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Down in Argentina we have the famous River Plate football club which has taken to new resorts as a way to battle altitude sickness. The team recently headed to the Bolivian highlands and each member of the squad was given sildenafil citrate, which is basically the generic name of the drug which is more commonly known as Viagra. Some soccer teams have taken the drug along with aspirin and caffeine as a way to beat off things such as nausea, drowsiness, and headaches when playing in high altitudes, such as 12,400 feet above sea level in Bolivia.

Pedro Hansing, who is the doctor for Colombian team Millonarios, said Viagra is quite common these days, but in previous years players took diuretics. In fact, athletes have been taking the drug for several years now since scientific studies have supposedly proven that it works in high altitudes and in other circumstances. The American Physiological Society recently published one of the studies on the drug after a group of cyclists tested it. We’re not sure how they managed to pedal, but the report stated, “Viagra significantly improved the cardiovascular and exercise performance measures of the participants, improving their output up to 45 percent.”

Supposedly the drug is effective as it was developed originally to treat people with high blood pressure. It’s also designed to improve the flow of blood to the lungs as well as other parts of the body obviously. According to the scientific research, the flow of blood from the heart is enhanced and it delivers more oxygen to the muscles. Since there is less oxygen at higher altitudes it’s harder for athletes to get the oxygen their muscles crave.

Anyway, River Plate traveled to Bolivia to take on San Jose in a Copa Bridgestone Libertadores 2015 match at the Jesus Bermudez Stadium in Oruro on Feb. 19. San Jose figured they would be in for some hard and stiff opposition in this match, but a couple of boner moves by River Plate meant they lost the contest 2-0 to the home side. River Plate manager Marcello Gallardo wasn’t happy with the result, but at least he couldn’t accuse his players of putting in a soft, limp performance.