Tyler's blood test: feto-maternal haemorrhage

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...5E2722,00.html

Sydney test hauls in its first victim
Jenny McAsey
September 23, 2004
ANOTHER door has slammed shut on sport's drug cheats.

A doping test developed by Sydney-based researchers and introduced
secretly during the Athens Olympics has produced evidence that gold
medal-winning cyclist Tyler Hamilton had had an illegal blood
transfusion.

If the case is confirmed, it will mark the first time sporting
authorities have officially detected blood doping.

The practice has been used for more than three decades to boost
performance in endurance events such as cycling and distance running.

"We've closed another avenue for athletes to dope," said Dr Michael
Ashenden, the co-ordinator of the Australian consortium that developed
the blood doping test.

"Sooner or later they will get the message that when we say we are
going to bring in new tests and keep samples and analyse them, it will
get through and that has to be good news for the clean athletes. If
this marks the day where that really began to sink in, that is a
positive."

Hamilton, a 33-year-old American who won the Olympic time trial race
in Athens, reportedly has been notified by the International Olympic
Committee and international cycling officials that two separate tests
showed evidence he had received a transfusion of blood that wasn't his
own.

One test was conducted on August 19, the day after his Olympic
victory, while the second was done at the Tour of Spain where Hamilton
won a stage two weeks ago.

Hamilton yesterday held a news conference in his home base of
Switzerland to vigorously dispute the results.

He said he was "100 per cent innocent". His 'B' blood samples have not
yet confirmed the result.

Hamilton could lose his Olympic gold medal and face a two-year ban if
his B sample from Athens tests positive.

Australia's Michael Rogers, who was fourth in the time trial, would be
given the bronze medal.

The world-first blood doping test used at the Olympics was developed
by Margaret Nelson at Sydney's Royal Prince Alfred Hospital over the
past two years.

While Hamilton's supporters yesterday questioned the validity of the
new test, Ashenden, who oversaw the research, said it was very
reliable.

"The test has been used for a decade in hospitals to detect
feto-maternal haemorrhage - if they get it wrong it is a life or death
situation," Ashenden said yesterday.

"They don't get it wrong; the test works.

"If the sample shows positive then that person has someone else's
blood in their circulation, there is no question, there is no doubt,
there is no grey area."

Before the Olympics, the World Anti-Doping Agency and the IOC came to
an agreement with RPA Hospital to implement the test.

While WADA head Dick Pound had warned athletes new tests would be
introduced at the Olympics, he didn't say which ones.

"That test wasn't announced quite deliberately," Ashenden said.

He said the Australian researchers were proud to have played a part in
stopping what was "a terrible practice" among athletes.

"It is life threatening," Ashenden said. "In a hospital setting
doctors won't give a transfusion unless they absolutely have to
because of the inevitable risk, and for an athlete to be doing that in
a hotel room without any genuine reason is ludicrous."

The doping method involves an athlete injecting a quantity of blood
from another person with the same blood type.

The result is a boost to the red blood cell count, which increases the
body's oxygen-carrying capacity, and thus endurance.

The head of the Australian Sports Drug Agency, John Mendoza, said it
gave unethical athletes a clear advantage.

"The increases that can occur from boosting one's red blood cell count
can be up to 15 per cent in terms of endurance capacity," Mendoza
said. "It is highly dangerous. It increases the risk of stroke
dramatically."

Blood doping is thought to have begun in the 1960s when athletes
withdrew some of their own blood, stored it and re-injected before
competition when their body had already replaced the missing blood.

At the 1972 and 1976 Olympics Finnish distance runner Lasse Viren won
the 5000m and 10,000m track events. He was accused of pioneering blood
doping, which became illegal in 1986.

In the 1990s erythpoietin, or EPO, took over as the doping method of
choice for endurance athletes. It had the same effect as transfusion
but was simpler and cleaner to use.

But Mendoza said blood doping had come back into vogue after a test
for EPO was introduced at the Sydney Olympics.

