AFL says players not in performance drugs blitz
* Simon Benson
* From: Herald Sun
* October 23, 2010 11:39AM
AFL stars are unlikely to be among the nine athletes who have tested positive to a banned performance enhancing substance.
The AFL released a statement today saying the league, clubs and players, had received no notification from the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority that footballers were among the nine caught.
Under protocols, the league would have been told immediately if AFL registered players were involved.
“The AFL today confirmed that it had no notification from ASADA that any AFL players were among nine Australian athletes who have tested positive to the prohibited stimulant methylhexaneamine,” the AFL said in a statement.
“Under the ASADA performance enhancing drug protocols, any positive test of an A sample is immediately communicated to both the national sporting organisation and the athlete.
“The AFL confirms that it has received no such communication from ASADA that any AFL player has tested positive to the prohibited stimulant methylhexaneamine.”
The NRL today also released a statement, saying it was unaware of any of its players being among the nine.
"The National Rugby League and New South Wales Rugby League support warnings today from the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority about the stimulant Methylhexaneamine and the need for all athletes to remain vigilant in regard to the contents of any supplements or dietary products," the statement said.
"The NRL is unaware of any positive test to Methylhexaneamine in any of its finals matches, premiership matches or out of competition tests.
"It has recorded a positive test to Methylhexaneamine at Toyota Cup level and a player is the subject of a provisional suspension until the matter is determined through the correct NRL and WADA procedures.
"The NSWRL has today confirmed that it is also pursuing two cases involving the same substance at NSW Cup level and one at Bundaberg Cup level.
"Further details in relation to individual cases are not available at this stage."
ASADA has refused to release the nine names following the blitz on the nation's top professional sporting bodies.
The Herald Sun can reveal the nine athletes tested positive to the banned stimulant DMAA, used in some bodybuilding and dietary supplements and as a component in some party drugs.
The tests are believed to have been done during the AFL and NRL Grand Finals.
Tests also were conducted before and after the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, but not during the event, which was monitored by international authorities.
The results were described as alarming and signalled a "massive" spike in the use of DMAA.
The stimulant was included on the global banned list at the end of 2009 - with a maximum two-year penalty.
Authorities believe many athletes may be unaware DMAA is used in some health supplements.
The shock results last night prompted ASADA to issue an urgent warning to all Australian athletes about the inadvertent use of the substance.
"It is a very large number in such a short period," a source said.
"That's why the warning has gone out."
With the London Olympics less than two years away, athletes could find themselves sidelined from the biggest event of their lives.
DMAA has already cost Nigerian sprinter Osayomi Oludamola her Commonwealth Games 100m gold medal.
She was handed the race in a storm of controversy when Australian sprinter Sally Pearson was disqualified for jumping the gun - only to lose it again when she tested positive.
ASADA chief Aurora Andruska last night confirmed nine athletes had tested positive and were being investigated.
"This spike in positive test results is a timely reminder to all athletes to exercise the utmost caution in checking the contents of supplements and other products they choose to use," she said.
The authority wants the Australian sporting community to be on the lookout for any supplement or product containing the stimulant, which has the chemical name methylhexaneamine.
Sports Minister Mark Arbib urged athletes to take extra precautions.
"The stimulant methylhexaneamine is appearing more and more in doping test results both here and overseas, and has been linked to a number of popular supplements," he said.
"With the spike in the number of positive test results ... we are warning athletes to take extreme caution and double check the contents of supplements and other products they choose to use.
"I would hate to see an athlete receive a ban because they hadn't carefully checked the ingredients of a supplement."
The ASADA warning said that Methylhexaneamine, also referred to as dimethylamylamine and dimethylpentylamine, was classed as an S6 stimulant on the World Anti-Doping Agencys Prohibited List for 2010 and is prohibited in-competition.
In a rare official warning issued last night to athletes, ASADA warned: "Athletes need to be aware that, under the policy of strict liability, they are responsible for any substance found in their body.
"Athletes using supplements do so at their own risk and, because of supplement manufacturing processes can lead to their contents varying from batch to batch, ASADA can not advise if supplements contain prohibited substances.
"The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) is advising all Australian athletes subject to in-competition doping control to carefully consider their use of supplements and products containing methylhexaneamine."
ASADA is concerned that many Australian athletes may be ingesting the chemical accidently, unaware that otherwise harmless supplements may contain the substance which is often not clearly identified in a products list of ingredient
