Comments on: Jessica Hardy’s Clenbuterol Positive and Unfair Media Coverage

By: Gary

Gary — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 22:24:41 +0000

Other athletes ARE using drugs similar to clenbuterol. Yes, clenbuterol has very specific effects: beta adrenergic agonism. And guess what; that's the exact same effect the “allowed” drugs have. Of course, they're not actually allowed, they're banned. They just happen to be on the TUE list as well.

By: Ronald

Ronald — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 17:17:36 +0000

Perhaps nandrolone, but the odds of cross-contam with Clenbuterol is nil.

By: Millard Baker

Millard Baker — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 07:19:17 +0000

Not exactly. All LABAs drugs are powerful drugs. Granted, some may be slightly different then others as you suggest but all are advanced generation asthma medications.

It is more like comparing a 2006 Lamborghini Spyder to a 2008 Lamborghini Gallardo LP560. One might have slighter better performance but you are guaranteed a high performance vehicle with either choice.

By: Millard Baker

Millard Baker — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 07:08:44 +0000

Thank you for sharing your firsthand experience with this process.

By: Millard Baker

Millard Baker — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 07:03:45 +0000

I disagree that one is more likely to be struck by lightening than to "ingest cross-contaminated supplements".

The evidence is overwhelming that there are problems with contaminated supplements.

http://tinyurl.com/679ls9
http://tinyurl.com/2uqvzs
http://tinyurl.com/66sf8y

By: Ronald

Ronald — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 06:58:45 +0000

A Ford Pinto and a Dodge Ram 3500 are both motor vehicles, too. But one sure is far more powerful than the other, right? Same thing here. Case closed.

By: Millard Baker

Millard Baker — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 06:54:17 +0000

You are correct on everything stated.

My point is clenbuterol is still an asthma medication with similar actions and side effects to other asthma medications belonging to the category of long-acting beta-2 adrenergic agonists (LABAs).

Certain LABAs (those specified in the WADA code) can be used under certain conditions (with a TUE).

Before we demonize a swimmer like Jessica Hardy for taking LABA drugs, let's step back at look at all the other swimmers who also use LABA drugs. One can make the argument that THEY are BETTER than Jessica Hardy because they followed the WADA code and Hardy did not. But when all is said and done, they are still using very similar drugs!

By: Millard Baker

Millard Baker — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 06:42:23 +0000

Clenbuterol is a long-acting beta-2 adrenergic agonist (LABAs).

Approved drugs (with TUE) like Albuterol and Formoterol are LABAs.

YES, they are similar drugs.

Dara Torres admitted use of Albuterol and Foromterol with a TUE.

YES, other athletes are using similar drugs i.e. other LABAs.

http://www.steroidreport.com/2008/07/24/swimmer...

By: Ronald

Ronald — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 05:58:06 +0000

You CANNOT have Clenbuterol prescribed to you in the United States. Period. Other athletes are NOT using similar drugs as Clenbuterol has very specific effects and, thus, there is a reason it is banned and others are not. Even then, the allowed drugs for asthma require a TUE. This is NOT the case with Clenbuterol. Being as Clen has not been legal in the US for a decade, you are more likely to get his by lightning than ingest cross-contaminated supplements, and the FDA ensures Clen is NOT in the food supply.

She got caught. Period.

By: Parent of Olympians

Parent of Olympians — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:41:34 +0000

The FINA and USSwimming requirements for reporting the use of asthma medications is complex and extensive. It is not enough that a medical doctor prescribes these medications for asthmatics; moreover, the swimmer must be fully informed about the reporting of using the medications prescribed by a physician, and then file the reports in a timely manner, getting USSwimming's pre-approval for the use of the medications before any competition. Our family has known Jessica Hardy for a number of years, and she is a person of utmost integrity. If she happened to be using the asthmatic medication prescribed for her condition by a medical doctor, I am 100% positive, the error occurred by her not being aware of the filing requirements with USSwimming and FINA about the necessity for her to take the medication. It ius my opinion that her coach should have been involved in enough aspects of her personal physical condition, as well as her training, to advise her about the complex rules related to filing the medications that the coach's swimmer is using. We live in a very complex world, and coaches an no longer just concentrate on the training techniques of their swimmers, rather each coach should be REQUIRED by USSwimming to be current on medication reporting requirements, which are always being updated on a monthly, weekly, and sometimes a daily basis. I have faith that Jessica Hardy did not do anything to enhance her performance, except to put her in an equal pool with the other asthmatics who have followed the complex procedures in reporting their medications. I know as a father of an Olympic qualifying swimmer, and subsequent Olympic Gold Medalist, that it took our family days of intense record searching and then constant back and forth faxes and email to allow our swimmer to swim in the Olympics for the United States. If Jessica Hardy is guilty of anything, it is probably her own naivete about the complexities of self reporting prescribed medications by her personal physician for an asthmatic condition that she has had for years. I believe that FINA and USSwimming should hold head coaches responsible for these mistakes that young swimmers make, and require head coaches to be certified in the areas of exercise physiology (another potential for career ending injuries) and medications and drugs on the accepted or banned list, by taking some of our funds to hold quarterly clinics that certify and re-certify coaches, so they can advise their athletes about the dangers of improper training techniques and the dangers of not being aware of how to report ALL that are prescribed by personal physicians. Until we do this as a swimming community, swimmers with the utmost integrity, such as Jessica Hardy, will continue to have their careers meaninglessly disrupted. Jessica Hardy will be back competing in the 2012 Olympics, but for now, and the US Olympic movement has to share in some of the blame for the unfortunate circumstances that have kept her from representing our country in the Olympics: the premier athletic competition of the world.
Sincerely,
A concerned parent of a past and future Olympic athlete.