Frederick Bousquet is quietly serving a 2-month ban for a vasodilator medication found within an over the counter ointment.What is a vasodilator? Vasodilators are medications that widen blood vessels and also help those suffering from extremely low blood pressure. Amusing enough, Vitamin B-3, or niacin is a vasodilator. You can find B-3 in a whole grain health cereal or more abundantly in Flintstones Vitamins. Take enough B-3/Niacin and you will turn bright red and feel a major heat flush that is probably more saturated in color than a bad sunburn. B-3 also lowers cholesterol!
The vasodilator, Bousquet, tested positive for was in a ointment. The drug is called heptaminol and though recently added to the banned substance list, this two-month is suspension is both irrational and extraordinarily invasive. Consequently, Frederick Bousquet's privacy has been invaded, and his reputation sullied by a drug that that is not even an effective performance enhancing drug in the manner that it was taken. It is also the last drug a sprinter would want to take
When taken orally, The drug is used to assist bed-ridden patients stand up without fainting so as to assist in getting the patient mobile again. It accomplishes this by raising the patient's blood pressure. Now, is that something a sprinter wants to do, elevate their blood pressure before a heart wrenching sprint that can or will elevate a heart rate to over 200-beats a minute? Fast answer: No!
In my opinion the suspension should be lifted, he should get an apology and any lost pay credited back to his account. This suspension is summarily slanderous.
9 comments:
Why so surprised? Phelps gets 3 months because he took a substance that's exact opposite of performance enhancing drug, during period when he wasn't even competing - talking about invaded privacy.
Athletes like Bosquet know what is and what is not on banned substances list and they know that, ultimately, they are responsible for ensuring they do not ingest or otherwise use those substances, accidental or not. Those are the rules.
Further, professional athletes also know that their privacy rights are curtailed in that they - unlike most of the rest of the population - are subject to random, privacy invading, drug tests. It is a condition of their employment.
This infringement on an athlete's privacy rights has been challenged in court (I think an NCAA diver tried to fight random drug testing, based on their US Constitutional Right to privacy.) and they have lost. In law, it is the principle of "greater good." There is a "greater good" to be had ensuring that the playing field is level and drug free than there is in upholding the participant's privacy rights.
Lastly, a 2 month suspension in the off-season is no big thing. Certainly no scandal. He's not allowed to compete, likely in that part of his training schedule when he wasn't going to compete anyway.
There is a whole other debate, though, over whether or not drug testing in sport is even remotely effective. I would argue that it is not. Athletes get suspensions for accidental positives because unlisted additives in supplements (a la Jessica Hardy), while dopers with money and access to good doctors beat the system.
What Jessica Hardy tested positive for was a drug that could improve lung function.
The drug Bousquet tested for was hardly a PED when considering the dangerous side effects for a sprinter. Higher blood pressure by stressing the heart.
Did you know that Vicks Vapor nose thingy has meth in it and is a banned over the counter product for athletes but the ingredient is not listed?
I wrote the company about it and did a blog post about it. I got no response.
Here is the link about Vicks: http://scaq.blogspot.com/2008/05/swimming-world-article-andrew-bree-gets.html
Perhaps this happened to Bousquet?
Read the following about Heptaminol's performance enhancing effects. Although in animals I would not put it against anyone to try it in world class sports. Guilty as charged!
From: http://www.ausrichter.com/files/products/kynoselen/brochure.pdf
Heptaminol hydrochloride
– Increases cardiac output to meet increased demand during
and following exercise and training.
Note: Heptaminol hydrochloride is a prohibited substance under the
rules of racing and competition. A withholding time is needed following
the last treatment and before presentation of a horse for racing or an
event. Consult a veterinarian, racing steward or event official as to the
withholding time.
From: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1908234/
Heptaminol stopped or delayed the progressive decline in tension which characterizes the phenomenon of fatigue in frog isolated twitch muscle fibre
Wow, Heptaminol hydrochloride, isn't that different from Heptaminol which is an alcohol?
That is so sick. I don't want any of that stuff in me
Read the following about the performance enhancing effects of hetaminol. Although in animals I would not put it pass a world class athlete to try and get an edge. Guilty as charged!
From: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1908234/
1. Heptaminol stopped or delayed the progressive decline in tension which characterizes the phenomenon of fatigue in frog isolated twitch muscle fibre.
From: http://www.ausrichter.com/files/products/kynoselen/brochure.pdf
Heptaminol hydrochloride
– Increases cardiac output to meet increased demand during
and following exercise and training.
Note: Heptaminol hydrochloride is a prohibited substance under the
rules of racing and competition. A withholding time is needed following
the last treatment and before presentation of a horse for racing or an
event. Consult a veterinarian, racing steward or event official as to the
withholding time.
I agree with jman. (I'm cynical enough. Not saying I know for sure either way, though.)
Read up on Rick DeMont. He lost an Olympic medal because of a positive test back in an era when a swimmer had little reason to know about the possibility of failing a drug test.
With that history and the current testing regimen, I would expect swimmers to be incredibly cautious about what they ingest. I know that, you know that, and most people who follow sports casually know that. I have to expect that swimmers like Jessica Hardy and Bosquet know that as well. Having said that, I don't know if they were being reckless, unlucky, sloppy or poorly informed.
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