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IOC called to check food supplements
ROME (AP) -- After nutritional supplements were blamed for a recent batch of positive doping tests, athletes representing Europe's national Olympic committees have called for international regulation of the dietary substitutes. Former Czech tennis star Helena Sukova said Thursday that the International Olympic Committee should establish a list of acceptable nutritional aid products. A representative of the British Olympic Committee, Miriam Batten, urged the IOC to establish a hot line athletes could call to find out if a supplement could result in a positive doping test. Others suggested the same stringent controls as those for pharmaceutical products be applied to over-the-counter supplements, which include Creatine, a popular product that can contain precursors to the steroid nandrolone. "I took Creatine because a doctor said 'Take it, it's nutritional and will help you,' " said Peter Blange, an Olympic champion with the Dutch volleyball team. "But now I know I put my health at risk and risked testing positive." The calls came in the wake of claims by top soccer stars and Sydney Olympics competitors that they had tested positive for banned substances because of nutritional supplements. An expert panel discussion Thursday was part of the inaugural meeting of the European Athletes Commission, a group of competitors and former competitors who represent their national Olympic committees. Patrick Schamasch, the IOC's medical director, suggested that national Olympic committees may be better suited to monitor the products, which vary from country to country. He also said the IOC is studying supplement use. "The IOC's intention is not to fight against the food supplements but to protect innocent athletes from poor labeling and to not allow an excuse for the real cheaters," Schamasch said. The top Italian soccer league has had a rash of players test positive this season for nandrolone, including such stars as Juventus' Dutch midfielder Edgar Davids and Lazio's Portuguese defender Fernando Couto. Some team representatives have suggested athletes have unknowingly consumed the banned substances in food supplements. Jose Maria Odriozosa, vice president of the Spanish Olympic Committee, dismissed such pleas. "These athletes are professionals, making millions of dollars," said Odriozosa, a biochemist who has studied the effects of dietary products. "They should know how to train, how to eat and how to take supplements. In the end, the athlete must be responsible. It's the only way to cut out the cheaters." A researcher for the food giant, Nestle, insisted that "there is no need to panic." "Creatine is efficient but should be used sparingly, and the quality must be controlled," said Nestle scientist Jacques Decombaz.
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