# data[].attributes.body
A medicine or other substance which has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body, incorporating both synthetic and natural substances.

# data[].attributes.body
Overview of the purpose of drugs in sport both legal and banned substances. Explores a basic understanding of drug doping within sport.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Athletes use drugs for many reasons. Some use drugs for medical need. Some use proscribed drugs inadvertently, while others use drugs deliberately - either on their own initiative or at the behest of coaches or officials - to cheat, to try to improve their performance artificially and to improve their chances of winning. Finally, some sports people use drugs, including illegal drugs, recreationally.

It is possible to take a different view of each of these forms of drug use. For athletes taking a drug for medicinal purposes, it may be important for them to make the medical condition known to testing authorities well in advance of any test being performed. For the inadvertent user, there is a need for more education so that the rules of competition, as they relate to drug use, are well known and understood. For the recreational user, including the use of anabolic steroids by non-competitive body-builders, the issues are those which apply to drug abuse in general.

The person who seeks to cheat faces testing, detection and sanctions. Whether the person initiates the cheating or follows instructions from a coach or from officials does not matter - detection leads to a report to the relevant sporting association and to the imposition of sanctions.

In Australia, the use of certain drugs in sport is prohibited. The independent Australian Sports Drug Agency (ASDA), established in 1989, is charged with conducting testing to identify defaulters. Banned drugs are listed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) (see box), of which Australia is a member. Testing is conducted randomly in all competitive sports at public expense and, where there is a contract in force between the ASDAand the sport, testing is carried out on a cost-recovery basis.

A number of positive results are found each year and these are reported to the sport concerned. That sport then considers the matter and may impose a sanction on the athlete if it so wishes.

The Agency, in its activities, administers government policy. It operates under an Act of Parliament and regulations made under that Act. Should people wish to change what the Agency does, they need to have the Act and the policy of the government altered - the Agency itself has no discretion in this matter.

Doping classes and methods

Doping classes

Stimulants

Narcotics

Anabolic agents

Diuretics

Peptide hormones and analogues

Doping methods

Blood doping

Pharmacological, chemical and physical manipulation

Classes of drugs subject to certain restrictions

Alcohol

Marijuana

local anaesthetics

Corticosteroids

Beta blockers

The full I0C Guide can be found in the MIMS Annual.

Drug use in sport continues to change. The drugs favoured by coaches and athletes are subject to fashion and to efforts by the unscrupulous and sophisticated to avoid detection. While testing has become more rigorous (including out of competition testing), new forms of undetectable doping have appeared. The use of blood doping and some hormones, e.g. human growth hormone and erythropoietin, is believed to be increasing. Research efforts have intensified to develop tests for these substances.

Blood doping, defined as the administration of blood or related blood products to an athlete for other than legitimate medical treatment, is an area of concern. It usually involves an athlete removing some blood several weeks before a competition and then re-infusing the blood close to the competition (the process of autologous blood transfusion). The resultant increase in oxygen carrying capacity is thought to provide an increase in stamina and endurance. There are moves to conduct blood tests of athletes in order to detect blood doping, but the reality is that analytical procedures do not exist to detect autologous blood transfusion.

Australia is one of a few countries which appears to be serious about detecting the use of banned drugs by athletes. Some countries and organisations appear to be half-hearted about detecting and pursuing drug cheats among their sports people, so some Australian athletes feel at a disadvantage when competing overseas. Working towards a consistent and harmonious approach internationally is a high priority for the ASDA.

Finally, it is becoming obvious that the tightening of doping policies to prevent legal challenges is just as important as the development of new testing and analytical procedures. The cases of Australian cyclist Martin Vinnicombe, German sprinter Katrina Krabbe and American 400m runner Butch Reynolds have demonstrated that positive drug tests can signal the beginning of lengthy legal battles over their interpretation and status. Unfortunately, litigation is a resource-intensive process and one which will increasingly become a problem for sporting organisations and testing agencies. As a matter of urgency, processes must be implemented which minimise the possibility of litigation as a result of positive drug tests and other doping practices.

Many challenges still remain in the drugs in sport area. While success is achieved in one area, new issues and challenges emerge in another. If anti-drug initiatives are to be effective, they will require adequate resourcing, enthusiastic international co-operation and a commitment from all sections of the community to make competitive sport even relatively drug free.