There is still no test for transfusion using an athlete's own blood
(which is not as common), but Ashenden said more research was
underway.

"In 18 to 24 months I hope we will be in a position to detect where an
athlete blood dopes with anything at all, and that will be a very
important day for sport."

Sydney test hauls in its first victim
Jenny McAsey
September 23, 2004
ANOTHER door has slammed shut on sport's drug cheats.

A doping test developed by Sydney-based researchers and introduced
secretly during the Athens Olympics has produced evidence that gold
medal-winning cyclist Tyler Hamilton had had an illegal blood
transfusion.


Lance was smart not to compete in the Olympics. Look at what happened
to Tyler, off of Phonak, 2 year suspension, end of career, at your local LBS
in a year or two to try to sell you some zero pedals.

"Callistus Valerius" wrote in message
ink.net...
Sydney test hauls in its first victim
Jenny McAsey
September 23, 2004
ANOTHER door has slammed shut on sport's drug cheats.

A doping test developed by Sydney-based researchers and introduced
secretly during the Athens Olympics has produced evidence that gold
medal-winning cyclist Tyler Hamilton had had an illegal blood
transfusion.


Lance was smart not to compete in the Olympics. Look at what happened
to Tyler, off of Phonak, 2 year suspension, end of career, at your local
LBS
in a year or two to try to sell you some zero pedals.

I had not realized that the nature of the exact tests had not been
announced. I think it was made clear that they were going to test for thg.
It could well explain the absence of several riders in Athens. Next year
might be more interesting in a sporting sense. Now if only they could find
a way to test for autologous transfusions. Lets hope they increase the out
of competition tests as well.

So , perhaps the way this past year to make the pig fly was autologous
transfusion combined with thg/steroid stacking. Now who would do that,
Henry??

(Never_Doped) wrote:

First, if you never doped, you are either a rabbit or an idiot

He said the Australian researchers were proud to have played a part in
stopping what was "a terrible practice" among athletes.

Yeah, there's a terrible practice, it's called antidoping.

"It is life threatening," Ashenden said. "In a hospital setting
doctors won't give a transfusion unless they absolutely have to
because of the inevitable risk, and for an athlete to be doing that in
a hotel room without any genuine reason is ludicrous."

"without any genuine reason"?
how long will we be forced to read this bigot rambling everyday?
there's no human life that is worth more than an Olympic gold or a victory
at a classic or a grand tour

"In 18 to 24 months I hope we will be in a position to detect where an
athlete blood dopes with anything at all, and that will be a very
important day for sport."

"In 18 to 24 months I hope we will be in a position to open new Open
leagues for pro sports in which arbitrary checks on what is just the
private life of athletes and their own private choices"

If it was for these bunch of morons we would have never had Coppi, Merckx
and Hinault.

On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 11:58:13 GMT, (Davide
Tosi) wrote:

First, if you never doped, you are either a rabbit or an idiot

This one I'll have to pin to the wall and think on a while. Never
doped, you're an idiot or a rabbit? Or maybe an idiot rabbit? Well,
its nice to know that its a reasonable chance that the critter eating
the wife's mint is not a doper, because it takes an idiot to eat mint
and it looks like a rabbit.

Maybe I've missed this whole multi-thread thing. I thought doping,
whether for pleasure or athletic gain, was the use of illegal drugs.
So any of us that never got beyond the entirely legal bourbon or beer
(or both, best I can remember of that time pouring bourbon onto the
tops of the old-style beer cans for hours on end) are either rabbits
or idiots?

OK, maybe I escape on a technicality. I drank before I was 21 in
Michigan. So I was ingesting an illegal substance in order to watch
Detroit lose the pennant on the last day of the season with minimal
pain. At least until the next day. So can you be a doper on Bali Hai
and Strohs beer?

Choosing between rabbit and idiot has got me so distressed, I may
decide its easier to think you're a ******. But since I may not know
what a doper is (or a rabbit or an idiot), I could be wrong on this
too.

