Markku P
Blue Belt
We now have a new doping case here in Sweden. The swedish doping commission chairman Thore Brolin said on Wednesday that 22-year-old national champion Mohammed Qatanani tested positive for methylhexaneamine, a stimulant that is banned during competitions.
This wasn't really a big surprise for me, but in this case, I think he didn't use it intentionally. It was just a stupid mistake because he was careless with supplements. He and his coach should know better, (actually I don't know if the coach knew about that particular supplement) there is so much misinformation about new supplements and the manufactures don't give out all the facts about ingredients, so nobody should take this lightely.
This was quite a big thing in the local media in Sweden. Every newspaper and TV news program mentioned about the Swedish taekwondo champion and Olympic hope that got banned for doping. I even saw that usatoday.com wrote about it.
Now it looks like the media has lost its interest, but still, it's time to think about what we should do differently! We have to educate athletes and coaches about the danger of using dietary supplements, especially when we can't trust the information about ingredients that we are provided.
I would also like to have a discussion on how we should act when something like this happens in the future.
I would recommend the following:
a) The coach and the athlete should come out in front of the media immediately. Just give all the facts and don't make up any stories, be honest and admit that we made a mistake.
b) Dont hide! This can also be an opportunity to make a name for yourself. (Its cynical, I know) just look how Charlie Sheen or Lindsay Lohan are profiting from their mistakes. The public is more forgiving and their memory is shorter nowadays. So why shouldn't athletes use this as a stepping stone for publicity? People will talk about you anyway so why not use it for your benefit?
c) Dont leave an athlete alone. This will be a very difficult time and the person will need all the help and support. Too often I see that when a fighter is doing well everyone is there for him but when something goes wrong then everyone just disappear.
d) Just don't use any drugs and be very careful with supplements. The risks are just too great! Think about it, is it worth it?
OK, This was all for today!
/Markku
This wasn't really a big surprise for me, but in this case, I think he didn't use it intentionally. It was just a stupid mistake because he was careless with supplements. He and his coach should know better, (actually I don't know if the coach knew about that particular supplement) there is so much misinformation about new supplements and the manufactures don't give out all the facts about ingredients, so nobody should take this lightely.
This was quite a big thing in the local media in Sweden. Every newspaper and TV news program mentioned about the Swedish taekwondo champion and Olympic hope that got banned for doping. I even saw that usatoday.com wrote about it.
Now it looks like the media has lost its interest, but still, it's time to think about what we should do differently! We have to educate athletes and coaches about the danger of using dietary supplements, especially when we can't trust the information about ingredients that we are provided.
I would also like to have a discussion on how we should act when something like this happens in the future.
I would recommend the following:
a) The coach and the athlete should come out in front of the media immediately. Just give all the facts and don't make up any stories, be honest and admit that we made a mistake.
b) Dont hide! This can also be an opportunity to make a name for yourself. (Its cynical, I know) just look how Charlie Sheen or Lindsay Lohan are profiting from their mistakes. The public is more forgiving and their memory is shorter nowadays. So why shouldn't athletes use this as a stepping stone for publicity? People will talk about you anyway so why not use it for your benefit?
c) Dont leave an athlete alone. This will be a very difficult time and the person will need all the help and support. Too often I see that when a fighter is doing well everyone is there for him but when something goes wrong then everyone just disappear.
d) Just don't use any drugs and be very careful with supplements. The risks are just too great! Think about it, is it worth it?
OK, This was all for today!
/Markku
