Should use of Caffeine tablets be permitted ?

[JASON]

Recent controversy on Caffeine use by leading Aussie rules players , Georgie Gregan, Boxer Kostya Tzu and others has sparked a re-think by WADA on whether it should be made illegal again. I wonder how many Cricketers have used it or will admit to it.
It is still legal to use it .

So what would the ICC do if several cricketers continued using it ? Should it be allowed ? Should all cricketers be encouraged to use it until it becomes illegal ?

Georgie Gregan claims he got a 7% boost (wonder how he reached that figure) from Caffeine pills.

Would it give some cricketers an unfair advantage over others ? How many of you guys out there have used it ? Does it really give you a boost in performance to the extent claimed ?

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

Georgie Gregan claims he got a 7% boost (wonder how he reached that figure) from Caffeine pills.

He reached that figure from a study in the Australian Institute of Sport. The caffiene pills were introduced as part of a controlled study to see if they improved performance or not, and it was determined that they improved energy and endurance by approximately 7% in many athletes.

I don't really see how it's a problem for cricket to be honest. How many players would really get any improvement in their performance from caffiene? It's a lot different from being a rugby or AFL player in terms of the physical demands.

 

[cameeel]

I think that taking caffeine tablets should be banned, all other performance enhancing drugs are banned, why not caffeine? players of all sports coped until recently without no-doz, why should they suddenly need them now? ban them before they become to widespread

 

[Jono]

Then you may as well ban players from having their morning coffee as well.

I'm not saying I'm for caffeine tablets, but how much can you regulate an athlete's intake? Caffeine isn't illegal.

 

[C_C]

Is there actually any difference between popping a couple of caffeine pills and drinking a whole 'supersized' coffee pot's worth of dark colombian ?

PS: I do think it makes a difference in cricket - if there is a 7% increase in output, that can easily mean the difference between getting out for 120 in a sweltering hot day instead of 80...or clocking 3-4mph faster than regular.... or bowling an extra 1-2 overs per spell...

 

[age_master]

Brett Lee + 7% = 165-170kph

nah seriously there is nothing wrong with it. they cant ban it unless they ban chocolate, coffee and tea too.

 

[C_C]

Brett Lee + 7% = 165-170kph

nah seriously there is nothing wrong with it. they cant ban it unless they ban chocolate, coffee and tea too.

Or maybe 160kph = Brett Lee + 7% and 161kph = Shoaib Akhtar + 7%
who knows, right?

Yeah..i dont think they can ban caffeine...simply because you gotto ban coffee too and its getting ridiculous.
The whole point about anti-doping is that you are ethically and medically wrong to endanger your health and promote the usage of harmful drugs that fetches you a record or three.
However, people have always used stuff to 'boost' their performances in the past and will do so in the future...As long as the substance in question is not societerially banned, it shouldn't be regulated.
i mean whats next ? eating a banana before running gives you an energy boost..so ban bananas now ?

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

i mean whats next ? eating a banana before running gives you an energy boost..so ban bananas now ?

That's the crux of the matter I think. Caffiene is part of the everyday diet of many or even most people in cricket playing nations, and as such banning it is ridiculous. If you ban caffiene pills, you have to ban dietary supplements as well. After all, that's the same thing - a concentrated and regulated form of a substance which appears in many foods that people consume now, and they may well be prescribed to atheletes by sports doctors to help them maintain a balanced diet and therfore improve their performance.

 

[telsor]

One of the reasons it was taken off the banned list was because it was so difficult to test for. A lot of that is because use of it is so common.

 

[Swervy]

Bugger it....all sports should only be played after no food or drink for 4 weeks....then there will be nowt to help a sportsman exect the air that he (hardly) breathes..infact, ban breathing, all that oxygen is sure to aid performance

 

[marc71178]

I'm not saying I'm for caffeine tablets, but how much can you regulate an athlete's intake? Caffeine isn't illegal.

But if taken in liquid form player's wouldn't be able to take in anywhere near so much without having to get off the pitch every 10 minutes or so to relieve themselves!

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

But if taken in liquid form player's wouldn't be able to take in anywhere near so much without having to get off the pitch every 10 minutes or so to relieve themselves!

The AIS Professor I saw on television talking about the tablets claimed that the intake prescribed to lift performance by 7% was roughly equivalant to two strong cups of coffee in terms of impact on the body. I'm pretty sure your average cricketer could choke down a couple of cups in the morning before a test without major bladder trouble later in the day.

 

[JASON]

Just heard that Manly and some other NRL players have acknowledged taking Sudafed (pseudoephedrine) since it came off the banned list a year or so ago !!

Apparently that does give a boost and increases alertness during a game !!

The way this is going . I am expecting more revelations !!

How often are Test cricketers tested ? and what are they tested for ? Does anyone know ?

 

[sledger]

Then you may as well ban players from having their morning coffee as well.

I'm not saying I'm for caffeine tablets, but how much can you regulate an athlete's intake? Caffeine isn't illegal.

indeed, i would say the exact same, may as well ban sugar as well now you mention it as it is obviously performance enhancing, lets bring in tendulkar and dravid for testing shall we ?

 

[Top_Cat]

PS: I do think it makes a difference in cricket - if there is a 7% increase in output, that can easily mean the difference between getting out for 120 in a sweltering hot day instead of 80

What about dehydration, though? Surely munching on a tablet containing a diuretic would disadvantage a batsman on a hot day rather than the opposite?

 

[Top_Cat]

Just heard that Manly and some other NRL players have acknowledged taking Sudafed (pseudoephedrine) since it came off the banned list a year or so ago !!

Well, pseudoephedrine is basically speed so I can see where the boost would come from. Gawd, how would you test for it, though? You'd have to hit the players up for a test right after the game.

 

[vic_orthdox]

Isn't caffiene's effect much like a high intake of sugar, it gives you a lot of energy for a short period of time but there's a massive downer afterwards. Therefore, over a 7 hour day of cricket, it would make it a bit risky. Especially when I would have thought it would disrupt your concentration, a trait which is much more important in cricket than the other sports that have admitted using it thus far.

 

[shaka]

they reckon sudafed is widely used in the NRL as a tool for better performance.

 

[LongHopCassidy]

What about dehydration, though? Surely munching on a tablet containing a diuretic would disadvantage a batsman on a hot day rather than the opposite?

Diuretics are only banned 'cause they mask other drugs. Good logic though.

 

[age_master]

Or maybe 160kph = Brett Lee + 7% and 161kph = Shoaib Akhtar + 7%
who knows, right?

nah Shoaib would just get 'injured' and leave the field 7% faster