In 2000, the grueling triathlon competition was introduced for the first time to the Olympic stage. The incredible 3-part race includes a .93 mile swim, a 24.8 mile bike ride and a 6.2 mile run. Canada’s Simon Whitfield won Gold for the men, and Switzerland’s Brigitte McMahon won Gold for the women. It wasn’t until the 2016 Olympics that the U.S.A. Triathlon team came home with its first Gold when Gwen Jorgensen completed the course in 1 hour, 56 minutes and 16 seconds. To read and learn about the training involved in becoming a member of the team and what it takes to complete one of these races, you might wonder how they can do it.
It seems that the U.S.A. Triathlon team has wondered how they do it as well. After all of the media coverage concerning the benefits of Hemp and after WADA removed Hemp from the banned substance list, the U.S.A. Triathlon team has become the first U.S. Olympic team to embrace their athletes using Hemp oil if they want to. WADA is the World Anti-Doping Agency and it regulates the use of performance enhancing drugs by many athletes involved with international sporting leagues. Now that the organization has removed Hemp from the banned substance list, the door is open for many elite athletes to discover whether Hemp can help them.
Athletes at every level — who are often some of the earliest adopters of anything that can help people feel better, recover from workouts or improve performance — have embraced CBD. Rocky Harris, chief executive of U.S.A. Triathlon, said the movement to embrace Hemp among participants in the sport led his organization on a six-month endeavor to determine the actual risks and benefits of Hemp and whether U.S.A. Triathlon could responsibly pursue making money through a sponsorship deal…
Hemp is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid found in abundance in hemp plants. Not long ago, anything associated with the hemp plant was generally thought poorly of by athletes. After law reform pertaining to hemp legalized it in the U.S. and the World Health Organization gave it the okay, athletes began to look into it. The UFC allows its fighters to take Hemp edibles or use a Hemp tincture without fear of reparations. However, many organizations are still closed-minded about their athletes taking CBD. The NFL and MLB still have very strict policies about Hemp consumption. Perhaps the U.S.A. Triathlon team will inspire other organizations to relax there policies as well.
What is paramount for an Olympic organization allowing its athletes to take Hemp tinctures is that the product is free of THC. Third party lab testing of Hemp products proving there is no THC is essential because if the athlete tests positive for THC, they could be barred from participating or even stripped of their medals. No matter what, customers should always look for a certificate of analysis on any Hemp product they are considering. You should always be aware of what you are putting in your body. It would be a shame to fail a Hemp oil drug test due to trace amounts of THC.
Read more at NYTimes.com.