Boosting red cells to better track record

What is the current scandal to hit world athletics?

The Sunday Times and German broadcaster ARD/WDR received a giant database containing 12,359 blood tests taken from more than 5,000 athletes between 2001 and 2012 which were leaked by a whistleblower. It points to an extraordinary extent of cheating by athletes in top events — mostly endurance races; 800m and upwards in distance. Analysis by renowned experts shows that medals have been won at every world championship and Olympic Games since 2001 by suspected blood dopers. The leaked database contains records of 12,359 blood tests from more than 5,000 athletes in 208 countries. However the newspaper’s expert analysts uncovered more than 1,400 abnormal tests from more than 800 athletes in 94 countries. One in 7 athletes is described as “highly suggestive of doping or at the very least abnormal” which totals to a third of all medals. A total of 146 medals had been awarded to 76 athletes who had given suspicious blood tests. 55 gold medals are allegedly tainted with winners having given suspicious blood samples at some point in their careers. Ten medals from the London Games seem spurious. Half the star athletes who had won at least two gold medals at the world championships had recorded likely doping or suspicious blood-test results.

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What are the blood boosting suspicions?

Endurance athletes are known to improve performance significantly by increasing the number of red cells in blood, that transport oxygen to muscles. Muscles can function at peak levels during high level activity if they receive oxygen longer. This red cell count can be increased by injecting a banned substance erythropoietin (EPO) or undergoing a blood transfusion where an athlete withdraws his own blood, stores it at freeze point and then re-infuses it before competition. It thickens blood and gives an oxygen boost to tiring limbs. Experts say blood doping can improve performance of a 5,000m runner by a phenomenal 30 seconds, and in 10,000m by more than a minute.

What do the leaked tests contain?

The leaked database includes a bunch of scores for the 12,359 blood test results. It assigns scores for Haemoglobin — the proportion of oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells, Reticulocyte — the proportion of young red blood cells in the body and an Off-score — possible blood doping by cross-referencing the numbers of young and old red cells in the blood. Sunday Times found 800 athletes recorded abnormal blood tests, which is 12% of individual tests, 15% of all athletes and, including 21 who “recorded blood values so extreme they risked heart attacks and should have been given emergency medical treatment to have their blood drained”. Experts examined multiple blood test results over a period of time — the same process as the second stage of the biological passport programme now used to check doping.

What is the extent of the dope suspicion?

Out of 450 endurance medals won at Olympic and Worlds from 2011 and 2012, 146 were awarded to athletes with suspicious blood tests — 55 gold, 47 silver, 45 bronze. Every World Championship and Olympic Games since 2001 appears tainted with 2005 Helsinki, 2007 Osaka and Beijing Games being the worst hit.
(2001 Edmonton — 16; 2003 Saint Denis — 14; 2004 Athens Olympics — 16; 2005 Helsinki — 21; 2007 Osaka — 20; 2008 Beijing Olympics — 19; 2009 Berlin — 14; 2011 Daeugu — 16; 2012 London Olympics — 10). The 1500m track has more than half of its medallists under suspicion with 54 percent posting suspicious blood tests. The 20km walk is next with 52%. (Other events: 50 km walk — 48 percent; 3000m steeplechase — 33%; 800m — 30%; 5000m — 28%; 10000m — 28%; heptathlon and decathlon — 17%; marathon — 11%)

Which countries does the finger of suspicion point at?

Russians lead the number of abnormal blood tests at 30% of total samples being suspicious. It is followed by Ukraine (28%), Turkey (27%), Greece (26%), Morocco (24%), Bulgaria (22%) and Bahrain (20%). Others include Belarus, Slovenia, Romania and Brazil. Kenya (11%) and Jamaica (9%) are top athletic nations with suspicious readings, though much has been made of the long distance powerhouse which produces several champions with questions over 18 of the country’s medals. Five percent of India’s tested samples — 70 tests — are suspicious — the same percentage for China, USA and Japan. A top UK athlete is among seven Britons with “suspicious” blood scores. The athlete scored the single most abnormal blood score of all the 490 tests on British athletes.

Why now?

The timing of the revelations assumes significance because the disclosures come as the IAAF is preparing to elect its new president in two weeks, with Britain’s Seb Coe standing against Ukraine’s former pole-vaulting star Sergey Bubka. The clean chits given to star names such as Mo Farah and Usain Bolt, are selective in their revealing.