UFC fighter Lina Länsberg is expected to have children in March and has just paused her MMA career.
Recently, she has followed the discussions about doping in Swedish sports and on her Instagram she gives an insight into life as an elite athlete and what doping rules she must adhere to.
Länsberg points out that she hates cheating, but that doping is not always as black and white as you might think.
Not knowing all the doping rules should not be equated with deliberately taking illicit drugs to, for example, become stronger, faster or more sustainable, she believes.
“It is always an athlete's responsibility what he or she puts in, but before you take it for granted that someone cheated, I want to tell you about the great job this sometimes means.
How illogical it can be and sometimes also impossible ", she writes.
Prohibited by drip
As the Swede competes for the UFC, she is tested by the American anti-doping agency Usada.
She gives several examples of what this can mean in practice.
"For example, it is forbidden to drip, even in an ambulance.
I have to apply for a dispensation for all liquid that is introduced intravenously if it is more than 100 ml.
The only exception is if I am cared for in hospital, but that does not include an ambulance ”.
Cortisone is also not allowed.
How many people who
do not
exercise at our level have not had it injected into muscles, joints or as a medicine for allergies ”.
"I understand Therese Johaug"
Some common vitamin supplements are also prohibited.
And during his pregnancy, Länsberg has encountered new concerns.
“When my pregnancy nausea was at its worst, I had to wait for seven days to get an answer from Usada whether I could take the prescription drug that all pregnant women in Sweden receive for severe nausea.
It contains ephedrine, which is doping-classified ”.
Since medicines are made by several different companies in several different countries, it can be difficult to find reliable information, Länsberg thinks.
"That's why I understand, for example, Therese Johaug who trusted her doctor who said she could use a certain ointment for her lips.
Of course, it is always the athlete's responsibility, but that responsibility is not always as easy as you might think.
Imagine if you are very ill or in great pain and you are prescribed a medicine.
It is easy to just think logically and take the medicine ”.
In Sweden, the case of the wrestler Jenny Fransson has received a lot of attention recently.
World Cup gold medalist Fransson has been suspended from the sport for four years, but has constantly claimed her innocence and does not know how she has ingested the banned substance.
ARCHIVE: See when SVT Sports reporter is tested by Swedish Anti-Doping (12 May 2020)
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See when SVT Sports reporter is tested in Swedish Anti - Doping's new specially designed bus Photo: SVT