problem for Europe. In Portugal, there is a firm, flooded the Old World Chinese smuggling cheap erythropoietin. Naturally, he has great demand, and to localize the channel of delivery is not possible.

Can it be said that modern high-tech doping ceased to be harmful to health?

No way - must pay for everything. Especially for the artificially high threshold of human capabilities. Sport - a permanent regime on the verge of self-torture, concentration and the highest returns. If a person trains at half strength and achieves results using performance-enhancing drugs, he is deceiving not only the judges or the audience as their own body, not ready for such feats. Along the way, the belief in an injection and a tablet are displaced passion and courage, which automatically reduces the responsibility disaccustoms endure.

Besides chemical sport destroys selection. Top start to break through is not the best, and more prick. At the same time degrade coaching staff, which is easier pharmacologically nurture talents than to find them and to educate.

Why our sports officials do not resign after the doping scandals in their sports?

If a person does not feel guilty, and he was again elected, why should he leave, losing the bread and butter?

The direct relationship between the doping scandals and the official position of heads of federations, is a public organization, not in Russia. This is due primarily to the characteristics of the financing of Russian sport. If the Federation is sponsoring a state, even if the scandal is not going anywhere, and will continue to give money.

But private sponsors of such a federation would inevitably turn their backs as they scattered shied away from Finns skiers in 2001, or from the "Tour de France" in the past year. And then the official will certainly feel the dissatisfaction of colleagues and subordinates. In the meantime, the material depending on the purity of its sport at the head of the federation by and large do not have a vested in the fight against doping official has no interest.

Why Olga Pyleva was not informed before the Turin 2006 about her positive test for carphedon, non-doping Out-and waiting for the start of the Olympic tournament, once again we found the same drugand disqualified?

The official version of the IBU President Anders Besseberg - were lost documents deciphered codes confirming that Carphedon detected just at Dust. The case was not considered doping, therefore a sample supposedly treated insufficiently responsibly. Of course, a purely human one of the IBU could find an athlete before the Games and inform her about the possible problems with Carphedon, but formally nobody was obliged to do so. But when the analysis gave the same result after the start of the competition, Pyleva drunk a bitter cup to the dregs.