Latest news with #WorldAnti-DopingAgency
New Indian Express
14 hours ago
- Sport
- New Indian Express
WADA 2023 testing figures: India tops dope charts again
CHENNAI: In another big embarrassment for the country, India topped the world doping chart yet again. The latest World Anti-Doping Agency 2023 Anti-Doping Testing Figures indicates that India has the maximum number of positive cases in terms of numbers and percentage. According to the latest report, the National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) has tested 5412 urine samples out of which 212 returned positive while 477 blood samples had two adverse analytical finding (which is the number of positive tests before final adjudication — Anti-Doping Rule Violation). The total number of Indians testing positive will be released later. This is the highest in the year and the NDTL tested 5889 total samples and returned 214 positive at 3.63 per cent conversion rate. The laboratory also collected 188 athletes biological passport (ABP). The number of positive tests could be the highest after 2019 when the count was 225. According to 2023 WADA figures, NDTL had collected 2754 in competition (IC) urine samples while the number of out-of-competition (OOC) samples were 2658. In competition positives were 167 while OOC positives were 45. There were 213 IC blood sampled and 264 OOC. The two positive cases were OOC. Athletics once again topped the positive case charts with 60 AAFs. The number of in competition urine samples were 567 while out-of-competition were 539. These were collected by testing authority of India — National Anti-Doping Agency. The total number of samples including blood tested 1223 at a conversion rate of 4.9 per cent. When it comes to percentage, weightlifting is the worst culprit in the country. Out of just 195 urine samples (IC) 26 returned positive while there were 12 AAFs from 185 OOC samples. Even in 2022 Anti-Doping Testing Figures, National Dope Testing Laboratory (NDTL) in New Delhi had about 3.2 per cent conversion rate of positive cases. The NDTL had collected 3,680 urine samples, out of which 126 had AAF. It collected 216 blood samples.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Enhanced Games push PEDs and target world records in Olympic sports. But what cost?
The first global sports body to push back against Enhanced Games is World Aquatics, which passed a rule banning any swimmer who supports the Enhanced Games from representing their country again. (Maddie Meyer / Getty Images) "The Future of Sports Is Here: We are on a mission to redefine superhumanity through science, innovation and sports." An unabashedly ambitious goal, or at least choice of words. Yet "redefining superhumanity" isn't enough for the Enhanced Games, a start-up that plans to hold an Olympic-style competition next year in Las Vegas. Advertisement The venture also seeks to "reinvent sports with science." Translation: Not just allow performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), not just encourage their use, but celebrate their use. Or, in the juice-flecked hyperbole of Enhanced Games copywriters, "We are pioneering a new era in athletic competition that embraces scientific advancements to push the boundaries of human performance." Breaking a world record in track or swimming sprint events will trigger a $1 million payout to the athlete, one of several performance bonuses promised by Enhanced. Where will the money come from? Investors reportedly include conservative billionaire Peter Thiel, Saudi prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, and Donald Trump Jr. From the audacity of the message to the deep pockets funding the venture to the athletes tempted by the prospect of making big money and setting world records, the Enhanced Games are worth a closer look. Advertisement Read more: L.A. Olympic organizers confident they will cover estimated $7.1 billion cost of Games Why are the Enhanced Games in the news? World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) president Witold Banka sounded an alarm last week at a meeting of Summer Olympics sports leaders, warning that the Enhanced Games pose a threat to all that's hallowed and decent in global sport. "This initiative seeks to normalize the use of potentially dangerous drugs," Banka said. "For the sake of athlete health and the purity of sport, of course, it must be stopped. "As the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles approach, we cannot allow what should be a celebration of honest sporting endeavor to be overshadowed by this cynical attempt to undermine clean sport. We will urge the U.S. authorities to find legal ways to block this initiative.' Witold Banka, president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), attends a press conference at the 2024 Summer Olympics on July 25, 2024, in Paris. (Michel Euler / Associated Press) Banka's warning prompted eye-rolling in some quarters. The Senate committee on Consumer Protection, Technology and Data Privacy will hold a hearing Tuesday titled 'WADA Shame: Swimming in Denial Over Chinese Doping.' Advertisement WADA refused to investigate claims of 23 Chinese swimmers testing positive for a PED before