Olympics: Backstrom out final game for banned substance in allergy meds (mod warning post 140)

[Pellegrino]

once again, Schneider forgets that pseudoephedrine wasn't on the list of banned substances in 2010, it is now. That's why he was let off.

This is a little more interesting:

http://yle.fi/urheilu/timo_seppala_porsaanreika_aiheuttaa_vaaraa_jaakiekossa/7104392

He says IIHF have a "dangerous loop hole" in their doping rules. The rule says that if more than two players are caught for doping, only then will the whole team be disqualified. In theory, a team could have two player intentionally dope without the fear of the team getting punished for it. He intends to take the matter up with the Anti-Doping Committee and the IIHF vice secretary Kalervo Kummola (also head of the Finnish hockey fed and Kummola Mafia).

Not really interesting. They are such losers for even thinking Sweden should be disqualified for this. Finland should analyze themselves and ask themselves why they are playing "Tony Pulis-style" ice hockey instead of actually trying to play the game. But I guess losers are losers.

 

[radapex]

This would upset any player before a game. IOC could cost swedes a gold today. Its a such a dark day for hockey. Team Sweden & NHLPA is furious with IOC! Sue them! Sue Them. This is not okay.

Sue them because Backstrom's pseudoephedrine levels tested above the allowed limit? The only thing the IOC did wrong in this instance was not inform them in a timely manner.

 

[vippe]

But was it at the start of the year, pre- or post-Olympics? And what by the way were Visnovsky's levels, were they reported anywhere?

Seppälä says Bäckström should get a two year ban if there are no mitigating circumstances: http://yle.fi/urheilu/seppala_backstromille_pitaisi_antaa_kahden_vuoden_pelikielto/7104432

Back on the list from that date. I have no idea about the levels of Visnovskys test but it was the same substance and he crossed the line, just as Backstrom did. By how much shouldnt really matter.. Either you are above or you are not. There really shouldnt be a grey zone... I hate the fact that he wasnt stopped from taking those pills instead of taking just "this much should be ok"

Backstrom and the doctors really should know better :/

 

[octopi]

If he IOC really wants to crack down on fair playing fields, shake up the figure skating judging.

As if Backstrom was going to destroy Canada from being on cold medication...from everything I've heard, it makes you dopey and lethargic even if it does clear up your sinuses.

 

[IceBjoern]

D. Sedin - H. Sedin - L. Eriksson
G Nyqvist - H. Zetterberg - J. Franzén
G. Landeskog - N. Backstrom - D. Alfredsson
C. Hagelin - M. Krüger - M. Johansson

Take those players out and any NHL team would beat Sweden.
Taking out Backstrom was simply overkill. Krüger as the #1 Center was a joke. The entire game was a joke from start to finnish. ******* IOC

 

[PTmbp13]

But was it at the start of the year, pre- or post-Olympics? And what by the way were Visnovsky's levels, were they reported anywhere?

Seppälä says Bäckström should get a two year ban if there are no mitigating circumstances: http://yle.fi/urheilu/seppala_backstromille_pitaisi_antaa_kahden_vuoden_pelikielto/7104432

Lol
Use your head i would say. It would not make him better. It was allergy medicine and IOC did a huge wrong in their wait of the annoncment. This is so redicilous. Its a none issue really.

 

[Habsawce]

Just one more reason the NHL won't be sending their players back, as if they were going to anyway.

NHL owners have profited enough from the exposure, now it's time to make something that they can profit financially from. As for the banning itself, seems more like the Swedish management and training staff should know this and swapped him to something different.

Do they not have medical files and forms from the teams on all players before going? Seems pretty standard to ensure that all their medications are accepted by the IOC, does it not?

 

[radapex]

I "blame" it purely on overworked WADA labs. Like I said, see London and the late test results.

Think of the number of tests they've got to run through in the course of a day, and you can be sure medal-winning tests take priority. Given the number of medal events this past week, and the fairly quick succession of the hockey tournament, it's not really surprising that they got the results late.

 

[radapex]

Summed up right, almost every team has a player who takes allergy medicin yet this happens 30 min before the gold medal game. It's a ****ing disgrace and on top of it the NHL has Ok'd the medicin forever.

