New Zealand Olympic gold medalists Mahe Drysdale and Peter Burling have been mentioned in the latest list of athletes to have their medical documents made public by hackers.
Mahe Drysdale edges ahead of Croatia's Damir Martin in the men's sculls final. Photo: AFP
The pair were given a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) to use prohibited substances and Drug Free Sport New Zealand said the medicines do not have a significant performance enhancing ability.
Files show Drysdale took a suppository, while Burling took a painkiller.
The files of 18 other athletes including Olympic champion Triathlete Alister Brownlee were published by Russian hackers Fancy Bears today.
Peter Burling and Blair Tuke compete in the Rio Olympic test event. Photo: Photosport
A TUE allows an athlete, for medical reasons, to take a prescribed substance or have treatment that is otherwise prohibited.
Drysdale, 37, who defended his single sculls rowing title in Rio, took the steroid fluocortolone, which acts as an anti-inflammatory and painkiller, four times over the last 18 months.
World and Olympic champion 49er sailor Burling took the painkiller remifentanil after having wisdom teeth removed last year, the document said.
Peter Burling told RNZ he didn't think he'd even taken the drug which was prescribed to be used only if he had an infection following the removal of his wisdom teeth.
"There is a pretty rigid process in place [for] how you go about getting these things and we followed that,"he said.
"We went through the correct procedure and the doctor who did the operation wanted that available to them just in case something went wrong and Drug Free Sport okayed it."
Drug Free Sport New Zealand chief executive Graeme Steel said the drugs do not have significant performance enhancing ability.
The painkiller prescribed for Burling was short-acting and had no lasting benefit to him or his performance, he said.
The substance taken by Drysdale is used as an anti-inflammatory. "Its called a glucocorticoid or glucocorticosteroid, its not an anabolic steroid. The ability of those to influence performance is marginal at best."
Mr Steel told Morning Report the committee that allowed exemptions was very cautious and the permission was not given lightly.
Professor David Gerrard, a member of the Drug Free Sport New Zealand panel that signed-off the exemptions, said they were designed to prevent athletes being penalised for having a medical problem.
Prof Gerrard said there were strict criteria including requiring a second opinion from a specialist
"There's got to be very stringent international standards applied to all athletes to ensure that this isn't a loophole that is circumvented to use a banned substance."
Drysdale and Burling are the first New Zealanders to be mentioned by Fancy Bears.