the Tokyo Olympics. With the LA Games in 2028 and Salt Lake City Games in 2034 looming, the Senate committee also plans to address claims that inconsistent enforcement by WADA has resulted in unfair competitions impacting American athletes. USADA chief executive Travis Tygart accused Banka of mentioning the Enhanced Games to distract from the upcoming Senate hearing, telling the Associated Press, "Banka's indignation equals his misinformation or ignorance about how free democratic societies and markets work.' Read more: Lopez: Three years away from the Olympics, L.A. is tripping over hurdles and trying to play catchup That doesn't mean Tygart is A-OK with an endeavor that encourages the use of PEDs and the resulting tainted accomplishments. Advertisement "As we have repeatedly said, for all of the obvious reasons, the Enhanced Games or any other open competition is a bad idea," Tygart said in comments emailed to Agence France-Presse. 'If he really wants to ask U.S. authorities to do something, he should show up and ask the Senate to do something." The first global sports body to push back is World Aquatics, which passed a rule two weeks ago that bans any swimmer who supports the Enhanced Games — even if they've never competed — from representing their country again. Former Olympic athlete Michael Phelps, (from left) Travis Tygart, CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, and former Olympic athlete Allison Schmitt are sworn in during an Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill on June 25, 2024. (Nathan Howard / Getty Images) The rule applies to those who 'support, endorse, or participate in sporting events that embrace the use of scientific advancements or other practices that may include prohibited substances and/or prohibited methods,' a World Aquatics statement said. When and where will the Enhanced Games take place? The Enhanced Games will take aim at world records in swimming, weightlifting and track at Resorts World in Las Vegas on Memorial Day Weekend, 2026. Advertisement Scheduled swimming events are the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle, and the 50-meter and 100-meter butterfly. Weightlifting will include the snatch and the clean & jerk. Track events will include the 100-meter dash and the 110-meter hurdles. Chef Ray Garcia's restaurant, ¡Viva!, located inside the Resorts World Las Vegas on Thursday, June 24, 2021. (Mariah Tauger/Los Angeles Times) Each event will carry a prize purse of $500,000, with $250,000 awarded to each winner. In addition, bonuses will be paid for world records, including $1 million for records in the 100-meter sprint and 50-meter freestyle, which the Enhanced Games website describes as "the two definitive tests of raw human speed." The Enhanced Games will take place within the resort. The competition complex features a four-lane pool, a six-lane sprint track and a weightlifting stage. Advertisement Read more: Rams players and coaches like the idea of competing in flag football at L.A. Olympics Who came up with this and why? The founder and president of the Enhanced Games is Aron D'Souza, an Australian entrepreneur. D'Souza has been on a crusade to create an alternative to the Olympic Games, which he believes don't compensate athletes fairly. He advocates for the use of PEDs, arguing that athletes should have the freedom to make choices about their own bodies and that WADA acts as an "anti-science police force" for the International Olympic Committee. Previously, D'Souza led Thiel's litigation against Gawker Media involving the wrestler Hulk Hogan, which resulted in one of the largest invasion of privacy judgments in history, and is the subject of the book "Conspiracy" by author Ryan Holiday. Advertisement D'Souza is the founder of Sargon, a technology infrastructure company in Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. He sold his stake in the company in 2018. (L-R) Amy Chua and Peter Thiel attend Inauguration Eve hosted by Uber, X and The Free Press at Cafe Riggs on January 19, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Leigh Vogel / Getty Images for Uber, X and The Free Press) The extent to which billionaire investors, such as Thiel, Alwaleed Al Saud and Trump Jr., will fund the Enhanced Games is unclear. Money isn't a problem, if statements on the event's website are believed: "We are backed by some of the world's most successful venture capitalists, allowing us to operate independently without government and taxpayer funding." D'Souza told the Associated Press that Trump Jr.'s group, called 1789 Capital, is bringing 'double digit millions' to the Enhanced Games. Trump Jr. made a video trumpeting his partnership, that includes an appearance by his father, President Trump. Advertisement Trump Jr., in a statement accompanying the announcement of the funding, said: 'This is about excellence, innovation, and American dominance on the world stage — something the MAGA movement is all about.' D'Souza is thrilled by the backing of America's first family and other moneyed interests. 'To know that some of the most significant figures in American social and political life support the Enhanced Games is more important to us than any investment,' he said on a video call in February. 