Entire Russian U-18 team replaced due to positive drug tests

[Ippenator]

So the entire population of drug users Russia?
This medicine is available without prescription at the pharmacy

Are you maybe mixing up the word "drug" in this case with narcotics? If you are, you probably don't know that in English the word "drug" can be used when discussing about narcotics, but the same word can also be used for the meaning of medicines or medicine like products.

 

[Tomas W]

Are you maybe mixing up the word "drug" in this case with narcotics? If you are, you probably don't know that in English the word "drug" can be used when discussing about narcotics, but the same word can also be used for the meaning of medicines or medicine like products.

He probably is. Same in Sweden, with drugs we mean and think of narcotics, not medicine. Sounds funny with the drugstores the got in the US!

 

[Namejs]

You heard of placebo effect? It works well on sick people. I do not believe this needs to be be used on healthy athletes. If an athlete has any heart of blood conditions he should not be doing high performance exercises.

That's not how the placebo effect works, it doesn't actually cure anything. You should read up on it.

 

[Siberian]

That's not how the placebo effect works, it doesn't actually cure anything. You should read up on it.

Of course it does. Search for it. It pretty much calms your nerves and your health can benefit from it in many ways. Definitely prevents heart attacks.

 

[wings5]

Anyone have a list of the replacement players?

 

[Flynn84]

Anyone have a list of the replacement players?

It is not official yet.

 

[donut]

Did a Wiki of the drug and it seems as though a boat load of Russians have been found using Meldonium. Kind of unfortunate for the athletes that have been using it for years before it got banned. Going to be interesting how the Russian roster shapes up now.

 

[Namejs]

Of course it does. Search for it. It pretty much calms your nerves and your health can benefit from it in many ways. Definitely prevents heart attacks.

Placebo effect does not cure anything. If you disagree with that statement, you're scientifically illiterate.

 

[Gsus]

Do you believe that they continued using that drug after Jan 1 or not?

What happened on Jan 1? 2016?

 

[Namejs]

Did a Wiki of the drug and it seems as though a boat load of Russians have been found using Meldonium. Kind of unfortunate for the athletes that have been using it for years before it got banned. Going to be interesting how the Russian roster shapes up now.

It was on the WADA warning list since 2015, IIRC.

This isn't news to anyone who bothered to actually read the stuff WADA sends out to athletes, doctors, their personnel, etc.

 

[Namejs]

What happened on Jan 1? 2016?

It has been on the WADA banned substance list since January 1st, 2016.

 

[Siberian]

Placebo effect does not cure anything. If you disagree with that statement, you're scientifically illiterate.

Scientifically illiterate? Bwahaha! Can lowering cholesterol level be considered curing? How about helping with sleep disorders, is that curing? What does meldonium cure?

 

[kabidjan18]

Placebo effect does not cure anything. If you disagree with that statement, you're scientifically illiterate.

The problem is that the IIHF wouldn't ban a performance enhancing drug that only used placebo effect. Other than for name calling purposes I don't even know why placebo effect was brought up in the first place. If I ate gummy bears and thought it aided my performance the IIHF would not take exception.

 

[Siberian]

The problem is that the IIHF wouldn't ban a performance enhancing drug that only used placebo effect. Other than for name calling purposes I don't even know why placebo effect was brought up in the first place. If I ate gummy bears and thought it aided my performance the IIHF would not take exception.

It is not directed by IIHF, but by WADA. There is no proof that this particular drug enhances athletes performance, link to USA Today article earlier in the thread.

 

[kabidjan18]

It is not directed by IIHF, but by WADA. There is no proof that this particular drug enhances athletes performance, link to USA Today article earlier in the thread.

Yeah, the WADA has an even broader reach. You have the scientists of the WADA vs. an American journalist...

 

[KarIgo87]

So I guess it'll be mostly U17 team. With some of MHL and NA players like Sergachev and Minulin.

So something like that:
Bitsadze - Alexeev Y. - Kostin, Lipanov - Chekhovich, Kovalenko, Demin, Kozlov, Zenchikov, Muranov...;
Sergachev - Minulin, Kazamanov - Rubinchik, Alexeev A. - Baranov, Samorukov - Zaitsev;
Zhukov - ???

 

[Siberian]

Yeah, the WADA has an even broader reach. You have the scientists of the WADA vs. an American journalist...

Of course not, these people would never do such thing and bend their own rules.

