German TV Documentary Suggests Genetic Doping is Possible in China
By DPA,
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
| 07. 22. 2008
Dusseldorf - A German television documentary suggesting that genetic doping is possible in the Olympic host country of China has been met with shock and disgust by scientists and doping officials.
'I could never imagine this,' said Mario Thevis, head of a Cologne-based centre for preventive doping reasearch, on Tuesday.
The documentary broadcast on Monday night by the state-run ARD network showed a reporter, claiming to be a swimming coach, inquiring about performance-enhancing stem cell treatment for athletes in a Chinese hospital.
Filmed with a hidden camera, a doctor named a price of 24,000 dollars and outlined the procedure.
'It takes two weeks. I recommend four intravenous sessions: 40 million stem cells, maybe double the amount, the more the better,' the doctor said.
The doctor said the treatment had not been tested among athletes but was safe - a fact disputed by others.
'There are huge health risks. This is shocking. I was surprised to see this. Honestly, this is beyond my worst fears,' said genetic doping expert Patrick Diel.
Thevis expressed doubts whether such a treatment as described by...
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