October 4/06 5:58 am - Analysis Determines "Hypoxic Devices Need Not Be Banned"

Posted by Editor on 10/4/06
 

Expert Analysis Determines "Hypoxic Devices Need Not Be Banned"

The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) supports the decision of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) that hypoxic devices should not be added to the 2007 Prohibited List. To contribute a Canadian voice to the discussion, the CCES convened its Ethical Issues Review Panel recently to explore the issue of hypoxic devices, and had recommended to WADA that the devices, which are also known as oxygen or altitude tents, should not be banned.

The CCES position was endorsed by Dr. Andrew Pipe, Director of the Prevention and Rehabilitation Centre at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute and the CCES' Medical Science Advisor, who characterized any benefits derived from the use of hypoxic devices as "passive" and "normal."

Beckie Scott, Olympic cross-country ski medallist and CCES Board Member, agreed. "Using altitude basically just exposes the athlete to an external stress, and gains are made in response to that stress; this is the definition of training."

Further reading:

* Submission to WADA Concerning the Status of Hypoxic Devices - www.cces.ca/pdfs/CCES-PAPER-HypoxicDevices-E.pdf

* WADA Media Release: WADA Executive Committee Approves the 2007 Prohibited List - www.wada-ama.org/en/newsarticle.ch2?articleId=3115325