Could Viagra turn you into an Olympic champion?

Don’t be surprised if you see some of the male athletes competing in the Beijing Olympics competing with huge bulges in their shorts.

No, Linford Christie is not back competing for Great Britain. But if he did, he may have trouble seeing the finishing line, never mind beating everyone else to it.

Why? Well, you see, athletes are now using Viagra to boost their on-the-field performances as well as fueling their legendary off-the–field antics.

That’s right, those little blue pills designed to aid erectile dysfunction.

Now, you would think athletes would need no encouragement in that department. After all, they are notorious shaggers.

But Olympians now believe it can aid their performances on the track or field – not just in the bedroom.

How? Well, the drug was first introduced to help with heart problems, until manufacturer Pfizer realised the side-effect of giving men erections was far more lucrative.

It means that whenever an athlete takes one of the pills, not only does it give him a hard on, but it also makes blood vessels expand, which should theoretically allow blood cells and therefore oxygen to travel to lungs more efficiently.

It may also improve the health of your heart.

But does it actually make sprinters run faster, swimmers swim faster and equestrian riders, errrr, ride faster?

Well, the Anti-Doping Agency, which has not banned it yet, is certainly looking into it.

So what do doctors think?

Speaking to The Associated Press, Anthony Butch, director of the Olympic Analytical laboratory at the

University of California Los Angeles, a WADA-accredited facility said:

“It’s possible. But just because you have more nitric oxide doesn’t mean that you are going to be a better athlete.

“If you have all the nitric oxide you need, and if you generate more from Viagra, it’s not clear what effect that would have.”

However, some preliminary tests have revealed that cyclists have boosted their performance by 40% by taking Viagra.

Dr. Andrew McCullough, a sexual health expert at New York University School of Medicine, said:

“If you have more oxygen going to your muscles, that’s more energy and that makes you a better athlete.

“Even if it only gives you a 10 per cent increase, in peak athletes, that is enough to win.”

So will it be banned?

Christiane Ayotte, director of a WADA-accredited laboratory in Canada, says she does not think so.

She says many scientists conducting drug testing say they haven’t noticed a suspicious spike in samples containing Viagra and that banning it would be unrealistic.

“Are athletes going to have to submit therapeutic-use exemptions for Viagra?” she asked.

“That would be quite humiliating.”