Clenbuterol...The drug to cause headlines at the London Olympics?

Over the last few days, there has been a few news items covering the use and detection of one particular drug...Clenbuterol.

Clenbuterol is an anabolic steroid that is banned in sports as a performance-enhancing drug. When used, it causes an increase in aerobic capacity, central nervous system stimulation, and an increase in blood pressure and oxygen transportation.

About a year ago, the drug hit the headlines when Alberto Contador, the 2010 winner of the Tour de France revealed that a urine sample he had given on 21 July during the Tour had contained traces of Clenbuterol. He has stated that due to the number of other tests he passed and that only a tiny amount of the substance was detected in the one he failed, that food contamination was to blame.

The issue here is that in some countries like China and Mexico, Clenbuterol is used by farmers on cattle to produce leaner, more valuable meat even though it is banned. Traces of the drug however pass into the meat of the animal which in turn can be eaten by people.

During this summer’s under-17 football World Cup in Mexico, Fifa revealed that 109 positive tests were recorded for the banned drug out of 208 urine samples taken during the tournament. The statistics are so extraordinary that both Fifa and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) have confirmed they will not be prosecuting any cases, blaming the failed tests on contaminated meat.
WADA has shelved a similar case involving Danish cyclist Philip Nielsen, who tested positive for the steroid after the 2010 Tour of Mexico. In the Contador case above, he is claiming that he ate some meat from Spain, which was contaminated with Clenbuterol.

In principle, the edict  of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) remains that competitors are responsible for what they themselves consume.

WADA warned competitors in the Pan American Games which began in Mexico on October 14 about the dangers of consuming local meat, stating:”We have received compelling evidence..that indicates a serious health problem in Mexico to meat contaminated with clenbuterol.” It urged athletes only to eat in canteens regarded as safe by the organisers and to try to eat the same food in large numbers.

With the 2012 Olympic games in London supposed to have the highest number of drugs tests ever, expect to hear the name Clenbuterol again.