The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has announced today that it will renew its ban on certain ‘hypnotic’ medications for 2016 Olympians, but the reveals that the implementation of such ban will begin much earlier than in past Olympic periods. The ban will now go into effect upon the date an athlete is selected for the 2016 Olympic team, rather than just mere weeks prior to the Games, as was the case in 2012.
In the words of AOC Chief Executive Officer, Fiona de Jong, “The prohibition now commences from the date of selection of each athlete. This will vary depending on the sport, but there should be no weaning off period immediately prior to the Games. Instead we are recommending athletes adopt healthy sleep strategies, relaxation and meditation techniques and other drug-free approaches in the lead up to Rio.”
In terms of what medications fall under the ‘hypnotic’ category, the AOC includes the following:
- Nitrazepam (including but not restricted to the brand name “Mogadon”)
- Flunitrazepam (including but not restricted to the brand name “Rohypnol”)
- Zolpidem (including but not restricted to the brand name “Stilnox”)
Under the 2016 Team Agreement, which all athletes and officials must sign, team members are prohibited from using, possessing, or trafficking a drug of addiction, poison, or restricted substance in contravention of the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act 1966 (NSW).
In today’s statement, Jong further clarified that, “by introducing the ban from the date of selection we are giving any athlete taking hypnotic medications time to wean themselves off the drug long before they enter the Village in Rio.”
The ban coming into effect upon selection to the Olympic team is a marked change from the London Olympics in 2012 where the AOC’s ban was introduced just three weeks prior to the start of the Games. That timing was later called into question as part of the independent investigation into Swimming Australia after its lackluster performance as a whole in London.
The “Bluestone Review” blamed the organization’s culture for the relative lack of success at the 2012 Summer Games and specifically cited ‘prescription drugs’ as one of the chief ‘toxic’ elements. Specifically, it was revealed that Australian team members James Magnussen, Eamon Sullivan, James Roberts, Matt Targett, Tommaso D’Orsogna and Cameron McEvoy all took Stilnox at their team’s pre-Games training camp in Manchester, England, after the AOC ban was announced.
Alcohol was another cause of team fragmentation, according to the Bluestone Review, and the AOC has made it clear that Australian athletes will also be “banned from drinking alcohol in the Olympic Village at Rio 2016.”
The AOC’s release today included punitive ramifications, indicating that “any athletes who breach the ban could be thrown off the Australian team for Rio 2016 and may be threatened with a life suspension from representing their country in future.”
You can read the entire Swimming Australia release here.
I am sorry for any ignorance but what is wrong with sleeping medication? I would imagine if I was an olympic athlete I would have A TON of trouble sleeping the night before my race.
I’m a former Pharma Rep who sold such drugs. All meds listed are very addictive. Hard to come off and often tacyphalaxis* occurs making it a vicious cycle. Also, these are toxic drugs, probably not ideal for pushing one’s body to the Olympic level.
*((tach·y·phy·lax·is
ˌtakəfiˈlaksəs/
noun MEDICINE
rapidly diminishing response to successive doses of a drug, rendering it less effective. The effect is common with drugs acting on the nervous system))
USA should follow …..it is probably a problem here too!