Doping in Biathlon

Doping. A term we hear too often these days. The people conclude from the events in cycling to cross-country-skiing and even biathlon. The athletes are always suspected, the federations are never guilty.

The IBU fighting doping

The IBU promotes itself by saying that it is one of the first federations that has fought doping from the very beginning. Indeed blood tests and controls during training phases were established already in 1994 and in 1997/1998 haemoglobin values were ascertained. Right after a scandal during the past Tour de France.

The haemoglobin values are 17,5g for men and 16g for women. "Out of those limits the athlete is blocked for 5 days and has to take urine tests where drugs are searched, especially EPO." explains Pierre Jeannier, doctor of the IBU. During every competition (World Cup and World Championships) blood tests are done for 6 athletes appointed at random. They have to show up 90 minutes before the beginning of the race. Furthermore, urine tests for the winner and another athlete chosen at random are realized. The same procedure is done at European Championships and Junior World Championships. The problem of this system : When the athletes find out that they are controlled they are not accompanied by an official but by a team member (physiotherapist, doctor, coach).

Moreover, the Top 30 athletes of the World Cup participates in the system ADAMS (Anti Doping Administration & Management System) realized by WADA (World Anti Doping Agency). "This means that I have to announce my programme for a whole month, that I have to say where I spend my night and even that I can be controlled all the time. But it also means transparency." says Sandrine Bailly.

The athletes take over responsibility

Nevertheless there are scandals in Biathlon, too. Not worth to remember Torino 2006, the Austrians and Olga Pyleva. But in our time the measures taken by federations are not enough. The athletes have to face the suspicions and prove the opposite.

That is why Sandrine Bailly (as the only biathlete now that Alex Aubert has finished his career) voluntarily participates in the programme "Athletes for Transparency". Every year, 5 to 10 blood tests are done and these tests are published in the web, on the site of the AFT organisation.

"It doesn't change anything for me, because I have to do blood tests all over the year to check if there are problems of not (lacks, exhaustion, illness …). I don't mind that the results are published because it's a way to transparency, it shows that I have nothing to hide, that I can be controlled whenever you want."

The future ?

Pierre Jeannier : "The problem that the fight against doping has to deal with today is the lack of tests to prove genetic manipulation (medicine to grow muscles, doping with the own blood). It's the problem of all sports. Thanks to the software ARIETTA, that follows the development of the results of blood tests and skiing as well as shooting performances, we should be able to intervene even in this field." But the results can only be checked by IBU-doctors possessing the necessary data for access and not by public.
All we can do is hope for further innovations to help keep biathlon free of scandals.

"If those unannounced tests are done, we have good measures to fight doping." (Sandrine Bailly)

Anne Gassner

2005/2006

2006/2007