The WBF's Anti-doping policy

[jillybean]

tented snigger

[sceptic]

If I took Viagra before a tournament would they ban me or give me a stiff talking to?

[the saint]

Boom, Boom!! Thanks Wayne!!

 

Seriously though, I have heard rumours of top players taking substances to improve their concentration/steady their nerves. Maybe the IOC doping list doesn't precisely cover the needs of the WBF - if not, make one that does.

 

If a player has to take something to steady himself so that he doesn't lose the plot in the Final of the World championship, isn't that cheating? I think so. Drug testing please.

 

If a player is unfit and lacks stamina but takes stimulants to improve his concentration, isn't that cheating? I think so. Drug testing please.

 

Getting fit to play and psychologically preparing yourself to deal with situations that may arise is called training. Drugs and other substances are called cheating.

 

One harsh fact is that a lot of top bridge players are physical wrecks. I wonder what percentage performance improvement they would get by sorting themselves out by going down the gym and cutting out the booze, fags and pork pies. IF Bridge ever wanted to call itself a sport and claim a place at the top table in the Olympics, I would like to see athletes worth the description. Drugs are always a short cut to improved performance.

[helene_t]

Do players who play in ladies event have to undergo gender testing?

Could be. Sex tests have been used in other sports, maybe because some testosteron-doped female athletes appeared suspiciously masculine. Not sure what such a test constitues, though. In countries with a French legal code, I suppose the criteria is that a person is registered as female, which would leave a clinical test obsolete. In countries with a Britisch legal code, it is less obvious (there are some intersexuals and transsexuals in the UK that have one sex in their birth certificate and another in their passport because different authorities use different criteria). Does IOC have its own sex definition or does it respect the choices made by member organizations? Is WBF in line with IOC in this respect?

[Deanrover]

I believe they gender test every 'female' olympic athlete. Princess Anne was an exception.

[pbleighton]

"If I took Viagra before a tournament would they ban me or give me a stiff talking to?"

 

You would only be banned from the pole vault.

 

Peter

[sceptic]

You would only be banned from the pole vault.

 

 

I would not be playing polevault or bridge, I think my game would be Brag :P

[barmar]

As for why the IOC and ISF have rules against recreational pharmaceuticals, I think it's pretty obvious.  Sports stars, and Olympic athletes in particular, are expected to be role models.  Not just within their athletic domain, but more generally.

I disagree. It's not the job of IOC to say what makes a good role model. Different cultures have different norms and IOC is an international organization.

I addressed that in my comment that they presumably use a concensus decision rather than least common denominator. The members of the IOC include representatives from these different cultures.