South African cyclist David George, a former teammate of Lance Armstrong, has admitted to making use of the blood-boosting drug EPO and said the sport had given him experiences “no person or young athlete should have to go through.” “I fully understand the consequences of my admission and will bear the results of this,” George said.

On August 29, the former US Postal Service rider failed an out-of-competition doping test, according to the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport. George was provisionally suspended by Cycling South Africa ahead of an independent tribunal and is now facing a ban of two years.

George rendered an apology to his sponsors but the backer of his current 360Life team, Nedbank, said it was immediately withdrawing its sponsorship.

“Nedbank has a zero tolerance towards the use of any banned substances or performance enhancing drugs and does not condone or support such use in any sport,” the South African bank said.

David George cycled on the disgraced Lance Armstrong’s US Postal team in 1999 and 2000 and was one of the top cyclists of South Africa and won the South African time trial championships five times and road race championships in 2003.

“Cycling, as you know, has been a confusing space, and although it has given me incredible moments it has also given me experiences that no person or young athlete should have to go through,” George said.

“His biological passport indicated suspicious activity and that triggered a targeted test for EPO,” SAIDS chief executive Khalid Galant said earlier Tuesday, announcing the positive test. “A subsequent urine test came back positive for the banned EPO drug.”

Tags:  biological passport, Cycling South Africa, David George, Doping test, EPO, Lance Armstrong

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Fluoxymesterone, also known as Halotestin, is one of the most commonly used bulking cycle steroids among sportsmen. The anabolic steroid is typically used for treating deficiency of testosterone, the primary male sex hormone and is equally beneficial to maintain male secondary sex characteristics.

This steroid is indicated to young men with delayed puberty and women with advanced breast cancer and is also advised to those suffering from low red blood cell production as it can enhance release of erythropoietin (EPO) from the kidneys that means improved hemoglobin and extra oxygen carrying capacity within the body.

Fluoxymesterone use is also associated with dramatic and nearly permanent improvements in the context of exercise performance, aggression, muscle function, stamina, muscle mass, and body strength and muscle definition, endurance, and on-field performance. The steroid is also admired for its unique abilities to stimulate positive nitrogen balance and promote protein anabolism when the body is provided with sufficient calories. It is also effective to reduce protein catabolism and promote early recovery after intense workouts. This anabolic steroid can be purchased in varying forms such as capsules, injections, pills, etc. with or without a medical prescription.

The recommended dose of Fluoxymesterone is 25-50 mg per day, divided in 2-4 small doses and the anabolic steroid is stacked with Winstrol, Anavar, and Anadrol or Testosterone cypionate, Testosterone enanthate, or Testosterone suspension. Abuse or overdosing of this steroid can lead to Halotestin side effects such as facial hair growth in women, gynecomastia, water retention, menstrual irregularities, reduced libido, nausea, anger, depression, or allergic reactions.

Tags:  bulking cycle steroids, EPO, erythropoietin, Fluoxymesterone, Fluoxymesterone use, Halotestin, Halotestin side effects, recommended dose of Fluoxymesterone

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Anadrol is an artificial anabolic steroid ointment that is suggested to professional sportsmen, especially those into weight training and bodybuilding, as it is one of the best steroids and does not cause adverse reactions.

Also known as Oxymetholone (A50 or A-bombs), Anadrol is suggested by doctors to cure sufferers with brittle bones and anemia and provide comfort to undernourished or underdeveloped patients. Anadrol is also recommended to individuals suffering with bone marrow failure as the drug can significantly improve the production and urinary secretion of erythropoietin (EPO).

This Schedule III drug has the chemical name of 17ß-hydroxy-2-(hydroxymethylene)-17-methyl-5a-androstan-3-one and has the molecular formula of C₂₁H₃₂O₃. Its active ingredients include the steroid oxymetholone and inactive ingredients include lactose, povideone, starch, and magnesium stearate. Anadrol has an active life of nearly 14-16 hours and can be detected over a period of 6-8 weeks. The anabolic steroid has the anabolic/androgenic ratio of 320:45 and has the melting point of 178° to 180°C. This DHT-derived compound is not a progestin or a compound with progestenic activity.

Anadrol, the 17-Alpha-Alkylated anabolic steroid ointment, is second to none when it comes to promoting body strength, muscle function, muscle size, muscle definition, and appetite. Moreover to all these benefits, Anadrol is also valuable to enhance lean muscle mass, protein synthesis, nitrogen retention, aggression, and performance in as short as six to eight weeks. Anadrol use is also associated with an enhancement in the count of red blood cells and stamina improvements.

Anadrol must be stored at a controlled room temperature of 20° to 25°C (68° to 77°F) with excursions permitted to 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F) to maintain its shelf life and efficacy and should be guarded against unauthorized use, direct light, heat, and moisture.

