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Doping cases are quite common

Doping cases among athletes here are comparable to the numbers elsewhere, a top UAE National Olympic Committee official said.

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Olivia Olarte-Ulherr

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Published: Thu 31 Oct 2013, 1:02 PM

Last updated: Sat 4 Apr 2015, 9:09 AM

“I think it’s on par with the international number that you see,” said Dr Abdulhameed Mahmoud Al Attar, chairman of Sports Medicine Committee, UAE National Olympic Committee.

Speaking to Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the second Middle East Sports Medicine Conference at the Abu Dhabi Medical Congress on Monday, Dr Al Attar noted that the number may even be lesser than the international figures for two reasons.

“Maybe because the number of athletes in the UAE is less than those in some other countries. Also in the UAE we’re not that much open to internet access in getting banned substances. In some countries, you can purchase (them) over the internet, while in the UAE we have strict rules,” he explained.

According to him, anti-doping tests have been carried out in the country since the 80’s, but it became more organised with the establishment of the National Anti-Doping Organisation (NADO) in 2004. The UAE was among the first countries to adopt and implement the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) codes and policies, through NADO, which were published in 2003.

Since then, a handful of athletes were sanctioned for the use of performance-enhancing drugs, both deliberately and inadvertently. “We have our share of positive tests,” said Dr Al Attar. Without disclosing numbers and names, he cited swimming and weightlifting as two sports where the athletes were banned from playing, some for two years, in an international level. “Once you’re banned you cannot represent your national federation,” he pointed out.

In the past four years, when the UAE started testing football players, three to four players tested positive but all were eventually cleared.

“If you have a legitimate reason that proves that you took that medication for an illness without the intention of enhancing your performance then you’re going to be free. They didn’t get a ban; they were cleared because they took medication without submitting the therapeutic use exemption (TUE) because the physician who treated them didn’t know exactly what to do,” explained Dr Al Attar.

The most common substances used by athletes in the UAE are steroids and stimulants, according to Dr Al Attar. Steroids and other types of stimulants are available only in the black market while some stimulants can be found in common cold medication. Urine and blood test would confirm the presence of these prohibited drugs in their system.

Meanwhile, during a session on inadvertent use of banned substances at the conference, Dr Reema Al Hosani, sports medicine specialist and head of specialised clinic at the Abu Dhabi Police GHQ, noted that from 2004–2012, Fifa statistics showed that only a small fraction, much less than one per cent, of athletes tested for performance-enhancing drugs were found to be positive.

Dr Al Hosani noted that while some athletes take drugs to enhance their skills, others inadvertently test positive in a doping test for unknowingly taking banned substances. The causes for failing the test, according to her, are due to supplements that are contaminated with banned substances and failure of the athlete to get the TUE in case of medication. Dr Al Hosani warned athletes to be wary of supplements that have inadequate labelling, written in foreign language and those too complex to understand. But added that this is not an “excuse”.

“You cannot stop athletes from taking supplements but you can educate them about it… Innocent ingestion of banned substances is not an acceptable excuse, players are responsible for their use of supplements,” she stressed.

“The main issue with doping is due to lack of information,” Dr Al Attar pointed out, noting that education is the key.