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This is so... Silly. It's too bad this article is light on the details. I wonder if this guy is just on testosterone replacement therapy, which is an increasin

This is so... Silly. It's too bad this article is light on the details. I wonder if this guy is just on testosterone replacement therapy, which is an increasingly common occurrence. Low testosterone can cause poor health and a number of other issues (some psychological) in men. Regardless, saying that because someone tests positive for a non performance enhancing drug they should have their card playing medals stripped makes no sense at all. :/

CalChris 8y ago
Yes, but are there any conceivable details that would have made it less silly? I read the headline alone and immediately it sent to a tournament bridge playing relative with a cautionary note. Perhaps the Guardian could have stooped to the click bait standard and I might have read a little more: You won't believe what happened to this bridge player!
- notahacker 8y ago
  You could have probably read the details in the article (WBF tournament bridge follows Olympic anti-doping rules designed for athletes, presumably because they applied to make bridge an Olympic sport rather than because of any bridge skill enhancements from growth hormones) in the time you typed out the comment saying you didn't read beyond the headline...
Alex3917 8y ago
> I wonder if this guy is just on testosterone replacement therapy More likely he was trying to have kids.
- Nelson69 8y ago
  WADA and most sports have exemptions. A so-called "Therapeutic Usage Exemption" or TUE. They are easy enough to get that team doctors for certain cycling teams have abused them. The female drug is the interesting one. Typically testosterone is detected by measuring the ratios of different hormones, a lot of testosterone isn't even unusual in many people but it's balanced out by epi-testosterone. When you add testosterone via unnatural means the ratio skews. (Read about "the cream" that Barry Bonds used with "The Clear", it was used for masking) Hard to say what goes on in some of these folks' heads, they generally know the rules and they know the penalties and they know they'll be tested. I'd assume he took both to mask something. If you're really trying to have kids or on T-replacement, you have a doctor treating use, measuring things and that doctor can provide a TUE letter.
- dr_teh 8y ago
  TRT actually damages fertility. It's useless for having kids.
bjourne 8y ago
That doesn't explain the clomifeme. I doubt the drugs are performance enhancers in bridge, but he might have been taking them for other (cosmetic?) reasons.
- HarryHirsch 8y ago
  Clomiphene is indicated for low sperm count in men, it increases production of FSH and LH, which in turn acts on the testicles. That would also explain the exogenous testosterone. Thanks, Guardian, for letting the world know about that person's medical issues.
  - stochastic_monk 8y ago
    It’s also used as an adjunct for anabolic steroids. That’s more likely the case than clomiphene alone resulting in superphysiological androgen levels.
    - HarryHirsch 8y ago
      The compound is used in doping protocols. That said, looking at his photos, the gentleman really doesn't look like a bodybuilder.
jdietrich 8y ago
It's a weird artefact of several layers of sports politics. The World Bridge Federation is an IOC recognised sports federation, which requires them to follow World Anti-Doping Agency rules. The decision to seek IOC recognition was partly motivated by the (somewhat vain) hope of becoming an Olympic sport, but it's also partly financial because IOC recognition attracts a significant level of funding. The WADA list of prohibited substances and methods is somewhat eccentric and clearly influenced by political concerns rather than pure science. Psychoactive cannabinoids are prohibited despite no clear evidence of performance enhancement, caffeine isn't prohibited despite clear evidence of performance enhancement and beta-blockers are only prohibited in specific sports. The competitor in question would be permitted to use the substances in question if prescribed by a doctor for the treatment of a recognised medical condition, but he would be required to apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption within five days of an adverse analytical finding (a failed drugs test); it is understandable that the competitor may have been entirely oblivious to his obligations under the WADA code.

CalChris 8y ago

Yes, but are there any conceivable details that would have made it less silly? I read the headline alone and immediately it sent to a tournament bridge playing relative with a cautionary note. Perhaps the Guardian could have stooped to the click bait standard and I might have read a little more: You won't believe what happened to this bridge player!

notahacker 8y ago
You could have probably read the details in the article (WBF tournament bridge follows Olympic anti-doping rules designed for athletes, presumably because they applied to make bridge an Olympic sport rather than because of any bridge skill enhancements from growth hormones) in the time you typed out the comment saying you didn't read beyond the headline...

Alex3917 8y ago

> I wonder if this guy is just on testosterone replacement therapy More likely he was trying to have kids.

Nelson69 8y ago
WADA and most sports have exemptions. A so-called "Therapeutic Usage Exemption" or TUE. They are easy enough to get that team doctors for certain cycling teams have abused them. The female drug is the interesting one. Typically testosterone is detected by measuring the ratios of different hormones, a lot of testosterone isn't even unusual in many people but it's balanced out by epi-testosterone. When you add testosterone via unnatural means the ratio skews. (Read about "the cream" that Barry Bonds used with "The Clear", it was used for masking) Hard to say what goes on in some of these folks' heads, they generally know the rules and they know the penalties and they know they'll be tested. I'd assume he took both to mask something. If you're really trying to have kids or on T-replacement, you have a doctor treating use, measuring things and that doctor can provide a TUE letter.
dr_teh 8y ago
TRT actually damages fertility. It's useless for having kids.

bjourne 8y ago

That doesn't explain the clomifeme. I doubt the drugs are performance enhancers in bridge, but he might have been taking them for other (cosmetic?) reasons.

HarryHirsch 8y ago
Clomiphene is indicated for low sperm count in men, it increases production of FSH and LH, which in turn acts on the testicles. That would also explain the exogenous testosterone. Thanks, Guardian, for letting the world know about that person's medical issues.
- stochastic_monk 8y ago
  It’s also used as an adjunct for anabolic steroids. That’s more likely the case than clomiphene alone resulting in superphysiological androgen levels.
  - HarryHirsch 8y ago
    The compound is used in doping protocols. That said, looking at his photos, the gentleman really doesn't look like a bodybuilder.

jdietrich 8y ago

It's a weird artefact of several layers of sports politics. The World Bridge Federation is an IOC recognised sports federation, which requires them to follow World Anti-Doping Agency rules. The decision to seek IOC recognition was partly motivated by the (somewhat vain) hope of becoming an Olympic sport, but it's also partly financial because IOC recognition attracts a significant level of funding. The WADA list of prohibited substances and methods is somewhat eccentric and clearly influenced by political concerns rather than pure science. Psychoactive cannabinoids are prohibited despite no clear evidence of performance enhancement, caffeine isn't prohibited despite clear evidence of performance enhancement and beta-blockers are only prohibited in specific sports. The competitor in question would be permitted to use the substances in question if prescribed by a doctor for the treatment of a recognised medical condition, but he would be required to apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption within five days of an adverse analytical finding (a failed drugs test); it is understandable that the competitor may have been entirely oblivious to his obligations under the WADA code.