You heard Komen tested positive for coffeine somewhere.and not knowing the case well,how could he be a worse drug cheater?And how could Bob Kennedy be a cheater for that?I just can't believe this kinda debate could happen.
As for '25 percent is a lot' talk.How about 20 fastest men's 1500m?how about 50 fastest 3000m ?How about 100 fastest marathon?You just cited the data(only 10 or so and only in two events) which is convinient for you. And then what a fiasco!
You American so want sports to be dirty.its Olympic athletes are said 'they commonly use drugs.'then Baseball things.And they say 'other countries are doing worse ,doing worse,most athletes are on dope,people who don't believe that are silly'like a kid.Pity.
I don't want to say this kind of thing .But I'm so dissapointed.IS this American way?
>>When is a "positive" drug test not positive? More often than you might believe, especially when the drug is caffeine. Yet whenever it is announced or "leaked" that an athlete has produced a positive dope test, the public almost always automatically assumes that the athlete is guilty.
Take the recent case of Kenyan world record holder Daniel Komen. The fact that he had "flunked" two drug tests because of excess caffeine in his urine was leaked to the German press in January. The story in a Munich paper reported that Komen had a "metabolic anomaly" that caused him to flunk the test despite consuming "normal" amounts of substances containing caffeine.
Komen is not the only athlete discovered with such an anomaly. In 1995, German triple jumper Astrid Mannes was also exonerated by an appeals panel when she was able to demonstrate her problems with caffeine had nothing to do with doping.
These may not be just two isolated cases. Research by Australian and German pharmacologists indicate that this anomaly may be more widespread. In a paper published in 1991 Australian pharmacologist Don Birkett wrote: "A regulatory urine caffeine concentration limit of 12 micrograms/ml may be exceeded by some individuals with coffee intake in the range of three to six cups per day." The 12 micrograms/ml measurement is significant; levels above it constitutes a positive test, according to IOC regulations.
German sports scientist Peter Schroder's study of the validity of the 12 micrograms/ml limit, published in 1993, supported Birkett's findings that "normal" caffeine consumption could result in a "positive" dope test.
Even more intriguing, however, is the fact that Schroder also points out that the accepted view of caffeine as a performance enhancer is also open to question. That view that is echoed by Tim Noakes, M.D., in his widely acclaimed 1991 book, Lore of Running.
Citing several conflicting studies on the alleged benefits of caffeine for athletes, Noakes acknowledges that caffeine can act as a "mental stimulant," but that "the question of whether or not caffeine ingestion really helps performance is unresolved."
The IOC banned caffeine in 1984, acting on evidence that it was being used by athletes attempting to boost their performances. The late Manfred Donike, then the head of the IOC's doping subcommission, set the current limit at 12, noting in his Doping Control handbook that "through the drinking of strong coffee, tea or cola drinks, even in heavy coffee drinkers, only concentrations of between 3 and 4 micrograms/ml were found."
Despite evidence to the contrary, Donike's revision of the handbook, published in January of 1994, made only the following concession: "The experiences since 1982 show that hardly any problems are to be anticipated regarding the limit of 12 micrograms/ml, unless caffeine is applied in pure form or an above average consumption of caffeine-containing beverages is taken [i.e., more than 1 liter of coffee of average strength]."
So, while all the reports regarding Komen's tests have clearly stated that he was not found to be guilty of a doping offense, the mere fact that his case was publicized directed needless suspicion that he might be attempting to use illegal means to enhance his performance. The controversy surrounding the validity of the IOC's caffeine test or even the necessity of putting the substance on the banned list has not been aired. Instead, an athlete's reputation is potentially damaged because the IOC is not open about the limitations of its testing process.
by Jim Ferstle