As people will no doubt have seen or heard on the news today, the Sunday Times has revealed the results of a major investigation in to doping in sports.

However, the alleged doping is not confined to sport and two (unnamed) Strictly professionals are also said to have taken the performance enhancing drugs!

This article from the Independent provides an overview of the story (I'm too tight to pay for the Times online site )

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/me...-a6965896.html

Doesn't seem like it would be a problem if it was something like increasing testosterone - that can be a legit medical treatment.

All sorts of explanations. Any injury or pain just before a performance.
For example we saw Artem hurt his shoulder badly lifting Kara in the dress rehearsals at Blackpool. A number of steroid injections and pain relief would allow him to finish the show. This seems perfectly reasonable, it is a one off and an emergency situation
If competing dancers were regularly taking drugs to improve performance the main concern would be the long term damage they might be doing to themselves.
So long as the drugs are temporary and not harming it seems a sensible measure to "let the show go on"

This basically.

They are no longer competing, so I really don't see the problem?

Just imagine how good Scott could have been if he'd known PED's were on offer.
Oh, wait ...

Hard to imagine what performance any drugs could enhance ballroom and latin ?
Most are designed to improve stamina and speed, hardly something you need for dancing, as apart from being fit, dance is about correct posture, balance and artistry.

Maybe someone taking beta blockers which calm things down, may have an advantage in Rumba ?

However, all sorts of drugs on the various sports "banned lists" are over the counter painkillers and medications for coughs and colds.

It is perfectly feasible that a pro dancer with an injury could be given an injection by a specialist that would be banned in Tennis or athletics

in the 1978 World Cup, Willie Johnston of Scotland was sent home after taking headache medication he bought from a chemist.

Don't forget - it is now post Easter so we are in "Strictly buildup" in the tabloids and zeleb magazines - so every story must be linked to Strictly in some way.
I'm surprised they haven't found a Pro dancer from Port Talbot, and "demanded" the BBC give them a Pro slot "to help the steelworkers" (whatever that might mean?)

not in competitions then not a problem imo

The crab dance on steroids, there's a thought

My first thought too.

Only having read the Independent article I wondered if there's a suggestion the pro dancers involved were regular users of PEDs though, perhaps for competitions. The article doesn't specify they used the drugs whilst appearing on Strictly, just that they have worked on the show. Hope not and it turns out to be a non story.

'My' sport is cycling - so y'know, not a stranger to PED stories. There is a misconception about PED's that they are taken to make you stronger or faster and nothing else, whereas they encompass everything from things to keep the airways open (most road cyclists have either asthma or hay fever for legimate use of inhalers and decongestants), to things to speed up recovery and also weight loss. PED's - or 'exercise pills' - that help fat burning while keeping muscle strength would be quite handy, I imagine.

Just to clarify - this is from a major investigation by the Sunday Times Insight Team which has a long history of investigative journalism.

The newspaper itself is actually a "broadsheet" publication and I doubt that many people would classify it as a "zeleb magazine"

As a result of this story breaking, the government have announced an inquiry in to the UK Anti-Doping Agency (Ukad) over its handling of an investigation into alleged doping activities by the doctor named in the Sunday Times article, involving Premier League footballers and other leading athletes.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/35952566

Does anyone have any links to what the policies are re drug use/abuse for the relevant governing bodies for international dance competitions?

I appreciate these won't be relevant to Strictly, but I'd be interested to know what they are.

Thanks for that info, I freely admit I don't know much about PED's. Fairly or unfairly it does sound like association with this doctor wouldn't do the pros public image any favours were their identities to come out.

the BDC (British Dance Council) and WDSF (World dance sport federation) are both signed up to the WADA (world anti doping authority) Here is just a passage from my handbook

WADA

World Anti Doping Authority
www.wada-ama.org/en/

This is the international independent organisation created in 1999 to “promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against doping in sport in all its forms.”
The BDC and WDSF is recognized by the IOC, (International Olympic Committee) and has therefore signed up to WADA’s anti doping policy.

Thanks for posting that!

So, if the allegations prove to be true and if they had occurred in competition the two dancers could have faced sanctions. But, as you made reference to earlier, it is likely to have been while they were on Strictly!

The BBC might not be too happy though!

It'll be dancers that have been injured and need to speed up recovery process. There are no doping rules for Saturday night tv! The reference to SCD will be to juice it up a bit and an attempt by Murdoch paper to drag BBC in.

The original investigation is talking about pre-Striclty stuff.
To be honest, as a follower of cycling I stopped being amazed decades ago at the stuff some will do to get even just a perceived advantage.

deleted

thers 2 threads on this

This one was started first.

After watching Russell Grunt, how can anyone believe drugs were not involved?

Banned drugs and ballroom dancing - who would have thought! Seriously, I know of at least one world class dancer who was banned for 2 years from competition because of drug use, so we know it happens.

The problem is some substances can be banned in some countries while not in others. In the case of the dancer I have mentioned above, the banned substance was traced to a confectionary bar which is freely available world wide.

As for the alleged Strictly pros who have allegedly been treated by this particular doctor..... The main question would be : Were they still competing at the time, as it is only in competition that there are rules concerning banned substances. Anyone appearing on stage - such as in Burn the Floor, or in the likes of Strictly, are not governed by the same banned substance rules.

Things like an off the shelf cold remedy can contain banned drugs.

Alain Baxter and a Vic's Inhaler.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXJzFG-aGrg

Janette and Aljaz do not believe the doping rumours about two Strictly dancers.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/s...y-dont-7766027

Which is as good a way as any of saying 'it wasn't us' without actually saying 'it wasn't us'

To keep things in proportion : I have asthma - a surprising number of dancers do. Normal inhalers contain steroids which is a banned substance, so care has to be taken with their use. Normally UK organisers are happy with the use of normal inhalers (the amount of steroids contained does not affect performance) but some overseas countries are a lot stricter so an alternative has to be found or a dancer could be accused of taking a banned substance. It's all a bit of a minefield.