By: Robert Cioffi

In the Tour de France, cyclists must ride over 100 miles a day for three weeks. (Roughly 2,175 miles total)

Overview • • • • • • • • •

Definition Science of blood doping Methods of blood doping Arguments against blood doping Health risks associated with blood doping “Legal” Blood Doping The Reality – A Call to Action Satisfaction of problem Implications for sports

What is blood doping? • Blood doping is any illicit process which increases an athlete’s red blood cell count to an abnormal level.

The Science Behind Blood Doping • Red Blood Cells transport oxygen to all tissues in the body. In this case, we are focusing mainly on transport of oxygen to skeletal muscle. • Increase in red blood cell count increased oxygen carrying capacity increased skeletal muscle oxygenation increased performance for endurance athletes

Methods of Blood Doping • Blood Transfusions

– Autologous (athlete’s own blood) – Homologous (foreign) • Erythropoietin (EPO) • High altitude training/sleeping

Arguments Against Blood Doping • Similar to all other anti-performance enhancer arguments – Unfair – uneven playing field – Health Risks – Unnatural

Health Risks • Blood clotting – Infarctions – tissue death due to lack of blood flow to the organ

• If using homologous blood transfusions… – Blood-born diseases – AIDS, hepatitis, etc. • 1984 U.S. Olympic Cycling Team – Won 9 medals, but at what cost?

– Transfusion reactions

Now that you know what blood doping is and its implications for athletes… • What do you think? – Should blood doping be legal or illegal?

“Legal” Blood Doping: High Altitude Training • Training at high altitudes increases natural red blood cell production

“Legal” Blood Doping: High Altitude Sleeping • Sleeping in a highaltitude (low oxygen) chamber naturally increases an athlete’s red blood cell count. • That’s right… athletes can blood dope in their sleep! • New training technique: “Train low, sleep high” University of Colorado at Boulder, Professor of Mechanical Engineering Igor Gamow’s High Altitude Bed

The Reality • Blood doping, along with all other performance enhancing drugs and processes, EXIST. • The only way to keep the competition fair is for them to be universally legal • The people who want to follow the rules are punished in our current system • It is each athlete’s personal choice whether or not they will assume the risks

Our Only Choice • LEGALIZE Blood Doping • WHY? – Rids the sport of contradictory rules – some methods of blood doping are legal, while others are illegal – Medical supervision – Legal to all athletes = Even playing field – Difficulties in testing – the way we must level the playing field is not chasing a ghost, but embracing it

Final Appeal • If we do not resolve the issue of blood doping with the legalization of blood doping… • Medical technology and advancements will continue to be made as time goes on. • The sport of cycling, and other sports affected by performance enhancing drugs, will fall victim to themselves as they try to keep up with the everlasting improvement of technology.

Questions/Comments?