Kennedy M. Drugs and sporting performance. Aust Prescr 1989;12:57-9.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Athletes use drugs for many reasons. Some use drugs for medical need. Some use proscribed drugs inadvertently, while others use drugs deliberately - either on their own initiative or at the behest of coaches or officials - to cheat, to try to improve their performance artificially and to improve their chances of winning.

# data[].attributes.body
Ergogenic aids also know as performance enhancing drugs are substances that are used to improve human performance within an activity. This article provides a summary of the side-effects and dangerous nature of PED's.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rUpX3QSPmw

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
With all the information, attention, and debate over performance-enhancing drugs (or PEDs), many people want to further understand how performance-enhancing drugs affect one's body. It's an important area of concern for athletes and at the foundation of why USADA and other anti-doping organizations exist. Simply put, PEDs have the ability or potential to drastically alter the human body and biological functions, including the ability to considerably improve athletic performance in certain instances. These drugs, however, can be extremely dangerous and, in certain situations, deadly. The negative effects these drugs can have on one's body make USADA's mission paramount as to why no athlete should ever have to consider PED use to succeed in sport.

This section provides answers to common questions about the health and safety risks associated with substances and methods on the WADA Prohibited List (List). It also provides information concerning the legitimate medical use of substances. When these compounds are misused, it constitutes a breach of ethics both by the user and supplier.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Effects of Performance-Enhancing Drugs | USADA

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
With all the information, attention, and debate over performance-enhancing drugs (or PEDs), many people want to further understand how performance-enhancing drugs affect one's body. It's an important area of concern for athletes and at the foundation of why USADA and other anti-doping organizations exist.

# data[].attributes.body
Ananbolic (androgenic) steroids are synthetic substances derived from testosterone, the male growth hormone. Steroids promote muscle building increasing lean muscle mass, strength and endurance therefore improving overall athletic performance but modify body composition with dangerous side effects

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS), also simply referred to as 'anabolic steroids', are drugs derived from testosterone, a hormone that is produced in the testes of males and, to a much lesser extent, in the ovaries of females. Testosterone is partially responsible for the developmental changes that occur during puberty and adolescence and is also involved in controlling the build-up and breakdown of the main biochemical components of all tissues, including muscle.

There are two types of anabolic steroids:

Exogenous steroids are synthetically created versions of the testosterone hormone. These substances are not naturally produced by the body.

Endogenous steroids are naturally occurring substances in the human body that are involved with the metabolic pathways of testosterone.

Because testosterone affects muscle growth, raising its levels in the blood can help athletes increase muscle size and strength, along with some other benefits such as improved endurance. Anabolic steroids can be taken in tablet form or injected directly in to the muscle.

Athletes who use anabolic steroids claim that as well as increasing muscle mass, they reduce body fat and recovery time after injury. However, the androgenic (masculinising) side-effects-such as increased body hair and a deepening of the voice-are not always desirable, particularly in women. To counteract these side-effects, scientists developed steroids that retain their anabolic effects but have a lower androgenic effect.

Significant health risks have been associated with the abuse of anabolic steroids. Some of the effects are minor or only last while the drug is being taken; others are more serious and long-term. For example, anabolic steroids can cause high blood pressure, acne, abnormalities in liver function, alterations in the menstrual cycle in women, decline in sperm production, impotence and gynaecomastia (growth of breasts) in men, kidney failure and heart disease. They can also make both men and women more irritable, potentially leading to mood swings.

American sprinter Marion Jones (pictured) admitted to using tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) (as well as other performance- and image-enhancing drugs), resulting in the disqualification of all her competitive results post-September 2001. Image adapted from: Thomas Faivre-Duboz; CC BY-SA 2.0

Testing for anabolic steroids has come a long way since the 1970s, when basic radioimmunoassay techniques were used. Today, anabolic steroids and their metabolites can generally be detected in urine, using mass spectrometry. However, since testosterone occurs naturally and amounts in the body fluctuate daily and can vary from person to person, setting a threshold above which an athlete is deemed to be 'using' anabolic steroids remains a subject of debate.

Today, anti-doping labs use a range of complex techniques and technology to distinguish between testosterone produced naturally by the body (endogenous) and that which is a result of synthetic compounds (exogenous).

