Viagra at high altitudes can improve absorption of oxygen into the blood

The use of Viagra in professional sports is on the increase according to some news reports. In the Beijing 2008 Olympics it was rumoured that the use of Viagra was widespread among athletes who were seeking to improve their performance. Viagra and its cousins Cialis and Levitra have not been banned by the World Anti Doping Agency but extensive testing has been commissioned by it to see whether they do actually have a positive effect on athletic performance.

Other testing done with Viagra at high altitudes has shown that it can improve absorption of oxygen into the blood by opening up blood vessels which in turn improves the physical stamina and endurance of mountaineers.

Viagra is especially popular therefore with sports which are played at high altitudes and in some parts of South America where sportsmen live on the Altiplano it is rumored to be used a lot. The Altiplano which is a vast flat area which is at around 3,000m and which covers part of Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Argentina and Chile is known for its thin air which takes a couple of days to get acclimatised to. It is therefore highly likely that the use of Viagra or other PDE-5 Inhibitors could give an advantage to for example visiting football teams.

In the South American ‘Copa Libertadores’ where many of the games are played on the Altiplano some of the teams even admitted to the use of the Viagra medication for their players. For example Gremio, one of Brazil’s most popular football teams is thought to give its players Viagra before games.

If the Viagra drug is eventually banned by the World Anti Doping Agency it could pose problems for players who really do suffer from erectile dysfunction and who genuinely do need these drugs to maintain an erection.

UPDATE

Two football clubs in Brazil namely Palmeiras and Gremio have denied that they were even considering giving players Viagra when playing Copa Libertadores games at high altitudes.

Alarico Endres who is a Gremio trainer had previously said that they were going to “analyse everything” which could be a benefit to the players when playing at high altitude but the head Gremio physician Marcio Bolzoni said that his comments had been misinterpreted.

Bolzoni the said that if there was any evidence that Viagra could enhance the performance of an athlete it would be considered to be doping and thus it would be banned.