Competitors query FINA decision to ban blood tests
( 2001-07-24 10:38 ) (7 )

Swimming's world governing body FINA has come under fire for not using a new test for one of the most dangerous banned drugs in sport.

Some competing swimmers have attacked FINA's decision not to test for the blood-boosting erythropoietin (EPO) at the current world championships in Japan.

EPO artificially boosts the number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells which are important in endurance events. But it can be fatal by making the blood thick and gluey, leading to a breakdown of the entire circulatory system.

A combined blood and urine test for EPO was approved and used at last year's Sydney Olympics in a bid to catch cheats.

The International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) said on Monday that it would be testing for the banned drug at next month's world athletics championships in Canada for the first time.

Swimming trialled the tests at a World Cup meeting in Australia last year but has decided not to use blood tests in Fukuoka.

"I thought that was a step in the right direction and they probably should do it here," Australian backstroker Dyana Calub said. "Testing keeps everyone on the same pace and drug free."

German backstroker Sandra Voelker added: "I was tested in Sydney and I think it's a shame it's not here, I'm in favour on tests."

FINA's decision has surprised some members of the swimming community, coming at a time when the sport is trying to clean up its image.

SCANDALS

Swimming has been plunged into a serious of doping scandals in recent years including the last world championships in 1998 when a Chinese swimmer was caught smuggling human growth hormone into Australia and four of her team mates were banned for using diuretics.

But executive director Cornel Marculescu defended FINA's position, saying the swimming body had decided not to use blood tests because there were still some scientific concerns about the reliability of the tests.

"Our research tells us that the best test at the moment is a urine test," Marculescu said.

"We agree with (blood tests) but we have a scientific body that comes to us and recommends we use urine tests and at the moment there is no urine test for EPO."

French and Australian laboratories developed a blood test for EPO that was used in Sydney. There are hopes that a new test which requires the analysis of urine only, will be ready soon.

Marculescu said FINA expected to carry out about 300 random tests during the championships which began on July 16 and finish on Sunday. He said almost 180 tests had already been conducted with all returning negative results.

All champions and world record setters would be automatically tested, he added.