I learned last night that Tyler Hamilton’s performance in the 2004 Olympic Time Trial has been questioned as a result of an anti-doping test result that indicates that he may have received a homologous transfusion. The test Hamilton failed was administered at the time of the competition, nearly one month ago. He also reportedly failed an anti-doping test administered a few days ago at the Vuelta a Espana. That test also indicated that he may have received a homologous transfusion.
According to information available on the Internet, a homologous blood transfusion is one which is received from another person. Transfusions of this type are considered illegal in cycling because they have been used to temporarily boost the number of red blood cells in the rider’s system. Increased red blood cell levels can help improve aerobic performance.
The test that Tyler Hamilton reportedly failed, ON and HR-OFF was introduced at the 2004 Tour de France. According to CyclingNews, there are two components to the test: “ON” which points out use of blood boosting drugs like Epoetin taken within the last five days, and “HR-OFF”, a test that indicates possible “blood manipulation”. Here’s what CyclingNews said about the blood manipulation test, also known as “HR-OFF”:
The more interesting method is HR-OFF, which can detect blood manipulations for up to four weeks using a formula based on the quantities of hemoglobin and reticulocytes in the blood. If this falls outside a certain limit, then a rider will be declared unfit to race and a disciplinary procedure will be opened against them.
We should all recognize that many of the tests that are being implemented to detect doping today are based on indicators that may point out abuses. The hematocrit blood test indicates the percent of whole blood that is composed of red blood cells. It doesn’t prove that an athlete is using a performance-enhancing drug. Similarly, the HR-OFF blood test that Hamilton reportedly failed indicates the level of hemoglobin and reticulocytes (immature red blood cells) in the blood. As far as I can tell, it doesn’t indicate that he definitely received a blood transfusion from another person.
Tyler Hamilton and his Phonak Cycling Team had a press conference yesterday where they insisted that they had done nothing wrong.
In my opinion, the anti-doping tests for the men’s Olympic cycling competition should not have taken over three weeks to complete. It’s ridiculous to have the time trial results thrown into question at this late date.
I also think that the anti-doping tests that are not definitive proof of a rule violation ought to be thoroughly explained to everyone with an interest in cycling: athletes, coaches, sponsors, and fans of the sport. I don’t think that anyone without a medical or athletic testing background can judge whether the tests that Tyler Hamilton reportedly failed were fair to him. Everyone needs to be able to understand these rules, particularly if they are going to be used to disqualify finishers after the race is over.
Update: TDFblog provides an excellent report on the Tyler Hamilton doping case, drawing on previous reports about Jesus Manzano’s allegations of blood doping activity while he rode for the Kelme pro cycling team. I didn’t make this connection when I initially heard about Tyler Hamiton’s positive test result.