Patches will be examined
Specially treated energy patches used by swimmers at the Olympic trials earlier this month will be sent to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency for testing amid concerns the patches contain testosterone.
The president of the company that makes the LifeWave Energy Enhancer called the accusation ridiculous and said the patch contains only amino acids and water-based solutions.
Six female swimmers at Stanford University wore the patches on their shoulders during the trials, held July 7-14 in Long Beach.
Stanford’s women’s coach Richard Quick, a three-time Olympic head coach who will serve as an assistant for the U.S. women’s team in Athens, defended the patches as a new training device he began using earlier this year.
The patches are designed to electronically stimulate acupuncture points, inserting current into the body to help an athlete improve stamina, according to Schmidt. No substances enter the body, he said.
He said a person’s stamina improves within 10 minutes of using the product.
First athletes arrive at village
Americans, Australians and Finns were among the first to check into the Olympic Village on Friday as the venue opened its doors to athletes.
Organizers said the village, 9 miles northwest of central Athens, was to receive about 500 of the expected 16,000 athletes and team officials. On Monday, another 2,000 are to arrive.
The area, protected by double walls with sensors and guarded by hundreds of police, has 2,292 apartments as well as swimming pools, theaters, restaurants, bars and places of worship.
Working out the bugs
Greek officials aren’t only securing Athens against possible terrorist strikes. They opened another front: against the annoying mosquito.
Crews have been spraying Olympic venues with what officials call environmentally friendly insecticides. At the Schinias Olympic Rowing and Canoeing Center, where the mosquito population is especially intense, traps have been set and at least 3,000 mosquitos have been snared.
A 2,500-acre spring in the area is being sprayed.
Mosquitos are also present at other venues, including the main Olympic stadium complex.