On Saturday, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is set reveal whether the use of artificial altitude training devices will be banned at events like the Olympics and Tour de France. In May, the Montreal based agency passed an initial ruling stating that the technology violates the spirit of the sport by “requiring no investment of skill or effort beyond entering a room or tent, donning a mask and flipping a switch.” As part of their assessment, the WADA has spent months looking at a variety of low-oxygen / “hypoxic” gadgets which help athletes mimic the air found at the 12,000 to 14,000 foot level. One producer of such devices, Colorado Altitude Training (CAT), has worked with Lance Armstrong to develop a variety of these high-altitude training devices to help boost his red-blood cell count and endurance. CAT’s website carries endorsements from amateur and pro-athletes including Levi Leipheimer, who believes CAT chambers have boosted his metabolism, as well as his overall bike speed. A ban on such devices, say Leipheimer, would force him to “resume training in mountain towns.” Setups from CAT start at about $5,000 for a tent, with larger, in-home conversions running $14,500 and up. No word yet on how the agency plans to distinguish between artificial and natural altitude training.

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