Continuing advancements in the detection of steroids ( and stimulants) are currently being developed. In 2014, news broke that a research team in the US was working on a detection system that was being touted as a 1000-fold improvement on the commonly used mass spectrometry-based technique. The new technique, named Paired Ion Electrospray Ionisation (PIESI), makes traces of steroids or amphetamines more visible to current detection equipment by introducing a chemical agent that effectively binds itself to the traces, right down to the parts per trillion. This process is not yet used by the World Anti-Doping Agency as a sanctioned test.

To develop reliable tests, researchers have to know what they are looking for. This is difficult because the development of new 'designer' steroids is an ongoing process. The introduction of the Athlete Biological Passport, which can identify the markers of drug use even if the drug itself is not detected, may go some way to helping curb the use of steroids in athletes.

This article was adapted from Academy website content and reviewed by the following experts: Professor Robert Weatherby Office of the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research), Southern Cross University; Dr Katinka van de Ven National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre, University of New South Wales; Associate Professor Rhonda Orr Senior Lecturer; Exercise, Health and Performance Research Group; University of Sydney.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS), also simply referred to as 'anabolic steroids', are drugs derived from testosterone, a hormone that is produced in the testes of males and, to a much lesser extent, in the ovaries of females.

# data[].attributes.body
Drugs have been used to enhance strength for many decades with strength dominated sports. There are two main types of strength enhancing drugs - human growth hormone and anabolic steroids. This study identifies the important strength enhancing drugs comparing their pro's and con's.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Most serious athletes feel a strong drive to win. They often dream big too. Some athletes want to play for professional sports teams. Others want to win medals for their countries. The pressure to win leads some athletes to use drugs that might give them an edge. These are called performance-enhancing drugs. Use of these drugs is known as doping.

But doping comes with risks. Learn more about the effects that performance-enhancing drugs can have on health.

Anabolic steroids

What are they?

Anabolic steroids are drugs that athletes take to boost their strength and add muscle. These drugs also are called anabolic-androgenic steroids. They are made to work like a hormone that the body makes called testosterone.

Testosterone has two main effects on the body:

Helps build muscle.

Causes features such as facial hair and a deeper voice.

The anabolic steroids used by athletes are often forms of testosterone made in a lab.

Some people use anabolic steroids for medical reasons. But doping for sports isn't one of the uses the drugs are approved for.

What makes some athletes want to use anabolic steroids? These drugs might lower the damage that happens to muscles during a hard workout. That could help athletes bounce back faster from a workout. They might be able to exercise harder and more often. Some people also may like how their muscles look when they take these drugs.

More-dangerous types of anabolic steroids are called designer steroids. Some drug tests may not be able to spot them in a person's body. Anabolic steroids have no medical use that's approved by the government.

Risks

Many athletes take anabolic steroids at doses that are too high. These doses are much higher than those that health care providers use for medical reasons. Anabolic steroids have serious side effects too.

Men may:

See their breasts grow.

Notice their testicles shrink.

Not be able to get their partner pregnant.

Learn from a health care provider that their prostate gland has gotten bigger.

Women may:

Get a deeper voice. Treatment may not be able to change it back.

Notice that a part of their genitals called the clitoris has gotten bigger.

Grow more body hair.

Lose the hair on the head. Treatment might not be able to bring the hair back.

Stop getting periods or get them much less often than they used to.

All people who use anabolic steroids might start to get:

Severe acne.

A higher risk of swollen or torn cords in the body called tendons, which attach muscle to bone.

Liver tumors, or other changes to the liver.

Higher levels of the "bad" cholesterol, called low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.

Lower levels of the "good" cholesterol, called high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.

High blood pressure.

Problems with the heart and blood flow.

Issues with anger or violence.

Mental health conditions, such as depression.

A need for anabolic steroids that can't be controlled.

Diseases, such as HIV or hepatitis, if using needles to give shots of the drugs.

Teens who take anabolic steroids might grow less than usual too. They also might raise their risk of health problems later in life.

Doping with anabolic steroids is banned by most sports leagues and groups. And it is not legal. It's never safe to buy anabolic steroids from a drug dealer. The drugs could be tainted or labeled the wrong way.

Androstenedione

What is it?

