Another drug cheat is busted

[Ike_Witt]

I have to admit that I did not see this coming in any way, shape or form. World number one bridge player handed one-year ban for doping.

You read that right. A card player was busted for doping, and it gets stranger.

Testers found the presence of Clomifene - a female fertility drug - and synthetic testosterone in a sample provided by the 49-year-old Norwegian.

Granted that is a strange mix - why a 49 year old male would take female fertility drugs is beyond me.

Kari-Anne Opsal, the president of the Norwegian Bridge Federation, said the drugs were “not performance enhancing”.

First, why is a fertility drug on the banned list? Second, what the hell qualifies as a ‘performance enhancing’ drug in bridge?

[running_coach]

@Ike_Witt

First, why is a fertility drug on the banned list? Second, what the hell qualifies as a ‘performance enhancing’ drug in bridge?

From here.

However, taking testosterone directly is only one way to boost androgen levels. It’s also possible to boost testosterone indirectly.

That’s what Clomid does.

Remember first that men have estrogen and estrogen receptors, just less than women have. Clomid works by blocking estrogen receptors in the body. Because the estrogen receptors are blocked, the circulating estrogen in the body isn’t detected normally.

This leads the hormone-producing glands to think estrogen levels are low (even though they aren’t), and so the glands attempt to produce more estrogen. The body does this by boosting production of two other important reproductive hormones: LH and FSH.

What does this have to do with testosterone? Testosterone is produced by cells known as Leydig cells. They produce testosterone in response to LH. So higher levels of LH means higher levels of testosterone. This is how Clomid raises testosterone levels indirectly. The athlete isn’t directly taking additional testosterone, but tricking his body into producing more on its own.

[Riemann]

I thought this was going to be about Nordic skier Max Hauke. This is the first time I recall anyone ever being caught on video in the act of doping.

Skier Max Hauke, caught on video with needle in arm, among five athletes...

[TroutMan]

@Ike_Witt

Second, what the hell qualifies as a ‘performance enhancing’ drug in bridge?

Stimulants. Bridge tournaments can be two or three weeks long, and players get tired.

Interestingly, beta blockers are allowed.

[kenobi_65]

@TroutMan

Stimulants. Bridge tournaments can be two or three weeks long, and players get tired.

That was going to be my WAG. Low testosterone can lead to fatigue, reduced energy levels, and memory / cognition issues. Thus, someone who needs to be able to be awake and mentally sharp for extended periods of time would want the opposite.

[Quartz]

Wow. This isn’t the first time members of the Monaco team have been caught.

[Atamasama]

@Riemann

I thought this was going to be about Nordic skier Max Hauke. This is the first time I recall anyone ever being caught on video in the act of doping.

Skier Max Hauke, caught on video with needle in arm, among five athletes suspended

Since he was getting a transfusion, do you call that being caught red-armed?

[DinoR]

@TroutMan

Stimulants. Bridge tournaments can be two or three weeks long, and players get tired.

Besides avoiding the effects of fatigue there’s the off book uses of a stimulant like Ritalin. It’s generally seen as helping focus attention even in those that don’t suffer from ADHD. I could see someone using it to try and improve their mental focus for bridge.

[Busy_Scissors]

It speaks to a controversy in the bridge world which is the various governing bodies trying to get recognition from the Olympic bodies as a mind sport, hence the PED issue. The controversy arises from many players seeing these efforts as a joke and a huge waste of time and resources [I don’t actually know any player who thinks it’s a good idea but obv they are out there].

I believe the list of prohibited substances is not compartmentalised between physical and mental sports [could be wrong on this]. So you have this ridiculous situation like Helgemo’s where a drug banned mainly for it’s performance-enhancing effect on young power athletes is leading to a suspension for a 60 year old bridge player. And vice versa, there are mental stimulants that are legal to take because no one is interested in them for the real Olympics.

Caffeine is the big one - massively well-documented performance-enhancing qualities for both physical and mental activity, but it would be tough to ban coffee!

[Joey_P]

@running_coach

From here.

From your quote

The athlete isn’t directly taking additional testosterone, but tricking his body into producing more on its own.

We’re talking about bridge players, not athletes.
I’m surprised they even have a banned substance list. Is it possible the person was transitioning?

[cgg419]

@Joey_P

From your quote

We’re talking about bridge players, not athletes.
I’m surprised they even have a banned substance list. Is it possible the person was transitioning?

Possible? Sure, why not.

But Clomid and other estrogen boosters are common things to be busted for in MMA. They are used to restart endogenous testosterone production after you come off a cycle.

Again, possible, but I doubt Brock Lesnar is transitioning, and he was busted for the same thing in 2016.

[guizot]

@TroutMan

Bridge tournaments can be two or three weeks long, and players get tired.

Really? I thought one week was the typical length. And it’s not like they don’t get enough time to sleep between days.

[SamuelA]

And, uh, third, why do they drug test - with the expensive tests that can pick up hormones - bridge players? Contrary to some popular belief, the regular drug tests that employers order and even the military has performed only test for commonly abused drugs. (cocaine, marijuana, heroin, meth) (as a side note, this is why soldiers can use steroids and obviously most units the commander isn’t going to order the far more expensive test unless a juicing solder is actually causing discipline problems with roid rage)

It costs over $500 to test for things like these hormones this athlete was busted for.

[DPRK]

Since professional bridge abides by World Anti-Doping Agency rules, there are consistent testing procedures and a specific list of banned substances. Presumably they just go by the official list.

[Hoopy_Frood]

@DinoR

Besides avoiding the effects of fatigue there’s the off book uses of a stimulant like Ritalin. It’s generally seen as helping focus attention even in those that don’t suffer from ADHD. I could see someone using it to try and improve their mental focus for bridge.

From what I understand, being functionally married to someone who takes a version of Concerta, ADHD drugs really don’t improve concentration for those who don’t suffer from attention disorders. The reason attention disorders exist is that the part of the brain that handles attention fires at a far slower pace for those with disorders than ones that don’t have it. The effect on people who’s attention centers are already working normally is negligible in that respect.

However, what they will do to those without ADHD is work as a long term time-release stimulant that avoids the cycle of up and down that can happen when mainlining caffeine. They also tend to result in a slower come down when they wear off, rather than resulting in a “crash” effect as is common with caffeine. So you basically have a drug that is more effective than caffeine and almost as safe.