Abstract

Studies have shown that the use of several categories of medication differs from sport to sport. Regarding the percentage of inhaled ß-agonist notifications during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games for instance, 20% of the triathlon athletes and cyclists declared the use of an inhaled ß-agonist. Similar results were observed in endurance sports, e.g. cross country skiing, during the Nagano 1998 Olympic Winter Games. The emphasis on declared use of ß-agonists in endurance sports was also noticed in Finnish athletes. Also interesting was the higher percentage of inhaled corticosteroids in endurance sports compared to sports requiring motor skills. Besides differences between sports, it also appears that the medication use can change over time. For instance, the percentage of analgesics declared on doping control forms by Turkish soccer players increased from 25.3 % to 34.5 % over a period of 3 years. Following these observations this study aimed at the evaluation of the declared use of medication on the doping control forms of samples analysed in the Ghent Doping Control Laboratory between 2002 and 2005. The declared use of medication in sports is depending on the tested sport and probably on the level of the tested athletes. NSAIDs are most frequently reported on the forms of the NADOs with a high prevalence in ball sports. ß-agonists and corticosteroids in particular are excessively used in cycling with percentages up to 36.5 % in samples originating from the UCI. If these trends keep on rising in the future, the TUE System and the WADA reporting level of 30 ng/ml need to be revised. Aus dem Text (geändert)