Androstenedione, also called andro, is a hormone everyone's body makes. The body turns andro into the hormone testosterone and a form of the hormone estrogen.

Andro can be made in a lab. Some drugmakers and workout magazines claim that andro products help athletes train harder and recover faster. But some studies show that andro doesn't boost testosterone. They also show that muscles don't get stronger.

Andro is legal to use only if a health care provider prescribes it. It's not legal to use as a doping drug in the United States.

Risks

Side effects of andro in men include:

Acne.

Testicles that shrink or make less sperm.

Breast growth.

Side effects in women include:

Andro can damage the heart and blood vessels in anyone who takes it. This raises the risk of a serious problem that can happen when the heart doesn't get enough blood, called a heart attack. It also raises the risk of a condition that keeps the brain from getting enough oxygen, called a stroke. Heart attack and stroke can be deadly.

Human growth hormone

What is it?

Athletes take human growth hormone, also called somatotropin, to build more muscle and do better at their sports. But studies don't clearly prove that human growth hormone boosts strength or helps people exercise longer.

A health care provider can prescribe human growth hormone for some health reasons. It is given as a shot.

Risks

Side effects linked to human growth hormone may include:

Pain in joints, where two or more bones come together.

Muscles that feel weak.

A buildup of extra fluid in the body.

A condition that affects how the body uses sugar for energy. This is called diabetes.

Trouble seeing.

A problem that can make the hand and the arm get weak, tingle or lose feeling. This is called carpal tunnel syndrome.

Trouble controlling blood sugar.

A heart that grows bigger than usual, called cardiomegaly.

High blood pressure.

Erythropoietin

What is it?

Erythropoietin is a type of hormone. It treats anemia in people with severe kidney disease. It raises the level of red blood cells. It also raises the levels of the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to the body's organs, called hemoglobin.

Taking erythropoietin improves how oxygen moves to the muscles. It's common for athletes who exercise for long amounts of time to use a lab-made type of erythropoietin called epoetin.

Risks

In the 1990s, it was common for pro cyclists to use erythropoietin. But the drug may have played a role in at least 18 deaths. Doping with erythropoietin may raise the risk of serious health problems. These include stroke, heart attack and blocked arteries in the lung.

Diuretics

What are they?

Diuretics are drugs that change the body's balance of fluids and salts. They can cause the body to lose water, which can lower an athlete's weight. Diuretics also may help athletes pass drug tests that check for signs of drugs in the urine. They dilute the urine and may hide traces of drugs.

Risks

Diuretics can cause side effects when you take them at any dose - even at doses that health care providers suggest. These drugs make athletes more likely to have side effects such as:

Losing more fluids than you take in. This is a serious problem called dehydration.

Squeezing pain in muscles called cramps.

Feeling faint, woozy, weak or not steady.

Being low on a mineral called potassium, which the body needs to work well.

Having a drop in blood pressure.

Feeling clumsy when you move and having trouble keeping your balance.

Diuretics can lead to death if an athlete uses them for doping.

Creatine

What is it?

Nutrients are vitamins and minerals in foods that are good for you. Some people try to get more nutrients from products called supplements. Supplements are sold in stores and online as powders or pills. One supplement that's popular with athletes is called creatine monohydrate.

The body makes its own creatine too. It helps muscles release energy. Creatine supplements may help athletes gain small, short-term bursts of power.

Creatine seems to help muscles make more of an energy source called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP stores and moves energy in the body's cells. It's used for activity that involves quick bursts of movement, such as weightlifting or sprinting. But there's no proof that creatine helps you do better at sports that make you breathe at a higher rate and raise your heart rate, called aerobic sports.

Risks

Side effects of creatine can include gaining weight and cramps in the belly or muscles.

Some athletes try to gain weight so they can get bigger in size. Creatine may help you put on weight over time. But that might be due to the extra water that creatine causes the body to hold on to. Water is drawn into muscle tissue, away from other parts of the body. That puts you at risk of getting dehydrated.

Studies show that it's safe for healthy adults to use creatine for a short or long time. It's important to use the doses that creatine makers suggest on the package.

Stimulants

What are they?

Stimulants boost the levels of some chemicals in the brain. They also make the heart beat faster and raise blood pressure.

