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CANBERRA - The Beijing Olympics will be remembered for the abuse of legal performance-enhancing drugs, a leading Australian sports scientist says.
Robin Parisotto, who helped develop the test used to detect the banned blood booster EPO, says legal drugs including Viagra and psychological medicines also enhance athletic performance.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is considering including Viagra on its list of banned substances, but a decision will not be made until after next month's Olympics.
"Beijing will probably be remembered for the abuse of legal drugs like Viagra," Parisotto told ABC Radio.
"Any physical activity that goes for longer than two minutes would be a beneficiary of something like Viagra, just like the normal blood doping drugs."
Viagra provides the same benefits as blood doping because it opens up arteries and veins "and not only in the private parts".
But the erectile dysfunction drug isn't the only legal medicine that can boost an athlete's performance.
Drugs used for psychological purposes can help competitors gain a mental edge, Parisotto said.
"With sport quite often it comes down to a battle of wills and as you become fatigued you become confused and your judgement is not so good.
"So to take a drug which will keep your mind clear and focused certainly is another area of drug-taking that would be of benefit to athletes."
- AAP
