STANFORD, Calif. -- Assistant Olympic Swim coach Richard Quick on Friday called patches -- worn by six Stanford swimmers including Dana and Tara Kirk, the first sisters to earn berths on the same Olympic swim team -- just a harmless 'training device' even though they've captured the attention of U.S. doping officials.
The "energy enhancing" patches used by swimmers at the Olympic trials earlier this month have been sent to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency and preliminary tests have shown they are harmless, Quick told KTVU.
"The only thing I'm worried about is the distraction (it's causing to the Kirk sisters training)," said Quick, a three-time Olympic head coach who will serve as an assistant for the U.S. women's team in Athens. "I knew that it was just a training device and nothing goes into the body."
Quick also pointed out that the swimmers did not wear the patches during the trials -- held earlier this month in Long Beach.
"We've gotten back the preliminary results (from the USADA tests) and they showed the patches contained amino acids and water," he said.
The president of the company that makes the LifeWave Energy Enhancer patches called the accusation ridiculous and said the patch contains only amino acids and water-based solutions.
"I can understand why coaches or athletes would have questions, because this technology is very new, very different," David Schmidt told the San Francisco Chronicle. "I think it's a very good thing for sports. It's a way for athletes to improve their performance and not endanger their health."
After the patches became the talk of the trials, national team director Everett Uchiyama asked Quick for samples, which he provided. Those samples were forwarded to the Anti-Doping Agency.
The patches are designed to electronically stimulate acupuncture points, inserting current into the body to help an athlete improve stamina, according to Schmidt. No substances enter the body, he said.
Schmidt said his Suwanee, Ga.-based company recommends using them on any of four acupuncture points: on the wrists, on the chest, around the knees and on the inside of the ankles.
He said a person's stamina improves within 10 minutes of using the product.
Copyright 2005 by KTVU.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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