'I've had the great fortune of working alongside many members of the administration and other prominent figures of the Trump movement over the years, so it's a very natural fit.' D'Souza and his team express lofty goals beyond juicing athletes, setting records and paying race winners. Last week, D'Souza posted as much on LinkedIn: Advertisement "This isn't just about enhancement. It's about economic freedom. About athletes having a choice. About breaking the monopoly that old institutions hold over human performance. "At the Enhanced Games, we are unapologetic: We're not backing down. We will fight — in the courts, in the public square, and in the arena of ideas — for every athlete who's been silenced, underpaid, or discarded." Read more: Congressional leaders call for streamlined visa process ahead of World Cup, L.A. Olympics Why are performance-enhancing drugs forbidden anyway? The list of health risks associated with taking anabolic steroids — which have no medical use approved by the U.S. government — is long and frightening: Advertisement Men may see their breasts and prostate gland grow and their testicles shrink. Women may get a deeper voice, grow body hair and lose hair on their head. Both men and women might tear tendons or develop liver tumors, severe acne, elevated blood pressure, heart problems, issues with anger and depression. The Enhanced Games say the competition will be under the supervision of a medical team, but by the time the games begin, damage from taking PEDs may have already developed. "Protecting athletes is our top priority," the Enhanced Games website proclaims. "Every competitor will undergo rigorous, state-of-the-art medical profiling before participating in the competition." How has the global sports community reacted? The first athlete to show results from using the Enhanced Games PEDs regimen is Kristian Gkolomeev, a Greek swimmer who never medaled in four Olympics. Advertisement In February, Gkolomeev swam two-hundredths of a second faster than the 50-meter freestyle world record with a time of 20.89. He wore an inline full-body open water suit that is prohibited by World Aquatics. "I'm kind of like the driver in the car, but I need the team behind me," Gkolomeev said during an Enhanced Games promotional event last month in Las Vegas. Greece's Kristian Gkolomeev competes in the Swimming Men's 50m Freestyle Semifinal 1 during the LEN European Aquatics Championships, at the Milan Gale Muskatirovic sports centre in Belgrade, on June 22, 2024. (Andrej Isakovic / AFP via Getty Images) Many believe that breaking records under the influence of PEDs is meaningless. Paul Ifrim, a Romanian Luger who finished 20th at the 2010 Winter Olympics, responded to D'Souza's LinkedIn post with this comment: "I earned my place at the Olympics through hard, clean work and unwavering dedication over the course of many years. Integrity, fair play, respect, and perseverance are what inspire and shape true athletes. Your argument for 'enhancing' drugs, viewed as 'athlete compensation,' is a disgrace to those principles. Advertisement "What message are we sending young, aspiring athletes? That cheating and cutting corners is a valid path to success? These are pathetic excuses for undermining the true spirit of competition. You're delusional for promoting this agenda. True athletes rise through grit and honor, not shortcuts and hypocrisy." Tygart, the CEO of USADA, had a similar reaction: "While those behind the Enhanced Games might be looking to make a quick buck, that profit would come at the expense of kids across the world thinking they need to dope to chase their dreams. We desperately wish this investment was being made in the athletes who are currently training and competing the real and safe way. "They are the role models this world so desperately needs and they are the ones who deserve our support — not some dangerous clown show that puts profit over principle.' A counterpoint was published last summer by anti-doping expert Michael Ashenden, who helped create the athlete blood passport system and develop a test for the blood-boosting drug Erythropoietin (EPO). Advertisement Initially opposed to the Enhanced Games, Ashenden changed his mind, writing that the failures of WADA to combat doping in the Olympics make an alternative viable. "Today I advocate for the concept of an Enhanced Games to co-exist with the Olympic Movement, provided their athletes do nothing illegal," Ashenden wrote. 'I realized that not following the WADA rules was not so radical after all....' "I acknowledge that by offering incentives for record performances, the Enhanced Games are tacitly encouraging the use of performance-enhancing substances. But by offering a gold medal, the Olympic Movement also incentivizes the use of performance-enhancing substances.... "Although it may be a bitter pill for the Olympic Movement, it was foreseeable that the commercialization of sport under their stewardship would create an environment that seeded a corporate disruptor." Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Enhanced Games push PEDs and target world records in Olympic sports. But what cost?
