Dr. Andrei Krassioukov
ICORD Principal Investigator Dr. Andrei Krassioukov is an expert on the subject of boosting, and he’s been in high demand from national and international media outlets wanting his insight in advance of the upcoming Paralympic Games.
Boosting occurs when athletes with spinal cord injuries deliberately induce autonomic dysreflexia in order to gain an advantage in competition. Autonomic dysreflexia is a dangerous rise in blood pressure caused by a painful or non-painful stimulation below the level of injury. Below the SCI, their bodies cannot detect the stimulation and has difficulty properly responding. As a result, blood pressure can increase quickly, which can lead to serious consequences such as stroke, heart attack, or even death.
Dr. Krassioukov and his team will run an education clinic at the London Games.
Stories featuring Dr. Krassioukov’s comments include:
| Some paralympic athletes self-harm for competitive edge:Banned practice of “boosting” increases heart rate, blood pressure. CBC News. Aug 23, 2012 3:15 PM ET |
| Paralympic athletes who harm themselves to perform better. BBC News Magazine. 22 August 2012. |
| Why Paralympic Athletes Intentionally Mutilate Themselves Before Competing. Business Insider. Aug. 23, 2012, 10:21 AM |
| Fears Paralympians with spinal injuries will self-harm in bid to boost their performance during the Games. Mail Online: PUBLISHED: 12:39 GMT, 23 August 2012 |
| Canadian Researcher Works to Make Paralympic Games Safer:Performance enhancement among disabled athletes carries high risks.US Politics Today. 23 August 2012 |
| Boosting, a cheating method used by athletes with spinal injures, is the Paralympics’ dirty little secret. Yahoo Sports (reprinted in many publications) . 23 August 2012 |
