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WADA bans radical procedure that assisted Eel Daniel Mortimer
By Brent Read
October 16, 2009
The World Anti-Doping Agency has moved to clamp down on the radical procedure which helped Parramatta five-eighth Daniel Mortimer play in the NRL finals and US golfer John Daly reverse his decision to withdraw from the Australian Open and PGA.
WADA will introduce stringent measures from January 1 to control the injection of platelet-rich plasma into athletes, a procedure which was hailed as a miracle cure by both Mortimer and Daly after they overcame hip and rib injuries respectively.
Under section s2-6 of the World Anti-Doping Code 2010 prohibited list, the procedure has been banned where it involves direct injections into muscles. It can still be used in the area surrounding muscles but must be declared in line with the international standard for therapeutic use exemptions.
The new guidelines would have required both Mortimer and Daly to inform drug testers they had undergone the procedure. NRL chief medical officer Ron Muratore warned the changes would have serious repercussions for clubs and players across the game.
Should a player fail to reveal they had undergone the procedure, they could face a two-year ban. Given its increasing use in the NRL, the ramifications could be dire.
Ignorance is no excuse to the WADA code - when asked about the procedure this year, Mortimer claimed he had undergone a "blood transfusion", while Daly suggested he had "stem cell surgery".
"What is going to happen is we have to educate them," Muratore said.
"With Daniel, when someone asked him what he was getting, he said a blood transfusion. They have to know what they're undergoing because they have to mention it on the (WADA) form. Otherwise WADA is going to come back with an adverse report."
While the regulations make life more difficult for NRL clubs, the procedure itself is quite simple. The athlete's blood is removed and the red blood cells are separated from the platelets (cells that release protein and other substances responsible for the body's healing process).
A small amount of the platelet-enriched blood is then injected into the affected area. The theory is that the higher concentration of platelets, the faster the healing.
It worked for Mortimer. He overcame a hip injury to play in the Eels' preliminary final against the Bulldogs. Daly withdrew from the Open and PGA only to reverse his decision on Wednesday thanks to plasma injections.
"We wouldn't be doing it into the muscle," Muratore said. "In rugby league, we're using it to treat tendon injuries; achilles tendonitis, patella tendonitis."
By Brent Read
October 16, 2009
The World Anti-Doping Agency has moved to clamp down on the radical procedure which helped Parramatta five-eighth Daniel Mortimer play in the NRL finals and US golfer John Daly reverse his decision to withdraw from the Australian Open and PGA.
WADA will introduce stringent measures from January 1 to control the injection of platelet-rich plasma into athletes, a procedure which was hailed as a miracle cure by both Mortimer and Daly after they overcame hip and rib injuries respectively.
Under section s2-6 of the World Anti-Doping Code 2010 prohibited list, the procedure has been banned where it involves direct injections into muscles. It can still be used in the area surrounding muscles but must be declared in line with the international standard for therapeutic use exemptions.
The new guidelines would have required both Mortimer and Daly to inform drug testers they had undergone the procedure. NRL chief medical officer Ron Muratore warned the changes would have serious repercussions for clubs and players across the game.
Should a player fail to reveal they had undergone the procedure, they could face a two-year ban. Given its increasing use in the NRL, the ramifications could be dire.
Ignorance is no excuse to the WADA code - when asked about the procedure this year, Mortimer claimed he had undergone a "blood transfusion", while Daly suggested he had "stem cell surgery".
"What is going to happen is we have to educate them," Muratore said.
"With Daniel, when someone asked him what he was getting, he said a blood transfusion. They have to know what they're undergoing because they have to mention it on the (WADA) form. Otherwise WADA is going to come back with an adverse report."
While the regulations make life more difficult for NRL clubs, the procedure itself is quite simple. The athlete's blood is removed and the red blood cells are separated from the platelets (cells that release protein and other substances responsible for the body's healing process).
A small amount of the platelet-enriched blood is then injected into the affected area. The theory is that the higher concentration of platelets, the faster the healing.
It worked for Mortimer. He overcame a hip injury to play in the Eels' preliminary final against the Bulldogs. Daly withdrew from the Open and PGA only to reverse his decision on Wednesday thanks to plasma injections.
"We wouldn't be doing it into the muscle," Muratore said. "In rugby league, we're using it to treat tendon injuries; achilles tendonitis, patella tendonitis."
