Re: Breaking News: Akhtar, Asif called back to Pakistan!
Some support for Shoaib and Asif:
Tauseef Razzaq, a reputed physiotherapist and sports medicine specialist, who told AFP that the positive test results probably stemmed from the medicines he had been taking to aid his recovery from injury.
“Akhtar is definitely innocent and I can vouch for him,” said Tauseef. “He doesn’t know anything about medicines, and since he recently suffered ankle and knee injuries, he must have taken some medicines which are painkillers but come under the banned substances.”
Dr Razzaq was hired by Shoaib in 2004, a move which attracted criticism from the PCB. He added that Shoaib had returned two negative tests, at the Champions Trophy in England two years ago and after the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.
“Akhtar is so valuable a cricketer and is conscious of the fact,” said Razzaq, “so I don’t think he would take anything intentionally. Since he bowls at a venomous pace he also knew he would always be a target for a dope test.”
**Danish Zaheer, president of the Sports Medicine Association of Pakistan, has said that there could be an outlet for the banned players, if they can prove that the substance was not obtained through external means. **
“Nandrolone is normally taken under medical supervision as it is used in injectable form but recent theories suggest this substance is naturally produced in athletes’ bodies,” Zaheer told AFP. “Both players can claim that they have bodies that normally produce such banned substances more than the prescribed quantity - that is a possible theory.”
Jaipur, Oct 17 (IANS) Two groups have offered to find “loopholes” in the doping system that found excess doses of a performance enhancing drug in the bodies of Pakistani speedsters Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Asif.
Asian Federation of Sports Medicine (AFSM) and the Sports Medicine Association of Pakistan (SMAP) have said if asked their doping control experts can help find “loopholes” in the system that found excess presence of Nandrolone in the players’ bodies, ruling them out of the Champions Trophy in India.
Both Shoaib and Asif, through their counsel/doping expert, will now have to plead their cases in a manner that both players have such bodies that naturally produce such banned substances more than the prescribed quantity – that is a possible theory," said AFSM vice-president Danish Zaheer in an e-mail message received by IANS.
“A good doping expert can also point out the loopholes in the doping conducting systems that may also be beneficial for both players,” the mail said quoting Zaheer telling the Voice of America from Brunei.
Both Shoaib and Asif have been taking medication and are coming off injuries, and it is possible that certain painkillers that they might have taken had contained Nandrolone.
According to World Anti Doping Agency (WADA), the presence of more than two Nanograms Nandrolone found in an athlete’s body is punishable with a two-year ban.
But Zaheer said some players could naturally produce up to 37 nanograms of Nandrolone.
“It is normally taken under supervision as it is used in injectable form, but recently theories have also suggested that sometimes this substance is naturally produced in the athletes’ bodies indigenously,” he said.
SMAP secretary Pervez Rizvay also said if asked SMAP can render services to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as well as Shoaib and Asif to defend their cases. SMAP had defended Pakistan hockey player Mussaddiq Hussain in 1992.
