British athletes took part in the test of an experimental product aimed at improving results at the 2012 London Home Olympics. The government bodies of Great Britain were involved in the studies. This became known from material published by the Daily Mail.

According to the publication, 91 top-level athletes representing eight sports took a total of 135 doses of an energy drink called DeltaG. It was created in 2011 by a group of scientists from Oxford University under the direction of Professor Kieran Clark, commissioned by American intelligence agencies who invested $ 10 million in the development. Initially, the development was designed for soldiers so that they could compensate for the lack of ration in wartime conditions.

DeltaG contains synthesized ketones, which are an additional source of energy for the body. Athletes who especially need high endurance indicators may also be interested in using such a drink. Research on rowers and cyclists has shown that the use of artificial ketones increases productivity by 1-2%.

Tests on athletes were carried out with the approval and financial support of the state agency responsible for investment in Olympic and Paralympic Sports in the UK (UK Sport), which is part of the Ministry of Culture, Media and Sports. Project participants had to sign documents in which all responsibility for possible negative consequences was transferred from the organization to the athletes themselves. UK Sport also assumed that the use of DeltaG could be equated with the use of doping.

“UK Sport does not guarantee, promise or warrant that the use of ketone esters fully complies with the requirements of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and therefore excludes all responsibility for their use,” the British publication cites the agreement with the athletes.

DeltaG is not a WADA prohibited substance, but UK Sport informed athletes that in the future the agency may change its position and will have the right to recheck old samples. However, the state agency noted that it would still be very difficult to prove the use of ketones. The condition that they cause is almost indistinguishable from that resulting from a diet aimed at burning fat.

The fact that DeltaG is available to British and American athletes has previously been reported. However, it remained unknown who exactly had access to this drink, which increases productivity and does not leave noticeable traces in the body.

The Daily Mail clarifies that the new substance was used by British athletes immediately before and during the home Olympics in London in order to improve competition results. From the documents found, it follows that DeltaG was intended for representatives of athletics, cycling, swimming, modern pentathlon, sailing, field hockey and other sports.

The UK Field Hockey Federation admitted that they actually used DeltaG during the Olympic cycle. 

“The participation of UK Sport agency in this program gave them confidence, and they were not opposed to being assisted in their pursuit of excellence. DeltaG has been used for only a short period of time, ”RT explained to the federation.

It is especially noted that the energy test for many athletes ended unsuccessfully. More than 40% of subjects reported various side effects, including nausea and indigestion. 28 people refused to drink for this reason. Another 24 completed the course of admission ahead of schedule due to the fact that they did not feel any positive effects. Project participants also noted the unpleasant taste of energy.

Everyone who took DeltaG had to sign a non-disclosure agreement, which forbade the disclosure of test details. At the same time, sources of the publication reported that during the preparation for the Olympics, rumors about the use of a secret drink nevertheless went among athletes and coaches.

Professor Kieran Clark emphasized that athletes did not become “guinea pigs,” since a lot of human studies on DeltaG had been done before the 2012 Olympics. 

“The goal of this project was to develop a new energy-efficient product group. As of 2010, ketone ester has passed all safety assessment tests required to be approved for sale as a food product in the United States and has been registered by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as “generally recognized as safe.” "Said Clark RT.

At the same time, she called on ketone kefir itself to be called not a “drug”, but rather a food product “with the same calorie content as glucose”. Clark also noted that side effects when taking it were minimized.

“They appeared in a mild form and were widely documented (for example, mild nausea was reported only after six out of 2016 cases of drinking). Only one or two people were sick, which could have happened without using it, ”Clark concluded.

The agency itself was assured that it does not finance projects that could harm athletes. It is alleged that both WADA and the UK anti-doping agency were aware of the research.

“The UK Anti-Doping Agency, after explaining it in writing from WADA, confirmed that WADA has no reason to consider such substances banned according to the 2011 List of Prohibited Substances and Methods,” a UK Sport statement said.