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Canned or bottled oxygen has been officially banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Athletes under their supervision can no longer use supplemental oxygen in training or competition.

According to an official statement from WADA, bottled or canned oxygen falls under the Prohibited Methods, Section M1: Enhancement of oxygen transfer: "Artificially enhancing the uptake, transport or delivery of oxygen is prohibited." Therefore, based on this definition, any device that supplies oxygen and fulfills any of those criteria is a prohibited method in sport.

By citing this Section M1 ruling, WADA is categorizing bottled or canned oxygen along with potentially dangerous oxygen delivering methods like blood doping, perfluorocarbons, efaproxiral (RSR13) and modified haemoglobin products. From a risk assessment standpoint alone, this comparison is VERY unreasonable. Oxygen has been safely used in medical treatment for decades, whereas the other methods specifically cited by this rule are known to have potentially serious side effects.

When considering the actual nature of recreational canned oxygen, it is surprising that WADA would even consider banning it, for the following reasons:

1). It is not considered a drug by the FDA and is completely safe in the doses provided.

2). It has never been scientifically proven to enhance athletic performance.

3). It is publicly available and not cost prohibitive, so any athlete can easily obtain it. Therefore it would not jeopardize the true "spirit of sport."

4). There is no way to effectively test for it, so the athletes who continue to train with oxygen and defy the rules would never get caught or penalized.

Don't these facts contradict the principles we expect WADA to consider regarding the banning of a substance or method?

Most people find this ruling VERY difficult to accept, especially since the National Football League (NFL), one of the largest and most respected sports organizations in the world, allows its players to PUBLICLY use oxygen on the sidelines during games without restriction, as was clearly demonstrated in this year's Super Bowl.

Something is definitely amiss with WADA's decision making process here. Either that, or they have grown in scale to the point where they do not feel they need to justify their actions to the athletes they are supposed to be protecting and governing.

For a full, more detailed version of this press release, go to: www.oxygen4energy.com/wada-bans-oxygen.html