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WADA doesn't embrace altitude tents, but it won't ban them either

By Agence France Presse
Published: Sep. 17, 2006

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) officials decided Saturday not to ban hypoxic tents, which may allow athletes to gain endurance-boosting results of altitude without the travel.

WADA president Dick Pound announced the decision not to include the tents on the banned training method list, but said scrutiny on the matter will continue.

Three WADA commissions examined the tents and suggested not banning them, conforming to the vast majority of committee members in saying they should not be on the prohibited list for 2007.

"The biggest item for discussion was whether we should put on the list of prohibited methods artificially hypoxic conditions and the consensus – in fact the overwhelming consensus of our heatlh, medicine and research committees – was that, at this time, it was not appropriate to do so," said Pound.

"It doesn't mean that we approved it. It's simply means that at this stage, knowing what we now, we think that perhaps it is not right to put it on the list."

Pound, who earlier admitted it would be difficult to enforce a ban on the tents, said there is medical concern and the tents would continue to be a matter of scrutiny for WADA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

"We are however concerned ... that there may be some potential danger of a medical nature," said Pound. "We think it's something that is more a concern generally to the health of the athletes. "So we asked the IOC medical commmission to consider questions of health affecting athletes. It's an ongoing process."