I think Paula Radcliffe has ashtma. I just wonder what kind of medication she takes.
Athletes using asthma to cheat
SINGAPORE (AP) - The IOC contends too many Olympians are falsely depicting themselves as asthmatic, and outlined tough screening procedures to prevent them from qualifying for otherwise banned medication.
Arne Ljungqvist, the International Olympic Committee's medical commission chairman, said Thursday tests at the 2004 Athens Olympics revealed that 45 athletes who described themselves as asthmatic did not in fact have the condition - 10 per cent of the total that sought permission to take anti-asthma medication during the Games.
He said such testing would continue at the 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy. In addition, athletes with asthma must provide documents verifying their condition.
"The 10 per cent rejection rate indicates there is an overdiagnosis," Ljungqvist said. "This clearly shows the need for a follow-up during the Games."
Ljungqvist said most of the athletes unjustifiably seeking asthma medicine probably were doing so based on faulty diagnoses from their own doctors, rather than out of intent to cheat. But other IOC members attending the committee's session were not so charitable.
"We've caught onto their scam," said Montreal lawyer Dick Pound, the head of the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Pound suggested that a majority of the asthma cases were fraudulent.
IOC member Pal Schmitt of Hungary called the high number of Olympians complaining of asthma "ridiculous."
"The ill probably should practise some easier sport than participate in the Olympic Games," he said. "We need to stop this pretending to be ill and taking dope in order to enhance the sporting performance."
Ljungqvist said the asthma tests being used for Olympic screening were state of the art, and more likely to produce accurate findings than some other testing procedures.
"There seems to be some cultural differences," he said. "Some people are more willing to give the diagnosis of asthma without being given the latest tests."
Ljungqvist expressed empathy with athletes who do suffer from asthma, saying medication simply helps them curtail their affliction enough to compete on relatively equal terms with non-asthmatic competitors.
He said strenuous exercise can aggravate asthma, and also said there are more cases in the cold weather of the Winter Games than at the Summer Games.
The Athens Olympics were the first Summer Games in which athletes were required to present documentation that they suffered from asthma to be permitted to take medication. They also underwent tests measuring lung functions.
The tougher screening was implemented after 607 athletes at the 2000 Sydney Olympics provided waivers allowing the use of asthma medications. That was about seven per cent of all the athletes competing at Sydney.
Asthma sufferers face shortness of breath during and after their workouts. That can trigger an acute narrowing of the airways, making breathing difficult and causing chest tightness and pain.
Some medical experts estimate that 30 per cent or more of Olympic athletes have asthma or symptoms consistent with asthma, including some who keep their condition secret.