Visnovsky reprimanded by IOC for breaking anti-doping rules

[doniceage]

The International Olympic Committee has issued a reprimand against lovakian defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky for breaking anti-doping rules, the Canadian Press is reporting.

Tests revealed Visnovsky took too much cold medicine with the ingredient pseudoephedrine in the days before the bronze medal game against Finland.

According to the rules, the drug can be used as a performance enhancer.

The IOC said Visnovsky had informed doping control officers he was taking the medication to combat flu-like symptoms and he had done so in consultation with his doctor.

http://www.thehockeynews.com/article...daily_20100301

[CSSports]

from cold medicine?....maybe the doping rules are getting out of hand......

[30ranfordfan]

I think a lot of the stuff banned by the IOC is a result of it having a "masking" effect on more serious drugs.

Now, I don't know the specifics of this stuff that Lubo was using, but I can think of a couple instances:

Jose Theodore tested positive before the 98 Olympics for a hair restoration drug. It was banned becuase it could be used as a masking agent, to hide certain types of steroids.

Silken Laumann, a Canadian rower..... I remember her being booted from the games in the 90s (don't remember which year.... Summer Olympics though) because of some cold medicine she was using. It has small amounts of some banned substance.


Plus there is the fact that a lot of cold medicines are used by hockey players for an energy boost / better breathing when they play. I pop sudafed before most games for that exact reason.

If you recall a few years ago..... Dick Pound (head of the IOC anti-Doping agency) claimed that three quarters of the NHL players were using "performance enhancing drugs". Well cold medicines like this one...... probably make his numbers pretty acurate.