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MPs call on UK Sport to stop gagging London 2012 Olympians from talking about trial of performance-boosting drink

A cycling fan holds a British flag over the Olympic Rings logo during the men's Road Cycling Race at the London 2012 Olympic Games - Shutterstock
A cycling fan holds a British flag over the Olympic Rings logo during the men's Road Cycling Race at the London 2012 Olympic Games - Shutterstock

MPs want UK Sport to stop gagging Great Britain’s 2012 Olympians from talking about being given a secretive performance-boosting drink in the build-up to the Games that left some of them feeling sick.

It emerged over the weekend that British medal hopefuls had been enrolled in a study that saw them fed a synthetic version of a naturally-occurring body acid, ‘ketones’, developed to help make US special forces more resilient behind enemy lines.

Those who did so were asked to sign non-disclosure agreements and waivers absolving UK Sport – the taxpayer-funded agency which oversaw the experiment – for responsibility for any side-effects from the drink or if the World Anti-Doping Agency was subsequently to deem it illegal.

The revelation has seen UK Sport accused of failing in its duty of care to athletes competing at London 2012 and MPs now want it to release them from their NDAs so they are able to come forward.

Shadow sports minister Alison McGovern told the Telegraph Sport: “Athletes should have the right to speak out about their experiences and voice any concerns about this experiment undertaken under the leadership of UK Sport who have a duty of care to the sportsmen and women they represent.”

Julian Knight, the chairman of parliament’s Digital, Culture, Media & Sport select committee, added: “The practice of signing athletes up to lifetime NDAs is highly questionable at best and I’d ask, if everything is above board, why has this overbearing provision been put in place?”

The use of legal performance boosters was at the centre of the scandal to engulf Sir Mo Farah’s disgraced former coach, Alberto Salazar, who was banned for four years in October for doping offences.

Some of Salazar’s athletes complained they had been put under pressure to undergo unnecessary medical interventions. Salazar denies any wrongdoing and has lodged an appeal against his ban at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

UK Sport did not respond to requests for comment on Monday night but said in a previous statement that its ketones project had received “independent ethical approval”.

It added: “Any research funded by UK Sport investment includes a participant-consent form to ensure it operates with full transparency with regards to any risks to participants, and also for the purpose of full disclosure.

“Participating athletes agree they have been provided with full details of the study and have had the opportunity to raise and discuss questions with a named researcher. Athletes are not put under pressure from UK Sport to take part in any research project or to provide their consent, and may withdraw at any time.

“UK Sport is fully committed to developing a high performance culture that is truly inspirational and one that will set us apart from our global competitors – but UK Sport will never seek to win medals at any cost.

“UK Sport resolutely refutes any accusation that Olympians were used as ‘guinea pigs’, and finds this allegation both misleading and offensive.”