Pharmacology, Doping and Sports

Tue, Jul  28, 2009 - By USSDA

Pharmacology, Doping and Sports: A Complete Scientific Guide for Athletes, Coaches, Physicians, Scientists and Administrators

Colorado Springs, Colo. (June 23, 2009) – Edited by Jean L. Fourcroy, M.D., PhD. MPH, Pharmacology, Doping and Sports is a comprehensive, scientific guide for athletes, coaches, physicians, scientists and administrators, and anyone who is interested in the science or the ethics of doping in sport. Dr. Fourcroy has been involved in the world of anti-doping for decades and serves on the Board of Directors of USADA.

The work of anti-doping authorities is constantly challenged by the development of ever-harder to trace, new forms of prohibited substances and methods. Agencies around the world are pioneering cutting-edge techniques designed to keep competition on a global level fair and safe, and must ensure that their drug testing laboratories adhere to the highest scientific standards. In Pharmacology, Doping and Sports, some of these techniques and procedures are explained by the world’s anti-doping experts.

With a Prologue by three-time Olympian, 2000 mountain biking national champion, and USADA Board member, Carl Swenson, and a Foreword by USADA CEO, Travis T. Tygart, this invaluable publication features the writings of today’s international experts working to keep our athletes clean. Some of these prominent scientists and anti-doping authorities include Christiane Ayotte, Director of the Doping Control Laboratory in Quebec; Richard Holt, Reader in Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of Southampton; Francoise Lasne, head of the Research and Biological Development Department at the French National Anti-Doping Laboratory; and Peter H. Sönksen, Emeritus Professor of Endocrinology at St. Thomas’ Hospital and King’s College London, and Visiting Professor at Southampton University Medical School.

In her Preface, Dr. Jean Fourcroy asks, “Is this an Olympic chemical race or a race to the swift of the enhanced?” In the book’s pages, Pharmacology, Doping and Sports presents a broad-ranging examination of the effects of performance-enhancing substances on the athlete’s health; the role of anti-doping procedures as an ethical question; and explains the background to, and the emergence of, the anti-doping movement. It also offers an in-depth analysis of key scientific matters, such as: standard analytical and diagnostic tests for sports doping, regulatory standards for laboratory proficiency, and common performance-enhancing techniques such as anabolic and designer steroids, blood doping, growth hormones, and gene doping. The book provides an invaluable study of up-to-the-minute anti-doping techniques.

USADA is responsible for the testing and results management process for athletes in the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Movement, and is equally dedicated to preserving the integrity of sport through research initiatives and educational programs.