Doping agency's eye on calves' blood
Jacquelin Magnay and Brad Walter
July 5, 2008
The World Anti-Doping Agency has taken a close interest in revelations Manly Sea Eagles and other Australian sporting teams have been injecting calves' blood.
Spokesman Frederick Donze told the Herald his agency was closely monitoring the use of the calves' blood extract, also known as Actovegin. "We are aware of its use in some sports, possibly in conjunction with other substances…" he said.
The agency constantly updated its banned list, but gave no indication that Actovegin would be added any time soon.
While there have been cases of high-profile Australian athletes travelling to Germany for injections of the extract, it appears that Manly has been the first Australian team to source a local and reliable supply of the controversial substance.
Spanish cyclist Jesus Manzano, who spilled the beans on his drug-taking during the Tour de France, admitted combining an animal product, Oxyglobin, with the steroid nandrolone and Actovegin.
Donze said Actovegin had been thoroughly laboratory tested and there was no evidence that the product contained blood cells susceptible to increase oxygen transport. He said the laboratories could also find no evidence of growth hormone or prohibited hormones in the product.
But the added international scrutiny has put extra pressure on the NRL to ensure Manly are not inadvertently breaking agency rules.
Under its code, injecting Actovegin into veins is illegal and would result in a two-year ban.
However, it is not illegal to inject the substance into muscles.
Manly insiders claim they have been using Actovegin in soft tissue - hamstrings, Achilles tendons and groins - to hasten recovery, and that all substances are checked with the agency's code to ensure legality.
NRL chief executive David Gallop said Manly was within its rights to use the product.
"We rely on WADA for clear direction on these types of substances and certainly, if they were to change their current view, then that would be the end of it," Gallop said.
Actovegin's main ingredient comes from calves aged under six months and is sourced from Australia, as the country is free of mad cow disease.
Medically, it is used to stimulate circulation in the brain and help treat other neurological disturbances, as well as skin grafts and burns.
Manly players say they use Actovegin only to treat injuries, mainly hamstring or groin problems, and it is injected into the muscle - not intravenously.
The players are given the option of whether they want to use Actovegin to help their recovery but most seem to believe it is beneficial to the treatment of soft-tissue injuries. It has also been suggested that another benefit is that it combats fatigue.
At least one player at a rival club is thought to have inquired about Actovegin after being sidelined by an injury this season. But none of the 10 clubs surveyed by the Herald this week said their players had used it.
However, St George Illawarra and the Sydney Roosters admitted they had considered using Actovegin but were yet to be convinced of its benefits. The Broncos have also looked into using the substance.
"It is one of those things that has been investigated in the past but a lot of the research that I personally have seen isn't conclusive into the benefits of it," Brisbane performance director Jeremy Hickman told ABC radio's The World Today program. "It is obviously something we do keep in mind but not something we use at present.
"You are always looking for that edge but, you know, I think you have got to make sure you get all the basics right first, and any edge you are looking for is proven and has got a good amount of research behind it."
The Herald understands a number of AFL clubs use Actovegin to treat injuries.
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