OCEANIA Regional Anti-Doping Organisation (ORADO) has advised Oceania athletes ahead of the Pacific Games against taking supplements as there is no guarantee that it does not contain a banned substance.
In an interview executive officer Natanya Potoi-Ulia said some athletes had resorted to taking supplements as a substitute to eating real food and that manufacturers of these products do not entirely list the substances used to produce them in labels.
“The other thing is for them to know that when it comes to supplements, it’s not like medication. Pharmaceutical companies are actually regulated so they have strict rules in regards to how they produce or process anything with regards to the medication whereas for supplements there is no strict regulation that applies to them,” she said.
She added that it was important for all athletes to be aware of the strict liability principle that indicates that they are held liable for whatever they put into their body.
“The bottom line is the strict liability principle because they could say- I didn’t put it there or I didn’t know it was there but it all boils down to the athletes and the decision that they make,” she said.
Her sentiments come after a recent study published in the UK indicated out of 24 dietary supplements taken by bodybuilding athletes, 23 contained anabolic steroids, a performance enhancing drug included in the World Anti-doping Agency’s prohibited list.
In 2001 a study funded by the International Olympic Committee stated that out of 634 supplements tested, 14.8 per cent consisted of a banned substance not included in any label would have led to a positive doping test.
She added that ORADO along with national anti-doping agencies around the region were trying their best to avoid athletes from inadvertent doping.
“The question is do you really need the supplement? What is something that you cannot find in food that you need the supplement for, because of most of the nutrients that you need for your performance is found in food,” she said.
Potoi-Ulia said it was best that athletes consulted dietitians or nutritionists with reference to their dietry needs instead of tasking the shortcut and risk testing positive for a prohibited drug.
* Pacific Games coverage courtesy of BSP
