Nike Oregon Project

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Nike's Oregon Project is an obscure group created by Nike in 2001[1] to promote American long distance running utilizing advanced technology. Runners in this group are recruited to live in a specially designed house where filters are used to remove oxygen from the air to give the impression that the athlete is living at high elevation. Numerous studies have shown that living at altitude causes the athlete to develop more red blood cells, increasing athletic performance. In addition to this, special software is used whereby electrodes are attached to the athlete that determine what condition (s)he is in and how far or fast the athlete can train.

[edit] Creation

Nike's Oregon Project was created by Nike Vice President Tom Clarke after reportedly being disgusted at the lackluster performance of American athletes in long distance events since the early 1980s. Since Oregon Project coach Alberto Salazar won the New York City Marathon three consecutive times from 1980-1982, only one American, Khalid Khannouchi (naturalized in 2000) has a marathon finishing time among the 50 best in the world [2]. If Nike's Oregon Project can produce an American athlete able to compete and win long distance running events, it is possible they can replicate the tremendous success they have had promoting Lance Armstrong in cycling so makes sense from a business standpoint.[3]

[edit] Criticisms

In 2002 the Oregon Project came under scrutiny from the United States Anti-Doping agency which formed a think tank to discuss the ethics of the high altitude house. The Agency's Senior Managing Director, Larry Bowers saying, "The argument for altitude rooms is that they make up for those athletes that can't live high. What they don't take into account is that people living high don't get the benefits of training low." Alberto Salazar was confident the Anti-Doping Agency would ultimately approve the altitude house, saying that it's no different from other legal scientific advances like heart rate monitors and sports drinks. [4].

In 2006 the subject was revisited more thoroughly by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) which claimed that it could be equivalent to blood doping and therefore they should be banned; however, on September 16, 2006, Dick Pound of the WADA announced that "...the overwhelming consensus of our health, medicine and research committees – was that, at this time, it is not appropriate to do so," [5] No explanation was given as to how WADA would have enforced a ban.

The Oregon Project has also been criticized by college track coaches for recruiting Galen Rupp directly out of high school to go live at the Oregon house and forgo attending University of Oregon for his first year, he is now a junior at UO. [6]

[edit] References

Wired Magazine[7]