Abstract
Pigeon racing is a sport in which trained homing pigeons (Columba livia domestica) are released between 60 and 1200 km from their loft and then have to return home as quickly as possible. The first race was held in 1818 in Belgium and since then, Belgium has led the world in pigeon breeding. Unfortunately, as in other sports, doping has become a major issue and doping controls have been implemented. This review provides information about pigeon racing, rules from the Royal Federation Colombophile of Belgium, and laws applicable in Belgium as doping control issues cannot be understood without including them as part of pigeon racing. The main pharmacological data concerning corticoids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, anabolic steroids, pain relievers and narcotic analgesics, bronchodilators and β-agonists, drugs acting on the central nervous system and other performance-enhancing drugs, in addition to methods relevant to doping in pigeons are presented. Moreover, the chosen matrix and analytical methods are described.
Highlights
It is impossible to determine when humans invented “sport”, that is, when physical activities left the realm of simple concerns of “struggle for life” and became activities of leisure
The laboratories accredited by the KBDB-RFCB must demonstrate impressive skills and competence in the matter. This is based on an accreditation to ISO/IEC 17025 by a Belgian accreditation organization (BELAC) for analysis of tissues and fluids of animal origin
There are only a limited number of pharmacological studies performed on pigeons and most drug doses and dosages in this species are either extrapolated from other bird species or even only empirical. This applies both to the treatment of sick pigeons and to drug abuse in a doping context as it does not afford the definition of withdrawal time
Summary
It is impossible to determine when humans invented “sport”, that is, when physical activities left the realm of simple concerns of “struggle for life” and became activities of leisure. In the 1990s, the use of corticosteroids and anabolic steroids appeared and quickly emerged as a key issue in pigeon sports due to animal welfare concerns [3]. This resulted in the publication of a Royal Decree (14 February 1995) identifying the prohibited performance-enhancing substances in pigeons [4] and establishing punitive measures for transgressors of the decree [4]. The control of doping in racing pigeons presents an extremely difficult challenge when compared with human or equine competitive sports. This paper intends to provide basic information about pigeon racing as doping control issues in pigeons cannot be understood without first learning about the sport of pigeon racing. It provides an overview of all aspects of doping control in racing pigeons based on the Belgian situation, as Belgium may well be the world’s leading country in this field to date
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