'The Future of Sports Is Here: We are on a mission to redefine superhumanity through science, innovation and sports.' An unabashedly ambitious goal, or at least choice of words. Yet 'redefining superhumanity' isn't enough for the Enhanced Games, a start-up that plans to hold an Olympic-style competition next year in Las Vegas. The venture also seeks to 'reinvent sports with science.' Translation: Not just allow performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), not just encourage their use, but celebrate their use. Or, in the juice-flecked hyperbole of Enhanced Games copywriters, 'We are pioneering a new era in athletic competition that embraces scientific advancements to push the boundaries of human performance.' Breaking a world record in track or swimming sprint events will trigger a $1 million payout to the athlete, one of several performance bonuses promised by Enhanced. Where will the money come from? Investors reportedly include conservative billionaire Peter Thiel, Saudi prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, and Donald Trump the audacity of the message to the deep pockets funding the venture to the athletes tempted by the prospect of making big money and setting world records, the Enhanced Games are worth a closer look. World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) president Witold Banka sounded an alarm last week at a meeting of Summer Olympics sports leaders, warning that the Enhanced Games pose a threat to all that's hallowed and decent in global sport. 'This initiative seeks to normalize the use of potentially dangerous drugs,' Banka said. 'For the sake of athlete health and the purity of sport, of course, it must be stopped. 'As the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles approach, we cannot allow what should be a celebration of honest sporting endeavor to be overshadowed by this cynical attempt to undermine clean sport. We will urge the U.S. authorities to find legal ways to block this initiative.' Banka's warning prompted eye-rolling in some quarters. The Senate committee on Consumer Protection, Technology and Data Privacy will hold a hearing Tuesday titled 'WADA Shame: Swimming in Denial Over Chinese Doping.' WADA refused to investigate claims of 23 Chinese swimmers testing positive for a PED before the Tokyo Olympics. With the LA Games in 2028 and Salt Lake City Games in 2034 looming, the Senate committee also plans to address claims that inconsistent enforcement by WADA has resulted in unfair competitions impacting American athletes. USADA chief executive Travis Tygart accused Banka of mentioning the Enhanced Games to distract from the upcoming Senate hearing, telling the Associated Press, 'Banka's indignation equals his misinformation or ignorance about how free democratic societies and markets work.' That doesn't mean Tygart is A-OK with an endeavor that encourages the use of PEDs and the resulting tainted accomplishments. 'As we have repeatedly said, for all of the obvious reasons, the Enhanced Games or any other open competition is a bad idea,' Tygart said in comments emailed to Agence France-Presse. 'If he really wants to ask U.S. authorities to do something, he should show up and ask the Senate to do something.' The first global sports body to push back is World Aquatics, which passed a rule two weeks ago that bans any swimmer who supports the Enhanced Games — even if they've never competed — from representing their country again. The rule applies to those who 'support, endorse, or participate in sporting events that embrace the use of scientific advancements or other practices that may include prohibited substances and/or prohibited methods,' a World Aquatics statement said. The Enhanced Games will take aim at world records in swimming, weightlifting and track at Resorts World in Las Vegas on Memorial Day Weekend, 2026. Scheduled swimming events are the 50-meter and 100-meter freestyle, and the 50-meter and 100-meter butterfly. Weightlifting will include the snatch and the clean & jerk. Track events will include the 100-meter dash and the 110-meter hurdles. Each event will carry a prize purse of $500,000, with $250,000 awarded to each winner. In addition, bonuses will be paid for world records, including $1 million for records in the 100-meter sprint and 50-meter freestyle, which the Enhanced Games website describes as 'the two definitive tests of raw human speed.' The Enhanced Games will take place within the resort. The competition complex features a four-lane pool, a six-lane sprint track and a weightlifting stage. The founder and president