Athlete's Challenge

Athlete's
Challenge

Here are links to the best information about Olympic drug testing.

3 Cheers for Italy - Italy Imposes $140K fine for Athletes Who Get
Caught Doping: Click Here

This is the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency: Click Here

This is the World Anti-Doping Agency: Click Here

This is an article from the Vancouver 2010 Olympic web site:
Anti-Doping at VANOC: the Journey to Clean Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games

Vancouver 2010 Anti-Doping Program Mission - be sure to scroll down to the
resources section and the partners sections for great links. Click Here

Take The Athlete's Challenge

It is no secret that Jonathan and Kelly at Miles To Go are big Olympics fans. The Olympics represent an achievement of goal
setting that is unprecedented. This Friday night (2/12/10) the games will open and approximately 2,500 athletes will begin
competition in 15 sports with over 86 separate medal events. Before a single athlete passes over the starting line, they will all have
been extensively warned about the drug testing rules and procedures, the list of banned substances, and had every opportunity to
receive drug and competition awareness education. There will be no excuses or loopholes for athletes to try to beat the testing. 700
volunteers have been trained to conduct the blood and urine tests that can be given at any time from opening of the Olympic
village until the closing ceremonies. The information is clear and concise, and the anti-doping organizations are trying to lead the
way for exemplary planning and execution for future games.

Because we are so committed to the idea of drug-free competition, Miles To Go is kicking off “The Athlete’s Challenge.” Over the
next 10 years (which will include 2010, 2014 & 2018 winter Olympics and the 2012, 2016 and 2020 summer Olympics) Kelly and
Jonathan will ask all athletes, coaches and teams to take “The Athlete’s Challenge” to compete fairly without using drugs. We feel
this pledge should include the promise to avoid all drug abuse, not just those that enhance the ability to compete.

In the coming years, we will invite partners to join us as we encourage athletes to preserve the integrity of their sport and not fall
prey to the temptation to cheat despite the money and endorsements offered to them if they will. Never again do we want to hear
an athlete say that they didn’t know they were given a banned substance; and we implore athletes to protect themselves against
unscrupulous coaches and management by being responsible for everything they put in their bodies.

We will continue to develop our web page called The Athlete’s Challenge over the years by providing information about doping and
drug use among athletes, exposing inappropriate doping in the coaching field, and by giving teachers, advisors, parents, and coaches
information so they can continue this discussion at school.

We wish the best of luck to the competitors from all over the world and expect fair competition to be encouraged in all of our
schools.

Simplifying a Complex Subject

As we look forward to the 2012 London Olympics (7/27/12 - 8/12/12), we will be
watching and reporting on the drug news as we look for the healthy role models
along the way! Scroll down for all articles on this subject.

The following article is a reprint from the Partnership at Drugfree.org - it is a very important issue
for all coaches, fans, players and students.

Act Now & Make Your Voice Be Heard October 12, 2011

Help Hold the NFL and the NFL Players Association to Their Word on Human Growth Hormone Testing

In July, the National Football League (NFL) and the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) approved a new 10-year collective bargaining
agreement that included testing players annually and randomly for Human Growth Hormone (HGH). This groundbreaking agreement would make the NFL
the first professional sports league to test for HGH. The Olympics have been testing for HGH since 2004 and Major League Baseball subjects its minor
league players to this test.

Since the collective bargaining agreement was signed, the players have raised a number of issues about the HGH test and the new testing protocol has
not yet been implemented. Last week, Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA) and Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) requested that NFL Commissioner
Roger Goodell, NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith and Travis Tygart of the United States Anti-Doping Agency meet with them to clarify the
impasse. The Congressmen have said that they seek to "understand the concerns of the players and the league and to strongly convey our universal
interest in protecting the health of millions of younger athletes across the country."

Sending a clear signal that performance-enhancing substances, including HGH, will be not tolerated is an important part of teaching kids about the
dangers of using these substances. And if the test is good enough for the Olympics, it should be good enough for the NFL.

Please take a moment to weigh in with Congress and ask them to keep the heat on the NFL and the NFLPA in their closed-door meeting. Click here to
complete the online comment form.

After you take action, reply to this email to let us know - and please forward this message to your colleagues, friends and family so that their voices can
be heard as well.

Sample Wording for your message:

Dear Chairman Issa and Ranking Member Cummings:

Thank you for your efforts to hold the National Football League (NFL) and the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) to their collective
bargaining agreement regarding a test for Human Growth Hormone (HGH). We sincerely hope that this new testing protocol will be initiated this season
and the NFL will become the first major sports league to test for this substance.

There has been a scientifically valid test for HGH used in the Olympics since 2004. Countless athletes have been subject to this test and scientists have
no doubt that the test is able to distinguish between naturally-occurring HGH and the synthetic variety used in sports doping. There is also a new test on
the horizon which can detect HGH for up to three weeks after use and could be approved by the World Anti-Doping Agency soon. This new protocol has
been closely scrutinized and is the subject of more than 30 peer-reviewed scientific articles.

Having a valid HGH test in effect in the NFL will protect the integrity of the game and, more importantly, will send an important message to young fans.
Football players, like all professional athletes, are role models and their use of performance enhancing substances, including HGH, sends the wrong
message.

