Anti-doping agency may ban hypoxic blood boosting

[AngryAmish]

"Three of the top U.S. cyclists in this year's Tour de France use a special method to enhance their performance, and it is legal. They sleep in altitude tents or altitude rooms that simulate the low-oxygen conditions of high altitude. This prompts the body to make more oxygen-carrying red blood cells and can lead to improved endurance.

The cyclists — David Zabriskie, George Hincapie and Levi Leipheimer — are among the athletes featured on the Web site for Colorado Altitude Training, which makes the tents, known as hypoxic devices. Runners, triathletes, skiers, rowers and the Philadelphia Flyers hockey team are among the elite athletes who espouse the virtues of the company's altitude simulation products on the site.

But soon, the altitude tents and rooms may be banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency. The agency's ethics panel recently determined that the tents and rooms violated "the spirit of sport."


Is this process dangerous? I don't think so. Would it give people native to high altitudes an unfair advantage? Would people have to move to high altitudes if they want to compete in international distance effects?

Ever wonder why Kenyans of a certain tribe dominate distance running. Traits that help long distance running have been selected for in their environments. Do they have an unfair advantage?

Are all technological improvements to performance unethical? They example I use is always eyeglasses/contact lenses in baseball. Do they help people hit? You bet. They were not born that way. They did not train to improve performance. Yet glasses are allowed but other things (steroids)are not. (steroids could be banned for health effects but if there was a steroid that was healthy should it be banned -- and I think andro has no known side effects other than building muscle mass).