Pseudoephedrine has been a controlled sustance on the IOC's list for 15+ years. They allow up to 150mg to be in an athlete's system when competing, and Backstrom's levels were above that - end of story.

 

[trick9]

Still waiting for explanation that if he was tested 4 days ago and results should be had in 24 hours why he was allowed to play in semi-final but not in the final?

Should be nothing, 1-game ban (if they think the values will come down) or banned from the whole tournament. Not like this where they are stalling the results, let him play the next game and then ban him for the biggest game of his life.

Someone has majorly screwed up on this one.

 

[Lempo]

What's your view on the bitter, sore loser attitude of your Finnish compatriots in this thread? Like flies to horse ****.

Well about "bitter sore losers", I am wondering if the Aftonladet's little drawing thingy is still open...

But the thing is, you can't make the Bronze medal hugs undone at this point, and I have hard time believing anyone would want an upgrade on the medal by this means. Finland didn't bring finals-worthy game to the semis and that's the end of it.

I'm just worried that Sweden will ruin this themselves in the best Lahti fashion by not fairly owning up at this point IF there is something to be owned up and instead try telling "only one piller" bull stories at this point and then afterwards are found having been intentionally lying their eyes out. Because that's what's going to make the stench.

 

[KriminellPipa]

I really don't like when the cliche "do the crime, do the time" is used in situations like this. From what I've read this isn't a case of a player loading up on something to use it as a PED. He simply used them daily to control allergy issues. "Do the crime, do the time" makes it seem like it's a bigger issue than it really is.

Well, he probably didn't.

Here's a comment from the finnish Wada if it hasn't been posted before:
https://twitter.com/mastrozyk/status/437646071682965505
https://twitter.com/mastrozyk/status/437647371346792448

"Med. Director of Finnish ADA says a positive sample would require a Zyrtec D intake at least 3x the amount recommended by doctors (via MTV3)"

"He also thinks Bäckström's explanation is not credible and that failing a test is likely the result of an intake of pure pseudo ephedrine."

Must be one hell of an allergy.

In this case I trust the finn way more than the swedes; all their behavior were fishy from start…

And an article pre OG '98 on the usage of pseudo ephedrine and NHLs "dirty little secret":
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/1998/weekly/980202/nhlstory.html?mobile=no

 

[Uno Bench]

But was it at the start of the year, pre- or post-Olympics? And what by the way were Visnovsky's levels, were they reported anywhere?

Seppälä says Bäckström should get a two year ban if there are no mitigating circumstances: http://yle.fi/urheilu/seppala_backstromille_pitaisi_antaa_kahden_vuoden_pelikielto/7104432

Ban from what? He is already cleared to play in the NHL. And the OG are every four years.. The IHHF has stated "He is an innocent victim" so he wont be banned from the WC either.. He'll get atleast two years of mocking on HF-boards though, that could be the "ban" the Finnish clown is refering to

 

[Hzzz]

I feel bad for Bäcks, It would have been his most important game in his career.

 

[bDtKarlsson]

Pseudoephedrine has been a controlled sustance on the IOC's list for 15+ years. They allow up to 150mg to be in an athlete's system when competing, and Backstrom's levels were above that - end of story.

It would have been if they had informed team Sweden of this before the Semi-Final. Then Bäckström would have been disqualified, Sweden would still have won against Finland and Sweden would still have lost the final. Now this whole thing has just become as huge mess.

 

[radapex]

Ah no big deal that he doped, this is not the "kind " that bothers me, just a faux puas technicality.

This does not feel like the "cheat to win" thing.

I agree. But as others have said, rules are rules. They don't (or, at least, shouldn't) get to pick and choose which ones applied to which situations.

They say that they allow up to 150mg of pseudoephedrine, Backstrom (reportedly) tested at 190mg. Pretty cut-and-dry, as unfortunate as it may be.

 

[sandysan]

Think of the number of tests they've got to run through in the course of a day, and you can be sure medal-winning tests take priority. Given the number of medal events this past week, and the fairly quick succession of the hockey tournament, it's not really surprising that they got the results late.

