There are two articles and an editorial in todays Star-Times.
The International Olympic Committee has dropped a bombshell by confirming a banned drug is included in a product that has been provided to elite Kiwi athletes via the New Zealand Academy of Sport’s official sports supplements programme.
The IOC’s chief nutritional scientist, British-based professor Ronald Maughan, says the product Thermotone contains a type of amphetamine which the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) identifies as a banned substance.
The revelation has led to calls for under-fire Sports Minister Murray McCully to reject the findings of a taxpayer-funded report which cleared Crown agency Sparc, and launch a full-blown parliamentary inquiry.
McCully and Sparc’s chairman Paul Collins and chief executive Peter Miskimmin would not comment yesterday on the IOC revelation.
But it prompted Wada’s boss, New Zealander David Howman, to speak out against the way Sparc handled the investigation into the flawed national sports supplement programme.
The first point that I should make is that I know all of the main players well. First met Paul Collins while I was in short pants. I have long admired his support for sport generally, rugby in particular - and it was him providing, with a few others, a personal guarantee that got the Wellington stadium built. Peter is a sporting hero, a great CEO and well known for his integrity. Tim is a well known local barrister, has an international reputation in sports law and is thoroughly pleasant. David used to sit directly behind me in the old season ticket area at Athletic Park and is the world's leader in the anti doping campaign.
McCully. Well he is Muzza and under pressure over the last few months.
The essence of this investigation is that it is possible that an arm of SPARC was recommending a supplement that contained traces of an amphetamine to our high performance athletes. Certainly the experts are certain that one of the ingredients does. We don't know who was recommended the drug, whether anyone used it and if so whether there were any positive tests for it.
The issue is complicated because if it turns out that our athletes (wide range Olympic stars, rugby players etc) were using it then they could be subject to bans. No knowledge of the fact that the athlete knew is necessary.
Now I don't know if we have a problem or not.
But the fact that McCully has instructed those who would normally comment not to doesn't make it look flash.
If there are problems with Tim Castle's report then we should be transparent. I want to see any technical expert advice that contradicts WADA.
Most of all I don't want to be part of a sporting community which looks bad because the Minister wants to pretend that there never was an issue.
Hmm..googling Thermotone, it looks the product is advertised as “may support the basal metabolic blah blah blah”.
May? I’m surprised official bodies provide products that say “may”. “May” is usually used on herbal or cosmetic things where it hasn’t been proven that they have any effect. Is this my taxpayer’s money?
It could be huge for NZ dependant on how many use it but good on you for wanting it looked into. It’s considered doping, pretty plain and simple so that Castle Report is questionable.
Absolutely agree Trevor, check it out. Would that affect the AB’s if they use it? Does Rugby have similar rules to the Olympics with regards doping?
Trevor, I have re-read the article you have posted and I don’t see where it states that Murray McCully has instructed those involved not to comment as you assert, what is says is:
“McCully and Sparc’s chairman Paul Collins and chief executive Peter Miskimmin would not comment yesterday on the IOC revelation.”
So saying that McCully has instructed them to say nothing sounds to me a bit like an unsubstantiated allegation, unless of course you have some proof to back it up Trevor.
Also if you read further on in the piece linked you will see the following: “Miskimmin refused to answer Star-Times questions yesterday, saying he was seeking “verification” from the manufacturer, Red8 parent company Integria Healthcare – owned by the billionaire Todd family”
So that seems reasonable, no comment made until verifications are made, and they have more information.
Oh, and slightly off topic Trevor, but your second sentence after the article should begin “I first met….” Not “First met….”.
I had a slight typo, it should read, “…what it says is:” Not “what is says…”
My apologies for that.
Trevor, Trevor, Trevor. Surely you know that it was Len Brown who put the octopamine into the thermotone. It’s obvious, when you think about it.
“I had a slight typo,”
You madam, are a pendant.
@ Robert Winter
lols
@sofie, I don’t resemble any kind of pendant I am aware of, but if you misspelt and meant pedant, then, yes I am – so what?
I respect Peter MisKimmin and heard him speak this morning.
Isn’t the “arm” of SPARC being referred by Trevor, the High Performance child of Mr McCully? the same one it is strongly rumoured will take up half of SPARC’s current funding post election?
That was a Farrar-tastic post, Trevor.
Red8 list Citrus Aurantium standardised to synephrine on their label not octopamine. If it’s been standardised to synephrine then it won’t contain octopamine, and since Synephrine isn’t banned by WADA this is a typical over-reaction from people that don’t know what they are talking about. This is what WADA have on their website about synephrine: The following substances included in the 2011 Monitoring Program (bupropion, caffeine, phenylephrine, phenylpropanolamine, pipradol, synephrine) are not considered as Prohibited Substances.
Andrew what is important is what is tested as in it, not what is listed. I’m not getting in the middle of testing experts battle but my gut is to go with Howman until proven wrong.
“Andrew what is important is what is tested as in it, not what is listed.” True but the article says “was invited by the Sunday Star-Times to review the list of products supplied to Kiwi sportsmen and women through the academy’s programme…”. And Howman’s quote”"[Octopamine] is not specifically listed on the product [Red8 Thermotone] you directed me to, though it will be there as it is present in Citrus aurantium,”. It’s doubtful that Howman tested every single product on that list for traces of banned ingredients. More likely that he looked at a list of all ingredients or nutrition panels, of which he saw citrus aurantium (CA) and declared that the product contains octopamine. Yes CA contains octopamine but depending on the type of CA it can be in amounts between too low to quantify about to around 0.2%. If Red8 uses the extract of synephrine and not octopamine (there’s 5 or 6 active amines/alkaloids in CA including tyramine, synephrine and octopamine of which companies can use different extracts, most commonly synephrine) then it more than likely doesn’t contain octopamine. It then goes on to say “The finding was backed up by another expert, Professor James Docherty of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, who independently analysed Thermotone for the Star-Times and agreed with Maughan that Citrus aurantium contains octopamine.” It doesn’t say that Thermotone contains octopamine only that CA does. Even if the CA used in Thermotone contains octopamine, at 0.2% of a 75mg or .075g serve of CA that equates to 0.015grams of octopamine per capsule. If they were to test the athletes I think the find the the level of octopamine in their system would be negligible and way below an effective dose, and since WADA have an allowable lower limit for both ephedrine and pseudoephedrine, perhaps they need to have a similar lower limit for octopamine.
WADA have cleared the supplement, according to Radio Sport this morning.