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From: Turlo
Date: 1/14/2003
Time: 8:47:58 PM
Remote Name: 158.125.1.23
Very interesting question wayne! I'll start off with this statement "Athletics and many other sports are all about trying to gain an advantage over others"
This can be done in two ways:
Achieving a fair advantage, through hard training, good diet etc.
Achieving an unfair advantage, through taking performance enhancing drugs, doping, illegal equipment etc.
In my view and the majority of views iron and vitamin supplements do not enhance performance. There is no need to take any of these kinds of supplements if you have an adaquate diet, which meets the heavy training demands of an athlete. However some people such as vegitarians do not have adequate training diets and may need to take iron supplements, because they don't eat meat, which is a major source of iron. It is therefore fair that athletes with iron deficiences can take iron supplements to bring their iron levels back to a level which is similar to athletes who dont have iron deficiences. Being a sports scientist myself, I would like to add that taking excessive amounts of iron supplements does not improve performance past bringing iron levels back to "normal" levels.
Therefore taking iron supplements should not be classed as cheating, as it has no performance benefits. It is also my view that if the consumption of iron and vitamin supplements is going to be classed as cheating, then eating foods containing high amounts of iron, such as beef, should also be classed as cheating.
Wayne you have started off a very interesting topic here, and it would be good if people would submit their oppinions on drug taking,as it is still a very controversial area within athletics.
cheers and beers Turlo