That became clear just days before the Aug. 29 opening of the Games after the publication of a BBC report which cited a series of experts who claimed the practice of "boosting," or hurting oneself to increase blood pressure and performance, is rampant among elite Paralympic athletes. According to the BBC, a study conducted during the Beijing Paralympic Games found that approximately 17 percent of the athletes on hand admitted to using boosting in the past to gain a competitive advantage. More troublingly, one scientist estimated that a more accurate account of Paralympians might find as many as 30 percent have boosted, despite serious side effects.

The tactics used to bring the pain that leads to increased blood pressure are startling, too. According to BBC sources, they run the gamut from not releasing urine to cracking or breaking toes with a hammer. In between, athletes have tried sitting on a drawing pin, using tightened leg straps and sitting on their own scrotum....

While the concept might seem strange, the results are backed up by simple science. Athletes with spinal chord injuries do not get the blood pressure and heart rate increases that come from vigorous aerobic exercise as able-bodied athletes typically do. To make up that difference -- and allow the body to train harder, thereby increasing fitness and results -- paraplegics will intentionally cause their bodies harm, which increases their blood pressure and allows them to compete more vigorously....

That's right, a paralyzed athlete was using electrical stimuli on his testicles to help him perform better. That certainly seems about as sinister as some of the more traditional methods of cheating endorsed by able-bodied athletes.