Paralympic cheats use adrenalin to gain advantage

By Ian Ransom

BEIJING (Reuters) - Self-flagellation, mutilation, bladder constriction -- welcome to the world of the Paralympic cheat who reaches for a belt or a sharp object rather than a banned substance to gain an edge in elite competition.

The grisly practice of voluntary autonomic dysreflexia -- commonly known as boosting -- involves disabled athletes beating, stabbing and strapping parts of the body to provoke an adrenalin rush that might improve their performance by up to 25 percent, or failing that, kill them.

"We are talking about headaches, gooseflesh, brain damage, arterial disruption...there have even been cases of athletes passing away," said Peter Van de Vliet, medical and scientific director of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).

While generally not regarded as a widespread problem, adherents were found in all sports that catered to athletes whose disabilities precluded a circular central nervous response, said Van de Vliet, such as those with spinal cord injuries.

In essence, athletes who could harm parts of their bodies without feeling pain.

"Typically athletes can induce this through strapping or clamping the bladder or sitting on something sharp because we know that pain stimuli can induce a similar reaction on the...nervous system.

"We find these athletes in table tennis in severe (disability) classes, swimming, in wheelchair racing, they are in cycling."

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