Stimulants can help an athlete:

Exercise longer.

Feel less tired or hungry.

Feel more alert and aggressive.

Common stimulants include caffeine and drugs called amphetamines. Cold medicines often have a stimulant in them.

Energy drinks are popular among many athletes. They often have high doses of caffeine and other stimulants. The street drugs cocaine and methamphetamine also are stimulants.

Risks

Stimulants have side effects that can make an athlete play worse, such as:

Lowered focus due to feeling nervous or angry.

Trouble sleeping.

Dehydration.

Heatstroke, which happens when the body gets too hot and can't cool down.

Addiction to stimulants, or needing higher doses to feel the effects.

Other side effects include:

A feeling that the heart is beating fast, fluttering or pounding.

A heartbeat that is too fast, too slow or out of rhythm.

Weight loss.

A type of shaking called tremors.

High blood pressure.

The sensation of seeing things that aren't there, called hallucination.

Stroke.

Heart attack or other problems with blood flow.

The bottom line

Some athletes may seem to get an edge from performance-enhancing drugs. But doping can have bad effects on health.

In general, the long-term effects of performance-enhancing drugs haven't been studied enough. And any short-term perks come with risks. Doping is banned by most sports leagues and groups too.

That's why it's risky to use performance-enhancing drugs.

Show references

See more In-depth

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Learn about the risks of performance-enhancing drugs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn about the health risks of doping in athletes.

# data[].attributes.body
HGH is naturally produced by the pituitary gland which spurs growth in children and adolescents. HGH stimulates the body's synthesis of proteins that form bone and muscle tissue. Excessive injections of HGH can promote muscle growth and strength, and improve athletic performance. HGH is considered a banned substance within sport, with this article addressing all components of the drugs and how it is identified within athletes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Human growth hormone (hGH) is a hormone that is naturally produced by the body. It is synthesized and secreted by cells in the anterior pituitary gland located at the base of the brain.

# data[].attributes.body
Erythropoietin (EPO) is the most commonly used banned substance for improving aerobic performance. EPO stimulates bone to produce more red blood cells, increasing the supply of oxygenated blood to the body. Improving oxygen uptake and athletic performance. Using EPO to enhance performance is considered blood doping.

# data[].attributes.body
Masking agents are banned within sport as they are substances that have the potential to impair the excretion of prohibited substances, to conceal their presence in urine or other samples used in doping control. The most popular masking substance is the use of diuretics. This video explains the use of masking substances.

# data[].attributes.body
Diuretics are masking agents that increase the amount of urine produced by the body to control body weight and dilute urine to mask illicit substances. Diuretics dilute using which results in lower levels of banned substances being excreted therefore being detected

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Diuretics (sometimes called water pills) are drugs including Frusemide, Chlorothiazide and Hydrochlorothiazide. Their purpose is to remove excess water from the...

# data[].attributes.body
Blood transfusions are a method of blood doping which increases the capacity of oxygenated blood in order to boost aerobic performance. This is explored through the EPO video and is accomplished by withdrawing an athletes blood, isolating the oxygen-carrying blood cells and re-infusing them before a competition. This increased amount of oxygen-carrying cells increases the blood’s supply of oxygen, boosting aerobic endurance and performance.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Once any starting gun is fired at an Olympic event, every split second counts to the elite athletes. And that's where blood doping comes in, particularly in endurance sports. Blood doping refers to a handful of techniques used to increase an individual's oxygen-carrying red blood cells, and in turn, improve athletic performance.

# data[].attributes.headline
Ethical concerns on Drug Testing article 

# data[].attributes.subject
Ethical concerns on Drug Testing article 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Ouch. Shutterstock

Yet another big name in sport has been caught up in allegations surrounding a doping scandal. Alberto Salazar, coach to several star athletes including double Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah, denies claims in a BBC documentary he broke anti-doping rules with one of his trainees, Galen Rupp. Farah is not accused of any wrongdoing.

Salazar once said an athlete might "not even consider it cheating if they believe all their top competitors are doing it". Does this mean many elite athletes are doping? If so what are they using and how do they evade the tests?

Testing has improved over the past 20 years. Equipment is more sensitive and specific to particular substances. This means testers can find smaller amounts of a substance in each sample and so any drug used will be detectable for longer.