of the Enhanced Games is Aron D'Souza, an Australian entrepreneur. D'Souza has been on a crusade to create an alternative to the Olympic Games, which he believes don't compensate athletes fairly. He advocates for the use of PEDs, arguing that athletes should have the freedom to make choices about their own bodies and that WADA acts as an 'anti-science police force' for the International Olympic Committee. Previously, D'Souza led Thiel's litigation against Gawker Media involving the wrestler Hulk Hogan, which resulted in one of the largest invasion of privacy judgments in history, and is the subject of the book 'Conspiracy' by author Ryan Holiday. D'Souza is the founder of Sargon, a technology infrastructure company in Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. He sold his stake in the company in 2018. The extent to which billionaire investors, such as Thiel, Alwaleed Al Saud and Trump Jr., will fund the Enhanced Games is unclear. Money isn't a problem, if statements on the event's website are believed: 'We are backed by some of the world's most successful venture capitalists, allowing us to operate independently without government and taxpayer funding.' D'Souza told the Associated Press that Trump Jr.'s group, called 1789 Capital, is bringing 'double digit millions' to the Enhanced Games. Trump Jr. made a video trumpeting his partnership, that includes an appearance by his father, President Trump. Trump Jr., in a statement accompanying the announcement of the funding, said: 'This is about excellence, innovation, and American dominance on the world stage — something the MAGA movement is all about.' D'Souza is thrilled by the backing of America's first family and other moneyed interests. 'To know that some of the most significant figures in American social and political life support the Enhanced Games is more important to us than any investment,' he said on a video call in February. 'I've had the great fortune of working alongside many members of the administration and other prominent figures of the Trump movement over the years, so it's a very natural fit.' D'Souza and his team express lofty goals beyond juicing athletes, setting records and paying race winners. Last week, D'Souza posted as much on LinkedIn: 'This isn't just about enhancement. It's about economic freedom. About athletes having a choice. About breaking the monopoly that old institutions hold over human performance. 'At the Enhanced Games, we are unapologetic: We're not backing down. We will fight — in the courts, in the public square, and in the arena of ideas — for every athlete who's been silenced, underpaid, or discarded.' The list of health risks associated with taking anabolic steroids — which have no medical use approved by the U.S. government — is long and frightening: Men may see their breasts and prostate gland grow and their testicles shrink. Women may get a deeper voice, grow body hair and lose hair on their head. Both men and women might tear tendons or develop liver tumors, severe acne, elevated blood pressure, heart problems, issues with anger and depression. The Enhanced Games say the competition will be under the supervision of a medical team, but by the time the games begin, damage from taking PEDs may have already developed. 'Protecting athletes is our top priority,' the Enhanced Games website proclaims. 'Every competitor will undergo rigorous, state-of-the-art medical profiling before participating in the competition.' The first athlete to show results from using the Enhanced Games PEDs regimen is Kristian Gkolomeev, a Greek swimmer who never medaled in four Olympics. In February, Gkolomeev swam two-hundredths of a second faster than the 50-meter freestyle world record with a time of 20.89. He wore an inline full-body open water suit that is prohibited by World Aquatics. 'I'm kind of like the driver in the car, but I need the team behind me,' Gkolomeev said during an Enhanced Games promotional event last month in Las Vegas. Many believe that breaking records under the influence of PEDs is meaningless. Paul Ifrim, a Romanian Luger who finished 20th at the 2010 Winter Olympics, responded to D'Souza's LinkedIn post with this comment: 'I earned my place at the Olympics through hard, clean work and unwavering dedication over the course of many years. Integrity, fair play, respect, and perseverance are what inspire and shape true athletes. Your argument for 'enhancing' drugs, viewed as 'athlete compensation,' is a disgrace to those principles. 