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What is blood doping and its methods and effects?

I am doing a school project and I would like to no what drug Ben Johnson was
banned for? Was it an anabolic agent?

Can you give me an example of a sports person who has taken drugs?

Apart from the revenue that comes from sponsorship from a tobacco company, what other advantages are there?

Please could you tell me about codeine, methadone and heroin and the effects it has on the performance and performer, side effects,legal implications, what class it is (a,b or c) and if caught would the performer be disqualified?

Q. Hi, could you please explain the following:
1- Nutritional disorder
2- The importance of fibre in the diet
3- Cardiovascular disorders
4- Importance of micro-nutrients in the diet.
18th June 2003

Your questions seem to be aimed at advanced level studies more than the GCSE level for which our book is written, However, here are some simple explanations:
1- Nutritional disorder - is the result on the body of an unbalanced diet i.e. a diet that does not contain a full range of nutrients
2- The importance of fibre in the diet - fibre maintains the health of the digestive and excretory systems
3- Cardiovascular disorders are conditions of the heart and circulatory system usually caused by a lack of exercise and a diet high in salt and fats
4- Importance of micronutrients in the diet - these are vitamins and minerals that are essential for the efficient maintenance of your body systems. They are all included in a balanced diet.
Hope this helps.

Q. I am in the process of collecting information for an independent study into the dietary needs of jockeys. I would be most grateful if you can let me have any information that will be of use to me or can advise me where I can get such information?
Many thanks.
3rd June 2003

Our own information is that jockeys need to maintain a low body weight and will eat a balanced low fat diet including carbohydrates and other nutrients, but essentially in small quantities. They will need to hydrate regularly, but will drink water rather than other forms of liquid. Specialist nutritional advice should be sought through a web search using nutrition, weight control, and, (possibly) jockeys as key words.
Hope this helps

Q. Dear Sir/ Madam,
My daughter is taking GCSE PE and has been set an assignment on personal hygiene. The only question she is having trouble with is: Describe in detail 3 personal hygiene rules a sports performer should follow. Explain why these rules should be encouraged. We know about ordinary hygiene but is it different for sport? We have looked on lots of web sites and can not find much. Can you help please?
6th February 2003

Hi
If you wish to find our EXACTLY what is required you could download the subject specification from the appropriate exam board website. In The World of Sport Examined we recommend keeping the skin, hair, teeth and feet clean, this may count as one. Maintaining the nails by cutting them regularly might be a second rule. Changing to clean clothes regularly would be number three - but then checking the feet for athletes foot and veruccas could be rule four.
Most of the reasons involve reducing the spread of infections and protecting oneself and opponents from scratches etc.
Hope this helps.

Q. Dear Sir/ Madam,
I am doing GCSE PE and I would like to know how smoking effects your performance long-term and short-term of smoking, please help me?
11th October 2002

Hi
In the short term smoking 'fills' your lungs with carbon monoxide which then attaches to the haemoglobin in your red blood cells. This is needed to carry oxygen to your muscles, so you reduce the amount of oxygen that you can carry and this reduces your performance in aerobic events. In the long term the damage to your alveoli and lungs, together with the carbon monoxide problem, the hardening of your arteries and the damage to your heart lead to reduced performance and, more importantly, real health risks. (We haven't even mentioned cancer...)
In summary, smoking is not a good idea!
Hope this helps

Hello
Blood doping is a process in which blood is taken from an athlete and stored. The athlete makes up the lost blood over a few days. Just before competing the stored blood is injected back into the circulatory system. This gives the athlete more red blood cells so more oxygen can be carried to the muscles. It can aid performance in endurance events, but it is very dangerous as it raises blood pressure. It is also banned in athletics and most endurance events.

Q. I am doing a school project and I would like to no what drug Ben Johnson was
banned for? Was it an anabolic agent?
16th September 2002

Hi
Yes, Ben Johnson was banned for using anabolic steroids (agents). He tested
positive after winning the 100m at the Seoul Olympics, 1988

Q. Can you give me an example of a sports person who has taken drugs?
LH, 25th May, 2002

Ben Johnson of Canada is one of the most high profile athletes to have been found guilty of taking anabolic steroids. He won the Olympic 100m in Seoul, 1988 but was later disqualified. The Romanian gymnast Andreea Raducan was disqualified from the Sydney Olympics for taking a cold remedy that contained a banned substance. Most recently the British skier Alain Baxter
was disqualified from the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. He came third in the slalom, but had taken Vicks Sinex. The American version contains metamphetamine. You might wish to consider some of the many questions that arise as a result of these incidents. Did they all deliberately cheat? Should they all have been punished? Where do we draw the line?

Thanks for your question.

Q. I can think of several very good reasons why the concept of sport and tobacco/smoking do not sit happily together.

Apart from the revenue that comes from sponsorship from a tobacco company, what other advantages are there?
JY, 20th January, 2002

You're on to a loser in looking for advantages other than revenue. The European Union has voted to ban tobacco sponsorship of most sport by the end of this year and in all world sport by the end of 2003. So gaining sponsorship is short term - and in the eyes of most legislators it is a negative relationship. To be linked with tobacco is not a good idea for any sport these days.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

Q. Please could you tell me about codeine, methadone and heroin and the effects it has on the performance and performer, side effects,legal implications, what class it is (a,b or c) and if caught would the performer be disqualified?
JA, 9th November, 2001

All three drugs are narcotic analgesics. This means that they are painkillers that are derived from opium. As they are related it is difficult to tell if a codeine headache tablet has been taken on the day of the drug test, or whether morphine was taken to mask the pain of a serious injury. So all three are banned in sport. Heroin and Morphine are Class A drugs which are illegal. Codeine is available from the local pharmacy, but is much less powerful. Any performer found to have traces of opiates (any of these three drugs) faces a ban. In athletics this was 4 years, but it has now been reduced to 2 years.