Olympics Committee Tests For New Drug

The Olympics Committee is taking its next step in its plan to end doping, by retesting the 2008 Beijing athletes for CERA. CERA, Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator, is a new version of a drug that has been banned by the committee for a number of years now. CERA is used to stimulate bone marrow to create more blood cells, allowing athletes to recover quicker from workouts as well as see results much quicker. CERA, unlike other drugs, requires fewer dosages and lasts much longer. The main reason behind this sudden testing is because three of the stage winners in this year’s Tour de France tested positive for the drug. Since CERA helps with stamina, the Olympics Committee is honing in specifically on long-distance runners and other long-winded sports, rather than sprinters. It’s going to be really interesting to see if anyone tests positive for this drug, and the affect this will have on the Beijing games results.