Tags:  Anadrol, best steroids, bodybuilding, EPO, erythropoietin, Oxymetholone

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Spanish civil guard have taken 14 people in for questioning around the country as part of an anti-doping operation known as “Greyhound,” according to the Spanish government.

Sports doctors, pharmacists, trainers, coaches, representatives and sportspeople were among those detained, suspected of crimes against public health, the Ministry of the Interior communicated in a statement.

From Reuters.com:

Spanish media reported that the initials MD, which the government statement said referred to a female athlete from Palencia suspected of supplying doping substances, was world steeplechase champion Marta Dominguez.

Spanish television showed images of police taking items from what they said was Dominguez’s home earlier in the day.

Reuters was unable to immediately contact either Dominguez or her representatives for comment.

Up to 15 addresses in Madrid, Las Palmas, Alicante, Segovia and Palencia were raided and police found anabolic steroids, bags of blood, hormones, EPO and laboratory equipment used for carrying out blood transfusions.

“The three people mentioned, after receiving the competition calendars for certain sports people, drew up doping plans for them, treating them occasionally with doping products such as EPO, anabolic steroids, and others, doing transfusions of blood recycled from the same sportsperson,” the civil guard said in their statement while saying that EF and two others were monitored.

Tags:  Anabolic steroids, doping, EPO, Marta Dominguez

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Riccardo Ricco, the cyclist from Italy, has made an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to reduce his two-year ban.

Italian authorities handed down the penalty on Ricco and he was banned from the sport by the Anti-doping Tribunal of the National Olympic Committee of Italy (CONI) on October 2 after testing positive for CERA, a third generation version of banned substance EPO.

From Espnstar.com:

The 25-year-old, after initially denying the allegations, eventually pleaded guilty and named the doctor who had given him the substance, as well as another rider, in an effort to get a reduced punishment.

A decision on Ricco’s appeal will likely be reached within four months.

A statement released today by CAS read: “The CONI Anti-doping Tribunal has imposed a suspension of two years on Ricco after a positive doping test with EPO, performed during the Tour de France 2008.

“The athlete requests the reduction of the suspension on the basis of his collaboration with the authorities in this matter.

“The directions with respect to the arbitration procedure will be issued later on by the Tribunal in accordance with the Code of Sports-related Arbitration.

“As a general rule, CAS delivers its decisions within four months from the filing of the appeal.”

Ricco won two stages on the Tour – the second with a spectacular finish on one of the toughest mountain climbs.

If the appeal fails, the former Saunier Duval rider will not be able to race again before July 30, 2010.

Tags:  CERA, Doping test, EPO, Riccardo Ricco, Tour de France

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Liza Hunter-Galvan, the double Olympian, would not make an effort for the London Olympics despite an international court ruling clearing the way for those who have served doping bans.

“I’m not sure if I have good or bad feelings about the ruling, because I don’t care any more,” the marathon runner said.

From Nzherald.co.nz:

The 42-year-old won the Christchurch Marathon in June after a two-year ban for taking the blood-booster erythropoietin (EPO) in 2009 but suspects she would not be welcome if she did qualify.

“In a nutshell how do you chase a spot that isn’t there?” Hunter-Galvan said. “Whether the ban was lifted or not I realise that the biggest hurdle I face is not my age, desire, commitment, injuries, qualifying standard, financial burden, or [the] poor choice I made. Rather it lies in being accepted.

“I have no interest in going through another legal battle, they take a toll on your soul,” the runner said, a reference to the Beijing Olympics where she placed 35th after appealing her earlier non-selection to the Sports Tribunal.

The double Olympian is the only New Zealander to have tested positive to EPO that is abused in sport for stimulating the production of red blood cells that boosts the amount of oxygen delivered to the muscles.

Tags:  Beijing Olympics, EPO, erythropoietin, London Olympics

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China should make it a criminal offence to offer banned performance-enhancing substances to athletes and jail those found guilty, according to a leading sports ministry official.

After fearing embarrassment at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Chinese sports ministry cracked down on the use of drugs.

From in.reuters.com:

Most positive tests in recent years have been at provincial level or below, including the unearthing of 450 doses of EPO, testosterone and steroids during a raid on a Liaoning athletics school’s training camp in 2006.

Jiang Zhixue, director of the science and education department at the sports ministry, said there was insufficient deterrent for coaches and officials who administer drugs to athletes.

“We are confined to punishing them technically, giving them bans or fines but nothing more,” Jiang was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

“The (current) regulations have certain connection with the criminal law but the criminal law doesn’t have specific terms regarding this area.”

However, if it was made a criminal offence one of the punishments could be imprisonment.

Jiang said the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency had conducted 14,042 tests in 2009 — 13,336 urine tests and 706 blood tests, more than 6,000 of which were random — and 25 gave positive results.

It is worth noting here that athletes from China were at the center of a string of doping scandals in the 1990s and early years of this century.

Tags:  Beijing Olympics, doping, EPO, Steroids, testosterone

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