 

[kabidjan18]

Of course not, these people would never do such thing and bend their own rules.

What rules are you talking about...you're clearly not interested in making sense. You haven't explained why one American journalists conclusion is more credible than the conclusion reached by WADA scientists...

 

[Siberian]

What rules are you talking about...you're clearly not interested in making sense. You haven't explained why one American journalists conclusion is more credible than the conclusion reached by WADA scientists...

Did you even read the article? The statement comes from a a long-time anti-doping expert and the scientific director of the Banned Substances Control Group. He says there is zero evidence that Meldonium enhances athletes performance. What journalist are you talking about?

 

[kabidjan18]

Did you even read the article? The statement comes from a a long-time anti-doping expert and the scientific director of the Banned Substances Control Group. He says there is zero evidence that Meldonium enhances athletes performance.

Yeah they always quote one official source. Let's ignore of course the fact that science is in no way uniform. The opinion of one so called expert happens to be contradicted by the opinion of a board of experts. I wonder who to go with here...

 

[Siberian]

Yeah they always quote one official source. Let's ignore of course the fact that science is in no way uniform. The opinion of one so called expert happens to be contradicted by the opinion of a board of experts. I wonder who to go with here...

Sure thing. Only thing is there is no shown proof that it is performance enhancing drug outside of this being on WADA list. I really don't care that WADA included this drug in their list and never did FDA approved L-Carnitine, which is very similar to Meldonium. I actually said earlier I think this is a snake oil (just like L-Carnitine) and all Russian athletes will learn soon that there are no benefits of taking this drug outside of simple placebo effect.

 

[Namejs]

What does meldonium cure?

Ischemic heart disease, heart failure and other heart diseases. Seriously, you should read some actual academic papers on it instead of relying on a random American dude, who makes these knee-jerk assumptions based purely on the origin of the drug and the fact that it isn't FDA-approved.

The reason why it hasn't been approved by the FDA, by the way, is because it can cost hundreds of millions of dollars to go through all the necessary trials, which wouldn't be in any way profitable to the company that invented it (even if they had the means to do it), as the patent has already run out and everyone's free to produce generic meldonium-based drugs. Which they already do in a number of countries.

 

[Zaddy]

I would say that nearly all Russian athletes (whatever sport) have been using meldonium consistently for years. To them it would just be like another supplement.

It was legal until 2016, so of course it's been going on.

brutal question, just brutal

What I mean is, is this something that other russian hockey players are using as well? Meaning big stars like Ovechkin, Malkin, Tarasenko, Radulov, Kovalchuk etc. Is this going to be a problem not only for the U18 team but perhaps the russian roster for the men's World Championship? Because if it's that common then it would seem this could turn out to be a much bigger thing than what it is right now. This could just be the tip of the iceberg.

 

[Siberian]

Ischemic heart disease, heart failure and other heart diseases. Seriously, you should read some actual academic papers on it instead of relying on a random American dude, who makes these knee-jerk assumptions based purely on the origin of the drug and the fact that it isn't FDA-approved.

The reason why it hasn't been approved by the FDA, by the way, is because it can cost hundreds of millions of dollars to go through all the necessary trials, which wouldn't be in any way profitable to the company that invented it (even if they had the means to do it), as the patent has already run out and everyone's free to produce generic meldonium-based drugs. Which they already do in a number of countries.

Curing Ischemic desease with meldonium? I do not think you have full understanding of word curing. If it did it would have been in high demand all over the world. It may improve some symptoms, which what placebo effect can do as well.

 

[v-man]

The WADA is simply continuing with its decades old powertrip and banning anything and everything under the sun to make them seem like the protectors of clean sport. There is zero reason for meldonium/mildronate to be banned. It's been used heavily in nearly all sports for decades and has saved countless lives in that time by preventing over-exertion. There isn't a single study that points to it having any performance enhancing capabilities at all. That being said, it's been on the banned list for four months, and as such, the Russian Hockey Federation had ample time to ensure that its players were no longer using it. You have to obey the rules, even if they're baseless and stupid.

The fact that the WADA doesn't have to prove a drug's enhancing abilities before banning it, and the fact that its decisions cannot be challenged by athletes is simply shocking and greatly disturbing. How is that democratic, ethical or even legal? It should be disbanded, with a reputable, fact-based institution put in its place. Sports can police their own athletes until its set up.