'What message are we sending young, aspiring athletes? That cheating and cutting corners is a valid path to success? These are pathetic excuses for undermining the true spirit of competition. You're delusional for promoting this agenda. True athletes rise through grit and honor, not shortcuts and hypocrisy.' Tygart, the CEO of USADA, had a similar reaction: 'While those behind the Enhanced Games might be looking to make a quick buck, that profit would come at the expense of kids across the world thinking they need to dope to chase their dreams. We desperately wish this investment was being made in the athletes who are currently training and competing the real and safe way. 'They are the role models this world so desperately needs and they are the ones who deserve our support — not some dangerous clown show that puts profit over principle.' A counterpoint was published last summer by anti-doping expert Michael Ashenden, who helped create the athlete blood passport system and develop a test for the blood-boosting drug Erythropoietin (EPO). Initially opposed to the Enhanced Games, Ashenden changed his mind, writing that the failures of WADA to combat doping in the Olympics make an alternative viable. 'Today I advocate for the concept of an Enhanced Games to co-exist with the Olympic Movement, provided their athletes do nothing illegal,' Ashenden wrote. 'I realized that not following the WADA rules was not so radical after all....' 'I acknowledge that by offering incentives for record performances, the Enhanced Games are tacitly encouraging the use of performance-enhancing substances. But by offering a gold medal, the Olympic Movement also incentivizes the use of performance-enhancing substances.... 'Although it may be a bitter pill for the Olympic Movement, it was foreseeable that the commercialization of sport under their stewardship would create an environment that seeded a corporate disruptor.'
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
The misuse of ADHD drugs – and what they really do to your body and brain
Be more alert; improve your focus; do better at work: these are the reasons why high-flyers, from surgeons to lawyers and bankers, take 'brain-doping' ADHD drugs despite not having the condition. Now, increasing numbers of elite athletes are joining them, looking for something extra to give them the competitive edge. But taking ADHD drugs when you don't need them will certainly do more harm than good, with many takers becoming more irritable, experiencing sleep disruption and, in the most serious cases, causing heart problems, anxiety and are barred by the World Anti-Doping Agency from taking ADHD medications such as Ritalin and Adderall before competing, but those who have been diagnosed with ADHD are exempt, on the grounds that they need the drugs to function. Such exemptions have tripled in the last five years, so suspicion has turned to the 'subjective assessments' by doctors to diagnose athletes with ADHD in adulthood, John Brewer, a former UK Anti Doping board member told The Telegraph last month. There has been a known black market for ADHD drugs ever since they became available to buy online, with packets of Ritalin, the drug most commonly prescribed to people with ADHD in Britain, selling for less than £20 on the websites of unscrupulous online pharmacies. It's more common, however, for stressed students and professionals alike to acquire spare pills from friends and family. In fact parents, who believe they have ADHD but have never been diagnosed, have been known 'to take stimulants that have been prescribed for their children because they think it helps them to perform better', says Katya Rubia, professor of cognitive neuroscience at King's College London. In Britain, the drug most commonly prescribed for ADHD is Ritalin, the brand name for the drug methylphenidate – a type of stimulant drug. Adderall, another stimulant drug, is typically prescribed in America, and sometimes finds its way into the hands of British students (or professionals) illegally. There is an important distinction between 'misuse' of ADHD drugs – taking them in their prescribed doses when you don't have ADHD – and 'abuse', which means taking large amounts of Adderall or Ritalin for a high, says Prof Rubia. ADHD drugs are considered to be 'very safe' in the small doses prescribed to treat the condition, adds Prof Rubia, but abusing the drugs can cause heart palpitations, stomach aches and can be 'neurotoxic'. 