One of Australia’s leading doctors has warned athletes of the serious risk of death from taking unrecognised supplements and is tipping a messy end to ASADA’s probe into embattled Cronulla.
With the NRL soon to reveal Cronulla’s fate following ASADA’s year-long investigation into the Sharks’ 2011 supplements program, Dr Peter Larkins from Sports Medicine Australia has aired his concerns about the apparent marginalisation of club doctors within professional sport.
Dr Larkins has painted a grim picture for athletes and sports clubs alike if non-medical personnel continue to override and undermine the authority of qualified doctors.
“There’s been a real falling out between medical and non-medical people at professional sports clubs,” Dr Larkins told AAP on Monday.
“There’s a whole generation of sports science people coming through who are well trained in sports performance areas and what I call genuine areas but many, many sports and clubs have got these people.
“So it’s not just the Sharks and Essendon who are trying to find that middle ground as to who’s responsible for what.
“But our issue from the Sports Medicine organisation’s point of view is that a lot of health and medical issues should be run under the care of the medical program, not under the care of the science program.”
Dr Larkins says it’s hard to imagine more dire consequences of athletes taking non-approved supplements than the punishment handed out to AFL club Essendon, including a $2 million fine, the one-year suspension of coach James Hird and the Bombers’ banishment from the 2013 finals.
But he suspects the findings into the Sharks’ supplement program may be worse.
“I think you’ll find some of the peptide products that are alleged to have been used more widely than just by Cronulla have potential effects on long-term health that are undocumented because these products do not have a track record of being used in sport performance areas,” he said.
“Some of them aren’t even licensed for use in therapeutic areas because they’re just theoretical products that have an effect on tissue building … and if you’re talking about products that potentially accelerate cell growth, well that’s what cancers are.
“Cancers are cells that get out of control and, therefore, the ultimate side effect is death.”
Dr Larkins believes it’s imperative that order is restored in all sports, including swimming, rugby union and cricket – as well as rugby league and the AFL.
“The concept of medical decisions being made by non-medical personnel is archaic and fraught with danger,” he said.
Dr Larkins says “there needs to be a closure” very soon of the Sharks’ 11-month saga.
“And that closure might mean that there’s some grief because I think there will be some adverse findings in relation to rugby league practices with supplements that goes much, much stronger than even Essendon’s – and probably more widespread,” he said.
“I think there will be some tears shed because there are going to be some players who are going to be potentially found to have taken some products – rightly or wrongly whether (or not) they thought they were against the WADA code.
“Then there will be legal ramifications, I would have thought, from player managers who come in and bring action against the club for inappropriate governance of those players.
“If you’re on a half-a-million-dollar contract and you’re suspended from playing and you can prove that the club somehow put you in that position by its actions, then you’d take actions against the club.”
Reckon you can pick the winning team? Build your own dream team with Draftstars daily fantasy and compete on any match. For great odds on the NRL head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
"Apologise for my appearance as well, boys - I usually look better than this!"
The season is heading into its middle third and there is a clear separation between seven teams who all look playoff bound and the…
Nicho Hynes has not quite made an undeniable case to be Nathan Cleary’s halves partner for NSW but he should be the first five-eighth…
The Sharks halfback backed it up with a try from a few seconds later, through some more tired Canberra defenders.
There is only one Kalyn Ponga but Newcastle have shown they won’t be shot ducks while their Dally M Medal winner is out with…
The Sharks were scoring plenty of points, but equally impressive was their defence - stopping this near certainty!