We applaud you for your bipartisan efforts to meet with the NFL and the NFLPA to move them past their current impasse and see that they begin testing
for HGH as they agreed to do.

This very important article was printed online in the Science Daily seen below for reports and research.

Web address: Click here

Biker's Warning! EPO Hits Blood Vessels to Raise Blood Pressure in the Brain

ScienceDaily (Dec. 9, 2011) — Erythropoietin or EPO might be considered a "performance enhancing" substance for athletes, but new
research published online in The FASEB Journal shows that these enhancements come at a high cost--increased risk of vascular
problems in the brain. According to the study, short- or long-term use of EPO raises blood pressure by constricting arteries, which
reduces the flow of blood to the brain. This finding also contradicts earlier evidence suggesting that EPO may be a viable early
treatment for stroke victims.

"The new findings of this study urge to scrutinize present indications for EPO, and so help to better delineate positive versus adversary
health effects of EPO for each patient," said Peter Rasmussen, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work from the Zurich Center for
Integrative Human Physiology at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. "Future research should aim at developing an EPO-based agent
for treatment that does not have a negative effect on the blood vessels of the brain."

To make this discovery, Rasmussen and colleagues evaluated the effects of acute high doses of EPO for three days and chronic low
doses of EPO for 13 weeks in two groups of healthy males. Responsiveness of brain vessels during rest and during bike-riding exercise,
with and without hypoxia, was examined. Blood vessels were also analyzed using ultrasound measurements and by measuring how much
oxygen reached the brain. They found that prolonged EPO administration increased hematocrit, while acute administration did not. They
also found that both groups had increases in blood vessel constriction and higher blood pressure.

"EPO is used by doctors to increase red blood cells in sick people who can't make enough of them: it's called honest medicine. When
EPO is used by healthy bikers and runners to boost their performance, it's called cheating. Now we know that folks who use EPO covertly
are cheating not only the time-clock, but themselves," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "Not only is
EPO likely unsafe in healthy athletes, but there are many other ways to build up stamina without drugs."

Story Source:
The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Journal Reference:

P. Rasmussen, Y.-S. Kim, R. Krogh-Madsen, C. Lundby, N. V. Olsen, N. H. Secher, J. J. van Lieshout. Both acute and prolonged administration of EPO reduce cerebral and systemic vascular conductance
in humans. The FASEB Journal, 2011; DOI: 10.1096/fj.11-193508
Need to cite this story in your essay, paper, or report? Use one of the following formats:
APA
MLA
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (2011, December 9). Biker's warning! EPO hits blood vessels to raise blood pressure in the brain. ScienceDaily. Retrieved December 12, 2011,
from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2011/12/111209171938.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%
3A+Latest+Science+News%29
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Association of Surfing Professionals
http://www.aspworldtour.com/2012/01/15/asp-international-initiates-anti-doping-policy-at-elite-level-of-competition/

ASP International Initiates Anti-Doping Policy at Elite Level of Competition [ 24 ] January 15, 2012 | ASP International

The new ASP Anti-Doping Policy is activated for the 2012 season.

COOLANGATTA, Queensland/AUS (Monday, January 16, 2012) – ASP International has initiated a new Anti-Doping Policy for the world’s best
surfers which will be activated for 2012 ASP World Title season.

“This policy represents a consensus between our surfers, events and administrators in evolving the sport of surfing to a more professional level,”
Richard Grellman, ASP Executive Chairman, said. “The desire to initiate this kind of policy has existed within ASP for several years now and with
the approval of resource and budget allocation at the November 2011 Board Meeting, we are pleased to announce its activation. We believe
this to be an important further step in enhancing professional surfing.”

The new ASP Anti-Doping Policy will apply to ASP Top 34 and ASP Top 17 members competing on the ASP World Title Series and ASP Women’s
World Title Series respectively. ASP surfers played a crucial role in the initiation of this policy and are in full support of its activation.
“The men strongly support the implementation of the ASP Anti-Doping policy,” Kieren Perrow, ASP Top 34 competitor and surfers’
representative, said. “It is a positive step which enhances the professionalism of competitive surfing and sends a great message to the kids out
there who look up to us as role models.”

The ASP Anti-Doping Policy involves standards prescribed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code and Prohibited List with any
testing performed implemented at International Standards.

“As the sport of surfing continues to grow its audience every year, so grow the responsibilities of our athletes,” Jessi Miley-Dyer, surfers’
representative and newly-appointed ASP Women’s World Tour Manager, said. “The activation of the ASP’s Anti-Doping Policy is a logical step
in the organization’s continued pursuit of professionalism and has the full support of the women.”
The new ASP Anti-Doping Policy can be viewed in full at aspworldtour.com/pdf/aspantidopingpolicy.pdf
The first stop of the 2012 ASP World Title Series will be the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast from February 25 to March 7, 2012.

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

Just as the U.S. Attorney’s office closed the case on a 2 year investigation of
Lance Armstrong’s doping accusation, Alberto Contador loses his Tour de France title.
We want the doping scandals to end!

The following story appeared in USA Today Sports on 2/6/12:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/cycling/story/2012-02-05/alberto-conatdor-race-verdict/52974030/1

The following story appeared in the LA Times on 2/3/12:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/02/us-attorney-closes-investigation-into-lance-armstrong-and-
others.html