Tribune: Real Doping Crisis is Billiards November 30, 2006
Posted by Steve in : Weblog , trackbackWow! Two strong athletic sports, chess and billiards, taking it on the chin in the same day for doping…can you possibly imagine that?
From the Chicago Tribune:
Drug use may be a serious problem among cyclists (Floyd Landis, Tyler Hamilton, Jan Ullrich), but it pales in comparison to what’s going on in the relatively obscure world of billiards. When the World Anti-Doping Agency tested cyclists, they found prohibited substances or methods (called “adverse analytical findings”) in 3.78 percent of the samples in 2005.
Billiards players, on the other hand, had an astonishing adverse findings rate of 9.96 percent, according to the report. Billiards players: What on earth are you taking? And why?
Probably “something to calm their nerves so they have better aim or grasp,” said James Roach of the WADA. (I’m still waiting for a response from the Belgium-based World Confederation of Billiard Sports.)
Other surprisingly high rates were found in golf (5.21 percent) and archery (2.94 percent), sports where spectators might want to watch out for `roid rage.
If you really want to watch drug-free competitors, you’re stuck with chess, polo, racquetball and tug of war, the only sports recognized by the International Olympic Committee that reported no adverse findings.
The 2005 WADA report on Laboratory Statistics shows 3,909 Adverse Analytical Findings (positive results) out of 183,337 tests (2.13%).
Billiards: - 9.96% - 28 positives out of 281 tests
Golf: - 5.21% - 20/384
Bandy: - 3.94% - 8/203
Cycling: - 3.78% - 482/12,751
Baseball: - 3.69% - - 390/10,580
Motorcycle Racing: 3.23% - 12/372
Underwater sports: 3.22% - 12/373
Boxing: - 3.14% - 83/2433
Triathlon: - 3.14% - - 74/2,170
Archery: - 2.94% - 25/850
Ice Hockey: - 2.87% - 79/2,751
Rugby: - 2.46% - 113/4,601
Orienteering: - 2.09% - 10/479
Volleyball: - 2.06% - 54/2161
Weightlifting: - 2.50% - 146/5842
Athletics: - 1.67% - 342/20,464
Football (Soccer): 1.46% - 343/23,478
Comments»
Racquetball just had its first “made public” doping violation in Kane Waselenchuk. The former number one player in the world. Looking at the USAR IRT, and Canadian Governing bodies websites though, you’ll find no mention of it:
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/sports/story.html?id=16377ab2-b63c-4f80-a8b8-1a11222fc132&k=46974