Athletes told to avoid supplements http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport/hi/english/other_sports/newsid_1067000/1067428.stm Johan Koss is taking a hard line over failed drug tests Athletes who test positive for banned substances after taking supplements have been warned they have only themselves to blame. Former Olympic speedskating gold medallist Johan Koss told an IOC commission in Lausanne that supplements were not helpful to healthy competitors. A member of the IOC's athletes' commission and a spokesman for the World Anti-Doping Agency, he said: "It is totally unnecessary to take them. "They certainly give the opportunity for a positive sample. Why should they use this, so-called healthy athletes? "Recent findings show that supplements may contain drugs that will cause athletes to test positive for substances that are currently on the banned list. No-nonsense "We as a commission fully endorse that athletes must take full responsibility for all drugs that are found in their bodies due to the use of nutritional supplements." The IOC's no-nonsense stance will be a bitter blow for athletes who are fighting positive doping tests, claiming they failed because of the supplements they were taking. Most cases involve the steroid nandrolone. Koss added: "I don't want to go into current outstanding cases. Rather let us look to the future." Part of the problem has been caused by inconsistent labelling on food supplements, many of which are made in the United States. The IOC and the US Food and Drugs Administration have been in talks to try and improve the labelling of such products so athletes can see clearly what is in them. ****************************************************************************
