Johnny Watterson explains why athletes using asthma medication have come under increasing scrutiny from anti-doping agencies

Athletes claiming they suffered from asthma became the target of anti-doping rules in 2001 when the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) grew suspicious that many who claimed to be asthmatics were using inhalers under false pretences.

Under the rules introduced after Sydney 2000, athletes who use particular asthma medicines at Olympic Games now need to submit clinical proof of their complaint and undergo random tests.

The clampdown came following work carried out by the WADA, which turned its attention to asthma when the number of athletes taking the drug appeared to be steadily rising. It was a condition that had previously escaped the attentions of agencies involved in the battle against doping.

The new rules apply to athletes using medications containing "beta-2 agonists", drugs used to treat asthma but also classified as stimulants and anabolic agents.

Earlier in 2001 the late Prince Alexander de Merode, then chairman of the IOC's medical commission, said 70 to 80 per cent of the athletes at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer declared themselves as asthmatic and needing to take medicine that contained steroids.

"In Sydney seven per cent of the athletes had asthma but in the rest of the population, only one per cent suffer from asthma," De Merode said. "It's very bizarre. There is a clear advantage to people taking drugs meant for asthma sufferers. It's a very popular illness."

According to Patrick Schamasch, the IOC's medical director, 607 athletes at the Sydney Olympics declared the use of asthma medications. That was about seven per cent of the total of 10,600 athletes who competed at Sydney.

Jacques Rogge, president of IOC, spoke last year about his difficulty with the medication: "As long as they (athletes) declare it, as long as they have a medical check up to show they are genuinely asthmatic, they can use salbutamol, which is a very good drug. The problem is that too many athletes pretend that they have asthma."

Figures show the incidence of asthma medication use among athletes increased from 3.6 per cent at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996 to 5.6 per cent two years later at the Winter Games in Nagano.

The Irish Sports Council (ISC) said yesterday they do not have a record of what percentage of athletes are registered as asthmatic and those listed as needing medication for the condition are known only by their national governing bodies.

"The answer is no there is none (Irish list) because athletes provide information to their national governing bodies," said the ISC's Jo Saies. "It's not that they have a waiver for these substances but that they are required to notify officials of the use of certain substances in advance."