'They actually change your brain's dopamine system, producing effects like anxiety and depression, as well as inattention and difficulties with memory,' she adds. In other words, abusing ADHD drugs can leave you with a set of symptoms that look a lot like ADHD. Prof Rubia also strongly advises against misusing ADHD drugs because 'you shouldn't take ADHD drugs at all if you don't have ADHD; you're a healthy person and the side effects are unnecessary'. You might believe that taking ADHD drugs when you don't have ADHD would make you think more sharply, but that's far from the truth. ADHD drugs 'work on your brain's dopamine system, to increase the amount that your brain has available to use,' says Prof Rubia. People with ADHD 'don't have enough dopamine, so struggle with motivation, concentration and focus, as well as keeping time and controlling their own behaviour, especially in children'. Taken by people without ADHD, the drugs might improve alertness, but they have a negative impact on other functioning, due to the 'U-shaped' impact of the levels of dopamine in your brain: past a certain point, your attention, focus and motivation will suffer. 'If you don't have ADHD, you already have an optimal amount of dopamine in your system, so increasing it will make you perform worse,' Prof Rubia says. One study, published in 2023, gave three groups a common 'smart drug' (Adderall, Ritalin or Modafinil, which is prescribed for narcolepsy in Britain) and observed how it affected their performance in a problem-solving task. 'When taking any of the drugs, the participants tried harder, but performed less well,' says Peter Bossaerts, professor of neuroeconomics at the University of Cambridge, who led the study. Those who performed best without the drugs 'performed below the mean when they were on them,' he adds. 'So they aren't really smart drugs. They make you dumber, but more busy and more motivated.'Another study, using a similar task to assess cognitive performance, found again that 'people who took 'smart drugs' performed worse despite trying harder,' Prof Bossaerts says. Here, worsened memory seemed to be behind the decline in ability. 'Dopamine doesn't only affect motivation, but also your memory, and drugs like Ritalin work on the dopamine receptors in your prefrontal cortex' – the part of your brain that manages your working memory and lets you retrieve memories from the past, Prof Bossaerts points effects of taking so-called 'smart drugs' (also known as 'study drugs') are also short-lived. 'Students who take them might feel a bit down and sluggish for a few days after their exams, but they'll quickly pick up again in most cases,' says Prof Bossaerts. Abuse, or taking large amounts of Adderall or Ritalin for a high, is another matter. This means that the drugs have a 'high potential for abuse', even if you start out taking them occasionally to pull an all-nighter or meet an important deadline, Prof Rubia believes. 'As your body gets used to them, you need more and more to feel the same effects.' The way in which ADHD drugs are prescribed for people who require them is vital. 'Over months or years you will see their effects decline over time' explains Prof Rubia. 'ADHD drugs are the best kind of psychiatric medicine we have available, because in small doses they are so safe and the side effects are so minimal. But they do quickly decrease in efficacy over time as the brain gets used to them. To counter this in people with ADHD, we give people 'holidays' where they stop taking their prescription for a while or slowly increase the dose over time.' The huge climb in athletes diagnosed with ADHD in adulthood is no coincidence, says Prof Rubia, as use of the drugs has long been commonplace in sports. That said, a significant proportion of athletes who have been diagnosed with ADHD as adults may well have the condition. A Taekwondo black belt or football star probably has a higher likelihood of having the condition than the average person, Prof Rubia believes. 'People with ADHD are very often good at sports,' she explains. 'They have more energy than the average person, and where academics might have been a struggle at school, they might have realised their talent for sports and pursued that instead.' Intense sports practice can also be an effective tool for managing ADHD symptoms. Prof Rubia recalls meeting an Olympic karate fighter who had 'managed to overcome his ADHD without medication by training in a very focused way'.A sportsperson who takes ADHD drugs without having ADHD, however, might be in for a shock. Though the drugs might improve performance in the short term by making athletes 'feel less tired and more alert, as if they've had a lot of coffee,' Prof Rubia says people misusing the drugs over weeks or months might find themselves feeling less motivated and alert than they were before. 