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Belarusian experts warn athletes against using biologically active substances

Belarusian experts have warned against the use of biologically active substances by professional athletes.

The consumption of such material increases the risk of a banned performance-enhancing substance getting into an athlete’s system by 15 to 20 percent, Mikalay Kruchynski, director of the National Anti-Doping Agency, told reporters in Minsk on Monday.

“I have always told my patients and athletes that the biologically active substance is not a medicine, it has not gone through necessary testing as medications do,” he said. “That’s why athletes take these substances on their own authority. Being a doctor, I cannot recommend taking them.”

Svyatlana Mitrafanenkava of the National Sports Medicine Center noted that a new edition of the World Anti-Doping Code, which takes effect on January 1, 2009, would ban anti-doping laboratories from testing biologically active substances.

“The new rules for anti-doping laboratories allow them only to do testing on athletes’ drugs tests before and after the consumption of biologically active substances. That’s why the only solution is to demand that suppliers of biologically active substances produce anti-doping certificates,” she said. //BelaPAN