Some of you may have heard recently about some claims that have been circulating about one in three Paralympians cheating to gain an unfair edge.
The so called 'edge' comes in a very unusual way but apparently it is common amongst Paralympic athletes.
When an able bodies athlete starts doing exercise their heart rate increase as does their blood pressure. People who have a spinal injury do not have the same reaction when they exercise. As a result rumours have started to come out about athletes breaking toes with small hammers, giving themselves electric shocks and even testicular strangulation to give the same reaction to provide an edge when lining up on the start line.
During the Beijing Olympics a survey came back to show that 17% of athletes were guilty of this practise known as 'boosting' although about 20 official tests were carried out an no clear evidence of the malpractice was ever found.
I am sure this story will unfold further over the next few weeks and as soon as I hear I will update further. Have a great weekend all :)
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