'Even within a day, they'll feel more low by the evening than they otherwise would.'Whether you're an athlete or not, taking stimulant ADHD drugs when you don't have the condition 'will affect your body in very similar ways these drugs affect the bodies of people with ADHD who take them,' says Prof Rubia. Stimulants increase your heart rate and blood pressure and can also reduce your appetite, while making you feel more awake and alert. People who take Ritalin also report some personality changes, like being more irritable and on edge, as well as worsened sleep, but both can also be symptoms of ADHD itself. Some research has indicated, however, that long-term use of ADHD medications (in people with and without the condition) may lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Weight loss and headaches are common, as are gut problems, though side effects like these are usually mild. In children who take ADHD medication, 'there's some evidence that it stunts growth slightly compared to how tall a child's parents are,' Prof Rubia in all, to better understand how these drugs affect our bodies 'we need more studies that observe the effects of ADHD drugs on both the healthy population and on people who have ADHD,' says Prof Rubia. Anecdotally, though, the physical impact of taking ADHD drugs when you don't need them is clear, Prof Bossaerts says with a sigh: 'I remember a student once passing out in front of me because he'd taken 'study drugs' over his final exams and had been awake for three days in a row at that point.' At best, it's counterproductive but, at worst, taking so-called 'smart drugs' can be a real danger to your health – not such a smart move after all. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
New Straits Times
12-06-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
WADA calls on US to stop 'dangerous' Enhanced Games
Los Angeles: World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) chief Witold Banka has called on US authorities to prevent the drug-fueled Enhanced Games from taking place next year. Speaking in Lausanne in an address to a meeting of summer Olympic officials, Banka said the inaugural edition of the Enhanced Games in Las Vegas -- where athletes will be free to use performance-enhancing drugs -- "must be stopped." "We all must stand up and condemn those who put greed and ego before the well-being of athletes and the values of fair competition," Banka said. "As the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles approach, we cannot allow what should be a celebration of honest sporting endeavor to be overshadowed by this cynical attempt to undermine clean sport. "WADA is now urging the authorities in the US to seek ways to prevent the Enhanced Games from going ahead as planned. For the sake of athletes' health and the purity of sport, it must be stopped." In separate remarks following the address, Banka urged US authorities to consider legal action to prevent the Enhanced Games from taking place. "Every effort should be made by the authorities in the US to prevent this dangerous event from going ahead as planned," Banka said. "This should be explored from the legal perspective. For example, I would question whether it is legal for licensed doctors to give these potent drugs to healthy athletes. "It goes completely against the rules and values of their profession...I think there is a strong role to be played by the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA)". USADA has been a strident critic of WADA in recent years following controversy over the global doping watchdog's handling of positive drug tests from 23 Chinese swimmers in 2021. Responding to Banka's remarks yesterday, USADA chief executive Travis Tygart accused the WADA president of "attempting to leverage this sideshow to distract from fixing WADA and to stoke anti-American rhetoric." "As we have repeatedly said, for all of the obvious reasons, the Enhanced Games or any other open competition is a bad idea," Tygart said in comments emailed to AFP, urging Banka to accept an invitation to a US Senate hearing next week where the 2021 case involving Chinese swimmers is to be discussed. The first Enhanced Games will be staged in Las Vegas in May 2026, with athletes participating in three sports -- athletics, swimming and weightlifting. Athletes will be allowed to use drugs banned across international sport such as steroids and human growth hormones, with winners of each event receiving $250,000, and a bonus of $1 million for any athlete who breaks a world record.
