Why Are Xenon And Argon Banned In Sports?

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has banned Xenon and Argon because they are Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) that positively affect an athlete’s performance in a sport. Noble gases Xenon and Argon are added to WADA’s list of Prohibited Substances and Methods because they are bioactive and increase the oxygen-carrying capacity of human blood. Inhalation of Xenon or Argon could boost an athlete’s stamina and energy, thereby giving them an unfair advantage over other competing athletes.

Back in 2014, Xenon and Argon became the latest additions to the list of chemicals and supplements banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) – an entity that runs drug testing across many sporting events. The decision was seen as an unusual one, as people thought that the idea of doping with gases that were commonly associated with neon light, arc welding, and anesthesia was a little weird.

However, the ban was actually enforced, as noble gases Xenon and Argon were added to WADA’s list of Prohibited Substances and Methods.

What it really does is stimulates low-level hypoxia (a condition wherein there is a deficiency in the amount of oxygen reaching the tissues). This, in turn, stimulates the body to produce blood so that it does a better job of taking in oxygen. If I have to say the same thing in technical terms, I’d say that the inhalation of xenon increases erythropoietin (EPO) levels, a hormone that increases the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood by encouraging the formation of red blood cells. It should be noted that, due to the same characteristic, synthetic EPO is used to treat patients with kidney diseases and anemia.

Thus, inhaling Xenon or Argon could boost your stamina and energy, thereby giving you an unfair advantage over other competing athletes. In addition to that, another major advantage that these noble gases offer is that they ‘clear out’ from the body within hours, but their performance-enhancing effects can last for days.