I'm looking for an article or an interview in which he openly admits to blood doping. A highly controversial topic as it wasn't illegal at the time.
I'm looking for an article or an interview in which he openly admits to blood doping. A highly controversial topic as it wasn't illegal at the time.
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I believe Cova admitted to blood doping. It was not illegal at the time.
Blood doping does not involve injecting illegal substances : "Blood is taken from the athlete, stored while the body replenishes itself, then given back prior to competition".
Several folks in a Facebook group that I'm a part of all indicated that he admitted to it after the fact.
I did a Google search and couldn't come up with anything.
nikeman wrote:
Several folks in a Facebook group that I'm a part of all indicated that he admitted to it after the fact.
I did a Google search and couldn't come up with anything.
I do see multiple references that indicate Cova did admit to it, but I guess I was not sure why he would admit to it, unless he wanted to clear his conscience, as whether it was banned at the time or not, it still taints him in my eyes, and I am sure, many others...
By the way, if you watch the 1983 Helsinki 10,000m final, with 200m to go, almost nobody would have thought Cova would win the race.
Renato Canova has posted that Cova blood doped. Don't have the thread. I just remember he previously posted that.
Canova has stated that blood doping doesn't work on Italians.
Aerobo-cop wrote:
Canova has stated that blood doping doesn't work on Italians.
Ok, that was pretty funny.
Renato Canova wrote:
Its true that CONI asked Conconi to prepare a full plan of assistance for top athletes of endurance, using the University of Ferrara. This plan started some time before 1980, and lasted till 1985, when to auto-transfusion became illegal.
This practice was purposed to all the Italian athletes of endurance : runners, walkers, skiers, bikers, swimmers. Many accepted, many refused. I very well know the list of top athletes refusing : Stefano Mei, Francesco Panetta, Gelindo Bordin, Alessandro Lambruschini were the best known among runners, Stefania Belmondo about skiers.
Some of them had systematic approach with this procedure (I cant call it doping, because at that time it was legal) : Alberto Cova was the most known, but also Antibo the Selvaggio twins, Fontanella, Gerbi for Moscow OG, used it.
Somebody else tried one time, but after the worst results in their career never tried again : this is the case of the Olympic Champion Maurizio Damilano (he tried before ECh 1982, and had the worst competition of his life), of Massimo Magnani (dropped out in one marathon, and never wanted to try again), of Salvatore Bettiol.
So, its clear that, like for altitude training, there are responders and not responders. But we have some more info : for example, Antibo quitted this practice in 1985, and started immediately to run faster. The Antibo 1990 was an athlete of sure able to compete with great hopes of victory with the best Kenyan today.
The best Italian results in that period (apart Alberto Cova) came from athletes REFUSING the auto-transfusion : Bordin winning OG, Panetta WCh in steeple, Lambruschini medal in steeple, Damilano WCh again in 1987, and many other.
About ski-cross, Stefania Belmondo won more Olympic and World medals of Emanuela Di Centa, one completely clean, the other using auto-transfusion.
So, there is no evidence that that practice can generally help all the athletes. There is, instead, evidence that the practice can provoke some specific loss of the immunity ability, and athletes become weaker year after year. This happened with the swimmer Franceschi, big hope of medal in 1984, never again at the same level, with the steeple runner Mariano Scartezzini, and with some cyclist.
might of refused blood but likely others on steroids.
obviously a fine art.
this just showes canova obsession wit doping
extra blood can lead to much dehydration.
so unless balance restored counter enhancement, worse in heat or longer race.
and showes then was stil work in progress.
most should respond if given long enough to hydrate
immunity-risk else blood
aduck2022 wrote:
might of refused blood but likely others on steroids.
obviously a fine art.
this just showes canova obsession wit doping
At least you changed your usual text but "might of"? lol