AUSTRALASIA

OUTCRY OVER DRUGS FOR AUSTRALIAN FORCES

AUSTRALIAN special forces have been given official approval to use
performance-enhancing drugs that are banned in the sports world to improve
their physical and mental strength. Former members of the forces backed the
decision but civilians were aghast.

"If you're talking about life and death where you're dependent on each
other in five-man patrols - then you do anything that will keep you alive,"
said Bill Gray, an SAS veteran of the Vietnam War. "Sometimes one of the
team might not be feeling too good but you've got to keep going. I would
have thought the Brits and the Americans have been doing it for years."

The guidelines were issued after it became apparent that half the soldiers
serving in the special forces were already using, unsupervised, some form
of performance enhancement. The report is based on collaborative research
by Australia, Britain, the United States, New Zealand and Canada. It
focused on the effects and safe level of usage of 50 substances such as
caffeine and ephedrine, and "blood-loading", which athletes say enhances
performance.

The drugs now permitted are creatine powder, modafinil, ephedrine and
caffeine. Soldiers will also be allowed to use blood-loading, which
involves using a person's own stored blood to bolster the circulatory
system. Chris Forbes-Ewan, senior nutritionist at the Defence Science and
Technology Organisation, said: "All's fair in love and war. What we are
trying to gain is an advantage over any potential adversary. What we will
have is a head-start."

The disclosures shocked Roy Ecclestone, who has been on exercises with the
SAS and written about the experience. "I don't understand what the men are
supposed to gain from using these enhancers. It's more about psychology
than strength, anyway. I watched a guy of 5ft 8in going through the
induction course and he thought he stood no chance, standing there among
all those guys of over 6ft. But it was the biggest guys who copped out. The
whole point about these drugs being banned in sport is because they are bad
for your health. Don't they care about the health of these men?"

Commanders and doctors with the Special Air Service Regiment, 1 Commando
Regiment and the 4th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment have been given
briefings on the dosage, use, benefits and side effects of the drugs.

THE permitted drugs and techniques come under six categories. They are:

* Creatine powder, a naturally occurring substance in the muscles which
stores high-energy phosphate.

* Modafinil, which was invented as an aid for people with sleep problems
but which also keeps soldiers alert on long night missions.

* Ephedrine, which is banned in sport but which, when combined with
caffeine, gives a bigger energy boost than either substance on its own.

* Caffeine, which can also improve endurance.

* The main physical technique - illegal in Olympic sport - is
"blood-loading", which involves taking up to a litre of blood from a
soldier and deep-freezing it. Over the subsequent several days the
soldier's body will compensate for the lost blood and when endurance is
required for an exercise or battle, the blood is again infused into the body.

Military scientists ruled out using about 50 other performance-enhancing
substances.

Checked-by: Pat Dolan