POSTED: March 2nd 2010

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JOHN GOODBODY: Positive sign at last in battle to catch the HGH dope cheats

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LONDON, Mar 01: Rugby League never usually makes headlines across the world rather than just in its heartlands of the east coast of Australia and the north of England.

However, the fact that Terry Newton, a GB international and hooker with the Wakefield Windcats, became the first person in any sport to be found positive for Human Growth Hormone produced articles in countries such as the United States, where not many people are familiar with rugby union, let alone rugby league.

The finding of the drug, which Newton admitted taking, aroused huge excitement among anti-doping authorities because HGH has been widespread since the 1980s, with sprinters such as Ben Johnson and Marion Jones taking it, while a US Senate Report into drug abuse in baseball claimed that pitchers Roger Clemens  and Andy Pettite had used it.

At the 1998 Tour de France, phials were disovered in a masseur’s car by customs officers. When the Chinese swimming team arrived for the 1998 World Championships in Australia, HGH was discovered in one of the competitors’ luggage.

Dr Gary Wadler, a leading official of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), termed this latest finding “a wake-up call. The fact that there is a test for HGH now even if lawyers pick apart at it or people say they do not take it, we can now find out.”

Detection challenge

Blood, not urine, was used for the analysis and Professor David Cowan, whose laboratory at King’s College, London University, carried out the test, admits: "The detection of substances that are virtually identical to our natural hormones has always represented a challenge. This shows how science has closed the gap and further enhances our ability to deter the cheating athlete.”

However, Wadler admits that the window of detection is only about 48 hours and therefore the chances of obtaining a positive finding are reduced, unless the athlete has been taking the substance in the previous two days. Newton was targeted for analysis because the authorities had received information that he was taking the drug. They knew when to get him.

It is noticeable that testing for HGH was carried out on at least 100 British competitors before the Beijing Olympics and there were no adverse findings. Nor were any positives found in other  countries. And nor were there any from the total of 900 samples at the last three Games.

It is possible, of course, that none of these competitors was on the drug, which is usually taken in combination with anabolic steroids either to help in the recovery from intensive exercise or build muscle mass or both. It remains of concern that some of those athletes may have been taking HGH, only for the drug to have left their system before giving the blood specimen.

This positive test is certainly a breakthrough in the fight against doping because HGH is used primarily in training and, therefore, out-of-competition testing should catch some competitors and the finding will warn sportsmen and women not to risk taking the drug.

However, positive tests may unfortunately be proportionately fewer than has been the case in the past for anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing substances.

Keywords · Goodbody · Newton · WADA · HGH

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