Middle aged Mark: I think my Testosterone is low
Doc: please tell me more
Mark: well, my athletic performances are declining, I’m not winning stuff.
Doc: well that’s called ageing.
Mark: I dont’ like it.
Doc: well there are some lifestyle changes you could make…
Mark: NO YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND, I NEED TO WIN!
Mark goes private and gets exogenous Testosterone, and hey presto, he goes from average middle aged Mark to winner Mark.
Sad man.
I missed this one, however at IM Frankfurt in 2022, in confidential survey, 20% of AG athletes admitted to taking banned PEDs
20% drug use 
Just watched a bit of it. Not overly happy with antidepressants being labelled as “doping” in that study.
Admitted to drug use.
New for Para athletes this year, we’re not eligible to compete at international events unless we’ve completed the online ‘Complete Clean +’ course, says it should take an hour but it’s more like 3 if your not a robot.
It’s a good point though, if someone is taking antidepressants, that are on the banned list, should an athlete apply for a TUE if they expect to finish in 250th place in their AG? There is almost no risk of being tested, and the TUE process sounds like it is a real balls ache
However, someone like me, who is probably a podium contender, should not take this lightly: If I am prescribed a drug then I should be looking at alternatives, which are not banned, or apply for a TUE
As far as I am aware they arent banned which was why I thought it unfair to label it as dopping. ADHD meds I can see and maybe they are banned as they are have a boost to energy and mental focus.
Is that BTF or WT?
Similarly us TOs cannot officiate at BTF events this year unless we have completed an online SafeGuarding course (@explorerJC knows all about this). We have ours on the 15th Jan.
L3 coaches have had to keep up to date with equivalent courses for years, originally you had to become a UKAD “accredited advisor” which was quite tough to pass , based around rules, regs, testing process, punishments etc. Its a bit simpler now.
BTF have agreed with WT that this is the course we need to do so I guess the madate for something comes from WT & the the local federations can agree what’s best for them.
In the UK no, as AG is retrospective TUE. You just declare it when you fill in the forms if you are dragged away for testing and then apply
Swimming officials have had to do it for years now, and obviously coaches have to. SE and BTF are both different but with same UKC content. Pathetic i have to do same course twice within weeks of each other, just with a different logo on the slides.
An AG athlete only needs to apply for a TUE retrospectively…ie…after they have been tested…but they do need to declare their medical use when tested (take a list into transition)
Indeed…I think I deliver my first course on the 22nd…
any idea who’s delivering the one on the 15th Jan??
Not sure…the team is a mix of Coach Dev and AG Ops tutors…
I personally know 4-5 people who have competed triathlons in the last 5? (Possibly longer ) years who openly take steroids.
Usually in the summer before they go to Ibiza or marbs!
They really are more concerned about body image and are more into the pics after the race than we’re they actually come.
Nobody gives AF as not one of them got Anywere near a podium as there all basically huge / ripped / muscular compared to most of us.
I suspect several top age groupers use them, there are two names local to me that are “ mentioned “ quite often but I honestly don’t think so looking at there sporting backgrounds.
Statistically if the 20% is true “ they are amongst us on here “!
I can only point you to the confessions thread and give you some old smelly bag gloves were you should repeatedly punch yourself in the face till your brain actually falls out.
Turn them in and let anti-doping sort them out…