Damn. Tough way to start the day.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

The test appears valid as it has been used 10's of thousands of times
over the last 10 years according to the article. Tyler should protest
(as they all do) and go ahead and enjoy retiring in his early 30's
rather than get his ego all involved and fighting until his last Euro.

Alternatively, he could write a tell all book, cash in for millions,
testify in court and nail the rest of them.

Curtis L. Russell wrote:
Choosing between rabbit and idiot has got me so distressed, I may
decide its easier to think you're a ******. But since I may not know
what a doper is (or a rabbit or an idiot), I could be wrong on this
too.

At least you know what a ****** is (an inhabitant of the capital of China).

It justs keeps getting stranger as now Phonak has announced that the IOC
"B: test came back negative and that the Vuelta "B" test came back
positive which they say backs the claim that the tests currently as
performed and based on percentages are unrealiable.

If the above is true I guess he could keep his gold and no suspension
but he would be suspended for the Vuelta infraction. This whole thing
just leads to more confusion adn doubt which is raised to higher levels
by the long delay (1 month) in announcing the IOC results in the first
place.

It looks from the outside (as I have no inside information) that when
the IOC got the first positive they were unsure of the test and it's
results and used (by forewarning UCI and Vuelta officials) of the
positive test and used the Vuelta positive as second test to prove
their test. Which is now foiled by the fact that the IOC positve is
contridicted by the IOC "B" test negative but supported by the UCI "B"
test positive.

Once again from the outside and not being all knowing as some on the
board and just taking information from what I have read on various
sites I think this does show that this particular test is in need of
refinement to determine doping. I know the invetor has claimed that
the test is relaible as it used to test for a feto-maternal
haemorrhage. However by using probability if the test show showed a
80% (or even less such as 50%or even lower) percent chance of a
haemorrhage of course the doctors would act in the best interest of the
mother and child andor perform more tests or emergency procedures and it
would save lives 50% of the time and the procedures while an increase
risk in the pregency may not be be as severe as the risk of a
haemorrhage. However is that same percentage of 50-50 enough to end a
persons reputation and/or career.

Just thoughts as I am no expert and it will be interesting to watch the
developments over the next weeks and months.


--
hawkes

"Davide Tosi" wrote in message
...
(Never_Doped) wrote:

there's no human life that is worth more than an Olympic gold or a victory
at a classic or a grand tour

You are joking right? Hell, I bet TH would give up his Olympic Gold medal
to have Tugboat back alive and well, and Tug's not even human.
--
Marty

It took them forever to get this test approved and now, after a big
name gets busted by it we hear its no good!? Come on! Personally I
would be very disappointed, even sad, if Tyler gets busted but I've
heard he was on "the program" for a while like pretty much everyone
else. Maybe its all a bad dream, but I don't know how they're going
to explain away two (or more tests). Sure, he might get away without
a ban because of some technicality or legal wrangling but we'll all
know the truth.

They should retest all his results this year (if they have the blood),
or test him again over the next 3 months. Then we'll see. That won't
happen either.

One more down...

CH

"B. Lafferty" wrote in message k.net...
"Callistus Valerius" wrote in message
ink.net...
Sydney test hauls in its first victim
Jenny McAsey
September 23, 2004
ANOTHER door has slammed shut on sport's drug cheats.

A doping test developed by Sydney-based researchers and introduced
secretly during the Athens Olympics has produced evidence that gold
medal-winning cyclist Tyler Hamilton had had an illegal blood
transfusion.


Lance was smart not to compete in the Olympics. Look at what happened
to Tyler, off of Phonak, 2 year suspension, end of career, at your local
LBS
in a year or two to try to sell you some zero pedals.

I had not realized that the nature of the exact tests had not been
announced. I think it was made clear that they were going to test for thg.
It could well explain the absence of several riders in Athens. Next year
might be more interesting in a sporting sense. Now if only they could find
a way to test for autologous transfusions. Lets hope they increase the out
of competition tests as well.

So , perhaps the way this past year to make the pig fly was autologous
transfusion combined with thg/steroid stacking. Now who would do that,
Henry??