Drug Testing at the 10th Asian Games and 24th Seoul Olympic Games

Abstract

Drug testing (doping test) procedures in the 1986 10th Asian Olympic Games and 1988 24th Seoul Olympic Games are reported. The International Olympic Committee Medical Commission (IOC-MC) conducted its first doping tests at the 1968 Olympics in Grenoble. With the guidance of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) introduced doping tests at the 1986 10th Asian Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea, September 21st to October 5th, 1986. 585 samples were tested at the Doping Control Center, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (DCC/KAIST), for stimulants, narcotics, anabolic steroids, and beta-blockers by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, high pressure liquid chromatography, and fluorescence polarization immunoassay. These tests covered about 100 different drugs and another 400 as metabolites in addition to pharmacologically related substances. For the Seoul Olympic Games from September 17 to October 2, 1988, the IOC-MC with the DCC/KAIST conducted doping tests on 1601 samples for stimulants, narcotics, beta-blockers, diuretics, and anabolic steroids using GC, HPLC, GC/MSD, GC/MS, LC/MS, and TDx.

Doping Test Results Dependent on Genotype of Uridine Diphospho-Glucuronosyl Transferase 2B17, the Major Enzyme for Testosterone Glucuronidation

“…Previous observations have shown that individuals of Asian origin excrete lower amounts of TG than other populations (13,20). Recently, we showed that a large part of the differences in TG excretion could be explained by genetic variation of the UGT2B17 gene (15).…”

“…Ratios above six should be considered suspicious, and the person concerned should be subjected to further testing. Continued experience indicated that Asian individuals excrete lower amounts of TG and, therefore, have lower T/E ratios, thus increasing the risk of falsenegative doping test results (12,13). As a corollary the cutoff limit was lowered to four in 2004.…”

Genetic aspects of epitestosterone formation and androgen disposition: influence of polymorphisms in CYP17 and UGT2B enzymes

“…In 1982, the urinary ratio between testosterone and epitestosterone glucuronides (EGs) was introduced as a test to detect testosterone abuse with an authorized upper limit of 6.0, which was later lowered to 4.0. The mean ratio in Caucasian populations is 1.0-2.0 [1,2], whereas in Asians the mean ratio is considerably lower [3,4]. We have shown that the reason for this ethnic disparity in testosterone/epitestosterone (T/E) ratio is strongly associated with a deletion mutation in the gene of the major catalyst of testosterone glucuronidation, UGT2B17 [4], and that individuals homozygous for this mutation (del/del ) may not reach a T/E ratio of 4 after a single intramuscular dose of testosterone (unpublished data).…”

Drug testing data from the 2007 Pan American Games: δ 13C values of urinary androsterone, etiocholanolone and androstanediols determined by GC/C/IRMS

“…Typically the T/E ratio increases significantly following T administration [6] and this ratio still represents the most important indication of T-abuse. Further studies indicated that Asian individuals excrete lower amounts of T glucuronide (TG) and hence have lower T/E ratios in urine, thereby increasing the risk of false-negative doping test results [7,8]. As a consequence the WADA cut-off limit was lowered to 4.0 in 2004 [9].…”