Is Ritalin (methylphenidate) on the list of banned substances as per the drug testing policy that the IGF have adopted? Does the answer depend on whether it's a prescribed by a doctor or not?

AFAIK, there is no special list for go, so you can just check the WADA list. Ritalin is on there, but you could probably get a therapeutic use exemption.

Thanks, HH. According the WADA site,

The criteria for a TUE (therapeutic use exemption) are:

The athlete would experience significant health problems without taking the prohibited substance or method
The therapeutic use of the substance would not produce significant enhancement of performance, and
There is no reasonable therapeutic alternative to the use of the otherwise prohibited substance or method.

I presume all conditions have to be met. Is there anyone on the forum who has uses Ritalin, or knows enough about Ritalin, to say whether Ritalin as a treatment for ADHD would conform to the above list? My impression is "no", particularly the first condition, and it seems the second condition is also a problem as Ritalin would typically provide a massive improvement to performance, at least for that person (even if the drug merely returns the person to "normal").

On a related note, I'm curious to know if Go players are more likely than the average population to suffer from ADD or ADHD?

ADD/ADHD is hard to define/measure, specially for "relatively" mild cases. If I check "symptoms" I am quite likely suffering from it (would score very high on most of them), together with my girlfriend (and even my cat), as well as a good deal of the mathematicians/comp-sci guys/gals I know. So, probably you'd be able to get a diagnosed ADHD from country/city A who would never get a positive diagnostic in country/city B just because doctors operate vaguely differently.

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Geek of all trades, master of none: the motto for my blog mostlymaths.net

If ritalin were banned then there would be a huge number of people banned. It is, or at least used to be, commonly prescribed in the US for any child who could not sit still.

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Still officially AGA 5d but I play so irregularly these days that I am probably only 3d or 4d over the board (but hopefully still 5d in terms of knowledge, theory and the ability to contribute).

The problem with drugs of this sort, is that while not particularly enhancing for somebody for whom they are prescribed, taking them on a regular basis, a tolerance built up, they would be in a small dose for somebody not taking them regularly. Playing in a tournament can be exhausting, and for somebody not used to taking them, a small does would restore alertness when tired.

Yes, I know it's still massively prescribed for children, with mostly very good results. My question was specifically about whether participants at elite go tournaments, those subject to random drug testing (both in and out of competition), would fail the test if they were using Ritalin. Bearing in mind that the top players at tournaments are frequently teenagers or young adults, who are more likely to be on concentration meds.

One of the surprising entries for me was insulin, though I could believe it could be an issue in athletic competitions. Let's hope that the exemption for a diabetic go player would be quick and complication free.

Who is responsible for adjudicating exceptions?

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Occupy Babel!

The general attitude of WADA (World Anti Doping Agency): the assumption of guilt until proven innocence, requirements to tell them where you will be at certain times of the day far in the future etc. are a big reason I don't like the 'Go is a sport, let's join the Olympics" argument. Sure the enforcement for Go is likely to be less onerous, but the attitude stinks to me.

Yeah, testing chess players for steroids...

Steroids help go players slam down the stones harder. This is an advantage because it often causes fear in their opponet.

If you believe Hikaru, roid rage might give you that extra bit of determination you need to win.

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Occupy Babel!

Tennis player Larisa Neiland failed a doping test for...

For a positive in caffeine you need around 8 cups of coffee (1000 mg of caffeine) or 5 espressos, taken in a relatively short time (caffeine is metabolised relatively fast, but depends on the person.)

Now, be serious: what would likely happen to anyone taking 4-8 cups of coffee quite fast before playing a sport (heck, even no need to play anything)?

Edit: I copied google's caffeine amount for espresso too hastly. You'd need more like 10 espressos, likely 14 or more depending on blend.

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Geek of all trades, master of none: the motto for my blog mostlymaths.net

For the AGA, at least, the IGF/WADA drug testing is applicable to IGF sponsored events as described on this page:

http://www.usgo.org/selection-international-representatives-0

Unfortunately, the link to the AGA's own information seems to be broken.

Steroids are used by go players to make it easier to run while saddled with a heavy group.

The issue is interesting (staying away from joining certain sporting groups because of the invasive/onerous attentions of WADA).

I think they can't afford and don't want to be that interested in everybody, it's more the high profile/big money sports. As a competitive skydiver overseen by the FAI (in turn affiliated with WADA), I have to sign a waiver at nationals every year and international meets from time to time, agreeing to be drug tested, and I've never even seen an inspector.

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Confucius in the Analects says "even playing go is better than eating chips in front of tv all day." -- kivi

Well my dislike of WADA didn't stop my playing in the World Mind Sport Games 2012 in Lille which probably had some drug test conditions, I don't remember. But I do recall some testing reported in the WAGC, one of the interviews on ranka with some asian kid said he thought it was a bit strange.