Codes back away from Stilnox ban

First introduced to the Stilnox in 2003 ... Grant Hackett. Photo: Reuters

AS THE Australian Olympic Committee came to terms with revelations the use of sleeping tablet Stilnox was widespread at the Athens and Beijing Games, Australia's four largest sporting codes have said they won't be following John Coates's lead by banning the drug.

The AOC moved yesterday to ban all its athletes from using the prescribed sleeping drug after a phone call from disgraced former swimmer Grant Hackett to Coates in which Hackett detailed how rampant the drug's use was in swimming.

''Grant Hackett telephoned me to tell me that he was first introduced to the drug in 2003 at the world swimming championships in Barcelona,'' Coates said yesterday.

Advertisement: Story continues below

''He asked the team doctor for the temazepam, which he presumably knew something about, and instead he was prescribed Stilnox. And he told me that that was then being prescribed as normal practice by our swimming and Olympic team doctors in Athens.''

As a result, Coates accepted the blame for not being aware of the issue sooner and implementing change. And he has instructed AOC officials to amend the official medical manual to include the ban on sedatives such as Stilnox, Mogadon and Rohypnol.

If an athlete is found to be using a banned sedative and not the approved temazepam, then punishment can scale from as little as a warning to being fined or even sent home from the Olympics.

Swimming Australia has also moved to ban its athletes from using the sleeping tablet but according to the country's four biggest sporting bodies, it is an over-reaction.

The NRL, AFL, ARU and Cricket Australia did not endorse the use of Stilnox to help athletes sleep after competing, but they all said its use was up to team medical staff.

Read this article:
Codes back away from Stilnox ban