Revelations of the widespread use of caffeine supplements in the AFL have prompted questions about the use of the stimulant in other sports.
World Anti-Doping Agency
The use of caffeine and sleeping pills is legal under Australian law and is not currently banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, after a ban was lifted six years ago.
However, the WADA is now considering returning caffeine to its list of banned substances, with President John Fahey calling its use “against the spirit of sport”.
At present it is on the list of “specified substances” to be monitored for trends and possible abuse.
Fahey says: "It concerns me from the point of view of, firstly, the health of athletes. Anything that's taken in large quantities, you have to be a little bit concerned about the impact it might have on the health of an athlete."
Prior to 2004, athletes who tested positive for a level of caffeine greater than 12 micrograms per millilitre were banned from competition.
But it was hard to know whether caffeine was present due to stimulant "loading", or simply because of the consumpiton of coffeee or energy drinks.
"It was very, very difficult for the scientists to come to the conclusion that it was taken for the purpose of performance-enhancing as against being taken through a normal manner through drinking coffee or drinking soft drinks," Fahey said.
The WADA says it removed caffeine from the list of banned substances in 2004 because research suggested that caffeine, exceeding the amount allowed, might actually decrease performance.
The Agency also wanted to avoid undue punishment for athletes whose bodies metabolise caffeine at different rates.
Australian Institute of Sport
While caffeine falls into the category of supplements “supported for use” by the Australian Institute of Sport, it notes that the supplement is no longer made available under the AIS Sports Supplement Program. It does, however state that the institute:
"Educates athletes about caffeine, including the potential situations of performance enhancement, the benefits of using low doses of caffeine to achieve these effects and the risks of side effects."
The AIF also listed a number of concerns relating to caffeine use:
- There is an awareness that current caffeine intake practices are ad hoc and unsystematic, often with a lack of awareness of the potential for side-effects
- At higher levels of intake, caffeine has the potential to cause increases in heart rate, impairments or alterations of fine motor control and technique
- There may be interactions between caffeine and other supplements/nutrients used by athletes that need to be explored in terms of performance and side-effects.
- Although evidence of specific health problems is equivocal, long-term intake of large quantities of caffeine (>500 mg per day) are generally discouraged by health authorities.
Other Sports
The Sydney Morning Herald reports that NRL players are “actively discouraged” from using caffeine supplements before games, although the substance is not banned.
However, former Wallabies captain George Gregan has claimed, citing AIS research, that the tablets bettered his performance (when playing Rugby Union) by up to seven per cent.
Caffeine is widely used by cyclists and has been removed from the International Association of Athletics Federations banned list.
