General

Yes Way Jose

images4Good news for Jose Theodore, and other balding potential Olympians. The World Anti-Doping Agency has updated its list of banned substances, removing the types of hair loss medications that snagged the then Montreal Canadiens goalie in a pre-Olympic drug test back in early 2006

According to the new rules: “Alpha reductase inhibitors are no longer prohibited as they have been rendered ineffective as masking
agents by closer consideration of steroid profiles. An example of these types of inhibitors is finasteride, which is commonly used in the treatment of male pattern baldness and is currently sold in Canada under the brand names Propecia and Proscar.” (Full document here.)

More importantly, WADA has reclassified a number of other substances—former or potential masking agents commonly found in over-the-counter medications like cold pills—as “specified substances,” opening the door for less draconian sanctions against athletes who inadvertently run afoul of the doping rules. Science, it seems, has advanced enough that the true cheats can now be easily separated from the careless.

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