Yeah, it seems unfair. I still remember swimmer Rick DeMont, aged only sixteen, who had to give his gold medal back in 1972, because he took an asthma medication that turned out to be banned. He was later proved to be completely innocent, but the sports authority (can't remember if it's the IOC or the swimming folk) has consistently refused to restore his medal.
I found the information below on a US Anti-Doping Agency page about Therapeutic Use Exemption:
Do inhaled asthma medications need to be declared?
As of January 1, 2011, references to Declarations have been removed from the WADA 2011 Prohibited List. This includes the inhaled beta-2 agonists Albuterol and Salmeterol, and Glucocorticosteroids such as Fluticasone and Budesonide. These medications no longer need to be declared to USADA or the International Federation prior to use. The medications should still be listed (declared) on the DCOR at the time of testing.http://www.usada.org/tue-faq/
WADA = World Anti-Doping Agency
DCOR = Doping Control Official Record
ETA:
After Four Continents 2012 in Colorado Springs, when the low-key Charlie White was downplaying the significance of his asthma, didn't he say that as long as he took his medication and was careful with documentation, it was not such a big deal?
I realize that he minimized the medical and regulatory issues to avoid sounding like a crybaby -- for which he has my admiration. From family experience, I know that asthma cannot be taken lightly, even for non-athletes.
Just saying that the best-case scenario seems to be that it can be well-managed with drugs that are permissible.
Thanks so much for the info. Does declaring it make any difference on its permissibility or is just for something like "I know that you need to take ____ medicine so when I find it in your system you won't be caught for doping"?
In other words, I think the idea is that with the proper paperwork, an asthmatic athlete would be allowed to use certain drugs that are prohibited for non-asthmatics.
“Interestingly, mountain bikers are the No. 1 Olympic athletes who tend to have asthma,” said Dr. Jackie. “When they’re working their lungs, they’re working on an incline, which is tougher.”
Dr. Jackie also said the Winter Games tend to pose the greatest health challenge to asthmatics because of the cold, dry air.
...
“It’s due to the dehydration of the airways,” according to Dr. Jackie. “They’ll wheeze and cough when they exercise.”
Treating Olympic athletes who need asthma medications can be tricky because of drug restrictions. First of all, athletes have to put in applications to use their meds.
“During the 2008 Beijing games, there were more than 1,000 applications approved for asthmatics,” Dr. Jackie said. “There are two types of meds for them. One is an inhaled steroid that doesn’t bulk up the muscle but still needs approval. The other is a beta-agonist, which opens the lungs but also speeds up the heart rate. You have to be properly worked up if you know you need those meds.”
I found an article on the subject, written prior to the London Games:
http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/health/Asthma-and-Olympic-Athletes-163964056.html
This seems to be on point:
If it's one of the approved meds. The article says it can't be a steroid that bulks up muscles, if I understand correctly : I might have missed it though.