In a move that conjures up visions of future Tour de France cyclists looking on longingly at sponsors’ guests, journalists and anyone else not actually riding the race enjoying a morning café at the Village Départ, the chairman of the World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA) is proposing re-introducing its ban on the use of caffeine in sports, removed six years ago.
John Fahey, a former premier of New South Wales and finance minister in John Howard’s government but now chairman of WADA, made his announcement following the hospitalisation of a high-profile Australian rules football player at the weekend.
Ben Cousins of the AFL side Richmond, a recovering drug addict who has cut an often controversial figure during a career largely spent with the West Coast Eagles, collapsed after suffering an adverse reaction to prescribed sleeping pills that he had taken after a match at the weekend, apparently taken to counter the effects of caffeine tablets he had taken before the game.
Neither substance is currently on WADA’s banned list, and use of both is perfectly legal under Australian law, but the episode has raised concerns in the country about sports players effectively using them as ‘uppers’ and ‘downers’ around matches.
Fahey told the Melbourne newspaper The Age that while use of such substances may be within the letter of the law, in his opinion it went against the spirit of sport.
"In my view it brings the game somewhat into disrepute because there are substances there that have an unknown quality to them and unknown consequences," Fahey explained.
He added that he would be asking WADA’s medical committee to re-examine whether caffeine should appear on the list of banned substances after the ban was removed in 2004. Prior to that, the legal limit for caffeine was 12 microgram/ml in urine, said to be equivalent to around eight cups of espresso.
"Having been taken back off the banned list, it can be put back on," he said, adding: "It will be looked at again in light of what's occurring at the moment."
I love my bicycle and don't want it stolen
When all these Audi and BMW drivers fail to notice large buildings ahead, I agree.
This is standard police and, in this case, court behaviour in trying their hardest to get the driver off. This is exactly how I was hit by a corner...
My money would be on a bent derailleur hanger - simple enough to check. With the bike in the stand, check it visually from the back, the cage...
It looks like the kit was designed by DALL-E mini. https://craiyon.com
Fair point. I would still opt for using the pedestrian crossing at the end of the cycle path, rather than cycle on the roundabout.
Almost 300 notes? I'd expect 10 Boa dials for that.
It's only in Scotchland, they all look the same to the english
Yeah yeah, and "the position ... is not in the same position"... I think it's all in the author's trade mark style.
I was thinking about tolerances of the sprockets, but I think the chain is the defining factor, and that forces the 1:1 ratio (aka wearing and...