IPC to test athletes over ‘boosting’

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) will test athletes to ensure the practice of ‘boosting’ blood pressure ahead of competition to enhance performance does not happen at the London 2012 Paralympics.

‘Boosting’, referred to medically as induced autonomic dysreflexia, has been used by athletes with spinal cord injuries.

By inflicting pain below the spinal injury athletes are able to increase their heart rate which in turn increases the amount of oxygen to the muscles.

Athletics and hand-biking are two sports where the practice would provide a clear advantage.

Raised blood pressure can cause a heart attack or a stroke and the practice was banned by the IPC in 2004. Tests were run in Beijing to ensure athletes were not using ‘boosting’.

IPC director of communications Craig Spence said: “We know which sports are most at risk of ‘boosting’ and will be testing their blood pressure prior to competition.

“High blood pressure can occur naturally and those athletes who are prone to high blood pressure will have a form from their GP that they can produce.

“To put this in perspective there were 3,951 athletes in Beijing and only 37 were at risk of boosting. We tested them and none of them were.

“There will be 4,200 athletes here in London but it will be less than a hundred who will be tested.”