Plus didn't WADA threaten to pull the accreditation of the Russian drug lab prior to the Olympics due to compliance deficiencies?

the funny thing is that it doesn't matter who wins, the labs should have been able to predict hoe many tests they needed to do. If the delay was due to backlog, how surprising is it?

 

[Fossy21]

Pseudoephedrine has been a controlled sustance on the IOC's list for 15+ years. They allow up to 150mg to be in an athlete's system when competing, and Backstrom's levels were above that - end of story.

150 mg? Lol

 

[Kuhta]

In Bäckström´s sample there were 190 mg of pseudoefedrin when the limit is 150mg.

´To get that much of pseudoefedrin you would have to take three or four times suggested portion of allergy medicine. In these medicines there is also antihistamine which makes you sleepy so therefore it is not advisable.'

The limit (of pseudoefedrin) has been set high in order to make normal use of allergy medicines possible.

'This suggests that Bäckström has taken only pseudoefedrin.'

'Two year ban would be natural consequence´.

http://www.hs.fi/urheilu/Timo+Seppä...tikkeli&jako=e40eb88f54681bb707fd049e24f5624b

 

[Pellegrino]

In Bäckström´s sample there were 190 mg of pseudoefedrin when the limit is 150mg.

´To get that much of pseudoefedrin you would have to take three or four times suggested portion of allergy medicine. In these medicines there is also antihistamine which makes you sleepy so therefore it is not advisable.'

The limit (of pseudoefedrin) has been set high in order to make normal use of allergy medicines possible.

'This suggests that Bäckström has taken only pseudoefedrin.'

'Two year ban would be natural consequence´.

http://www.hs.fi/urheilu/Timo+Seppä...tikkeli&jako=e40eb88f54681bb707fd049e24f5624b

Lmao. As someone already said - ban from what?

 

[Pentothal]

His grandma was right :/

 

[radapex]

@jhiitela: Head of Finnish Antidoping agency says that 190mg is so huge dose, that it can’t come from just allergy medicine.

One 24-hour Claritin-D contains 240mg of pseudoephedrine, so I suppose it's possible. But those tablets are engineered for a distributed release, so if Backstrom did test high from allergy medication it would've had to have metabolised instantly.

 

[W75]

Limit is 150 micrograms (µg or mcg) per millilitre of urine.
Not mg (milligram).

E: Yes, a pill contains milligrams. But you have to calculate all the difficult metabolism/half-life things...
E2: Urine, not blood.

 

[KriminellPipa]

In Bäckström´s sample there were 190 mg of pseudoefedrin when the limit is 150mg.

´To get that much of pseudoefedrin you would have to take three or four times suggested portion of allergy medicine. In these medicines there is also antihistamine which makes you sleepy so therefore it is not advisable.'

The limit (of pseudoefedrin) has been set high in order to make normal use of allergy medicines possible.

'This suggests that Bäckström has taken only pseudoefedrin.'

'Two year ban would be natural consequence´.

http://www.hs.fi/urheilu/Timo+Seppä...tikkeli&jako=e40eb88f54681bb707fd049e24f5624b

I think it is obvious: they f**ked up.

 

[bDtKarlsson]

In Bäckström´s sample there were 190 mg of pseudoefedrin when the limit is 150mg.

´To get that much of pseudoefedrin you would have to take three or four times suggested portion of allergy medicine. In these medicines there is also antihistamine which makes you sleepy so therefore it is not advisable.'

The limit (of pseudoefedrin) has been set high in order to make normal use of allergy medicines possible.

'This suggests that Bäckström has taken only pseudoefedrin.'

'Two year ban would be natural consequence´.

http://www.hs.fi/urheilu/Timo+Seppä...tikkeli&jako=e40eb88f54681bb707fd049e24f5624b

Excellent link, even tough i don't understand a single word. If this is true then throw his silver medal into mt. doom and give him a permaban from team Sweden. If it is not true then throw his medal into mt. doom anyway but if he continues to be a world-class player then he is welcome to play for Sweden again, as long as he learns to count the amount of pills he takes.