If these new and improved tests worked more efficiently you would expect the percentage of athletes caught to increase. However, this number remains fairly static at around 2% of all athletes tested. This is very low compared to the estimated 14-39% who are thought to dope, based on questionnaires and some lab testing. This gap tells us many athletes are doping in a way to avoid testing positive for a banned substance.

Cat and mouse

Most new drugs are detectable in urine samples once testers have worked up a method. Pharmaceutical companies and WADA are now sharing information on new drugs in development, meaning labs start to develop tests before the drug is released. But these tests still require considerable time and resource to develop, years in some cases. Validation is not simple, complicated by the body breaking down the drug before it reaches the urine.

As such, a game of cat and mouse can ensue between dopers and testers. CERA, a synthetic form of the hormone known as EPO which is used to increase red blood cell production, was approved for use in kidney disease patients in early 2008. A test was developed by the middle of the year but it was presumed athletes were using the drug before testing caught up. This was later confirmed when the test was used without warning in the Tour de France and on samples frozen from earlier in the year.

As well as equipment changes, there have been step changes in the thinking behind tests over the past decade, most recently with the creation of the " athlete biological passport ". This looks for evidence of doping but not necessarily the substances used themselves. For example, it detects increased ability to carry oxygen in the blood that is likely caused by use of EPO or similar drugs. Results are then stored on a database and compared to an individual's profile.

Steve Dykes/EPA

The athlete biological passport has had successes and some cyclists and athletes have been suspended through its use. But it has struggled to catch those using microdosing - taking small regular doses of drugs like EPO rather than single large doses.

The knowledge required to avoid testing positive is certainly not beyond medics working with athletes. If they know the time the drug remains in the body they can calculate how long before a competition use must be stopped. They also know the "at risk" period following use when an athlete may get caught.

The best way of not testing positive in this period is not to be tested. Athletes give their whereabouts for one hour of each day in advance. Athletes have been known to give incorrect addresses to avoid testers or to simply hide if they know they are at risk. There is a rule that three missed tests over 18 months constitutes a doping offence. That gives you one or two chances to avoid testing and blame logistics or disorganisation, a risk some athletes are willing to take. It was this rule that led to Olympic and World 400m champion Christine Ohuruogu serving a one-year suspension though she has always vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

Playing the system

Athletes will also seek to exploit loopholes in the regulation. The increased sensitivity of testing has created a greater likelihood of positive results from contaminated supplements or food. A drug detected in urine from contamination is impossible to differentiate from deliberate use just through testing, creating more scope for athletes to contest the results.

Exactly what drugs should be off-limits to athletes is itself a major topic of debate. The substances in the Salazar allegations are testosterone, which is banned at all times in sport, and prednisone (used to treat asthma) and the thyroid medication thyroxine, which are just controversial.

The question is whether substances such as these are required to treat pre-existing medical conditions or are just being used to help athletes recover from intense training sessions, gain energy or lose weight.

There are two types of medicines that fall into the grey area of medical treatments that may not strictly be required. One set are on the World Anti Doping (WADA) banned list and require medical assessment before they can be used. The second set, which includes prednisone and thyroxine, are neither monitored nor recorded.

There have also been examples of drugs not available to the public being detected in sports samples. And there are even some drugs being used such as GW1516 which was considered unfit for human use.

Who is winning the race? In general the athletes are one step ahead most of the time, but occasionally testers get on top. One thing is for sure: as long as people have incentives to win, it is very unlikely doping will be eradicated.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
In sport's drug-testing arms race, the cheats are usually a step ahead

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Yet another big name in sport has been caught up in allegations surrounding a doping scandal. Alberto Salazar, coach to several star athletes including double Olympic gold medallist Mo Farah, denies claims in a BBC documentary he broke anti-doping rules with one of his trainees, Galen Rupp.

# data[].attributes.body
This video highlights all the components of PED's addressing WADA's purpose and structure.

# data[].attributes.body
The use of performance enhancing drugs within sport is constantly developing, which result in effective drug testing programs being hard to maintain and develop. PED's are usually produced in secret and are specifically designed to avoid detection by current testing methods. Some PED's are harder to detect than others, with some not staying in the blood for long. WADA (world anti-doping agency) provides a video explaining the process of drug testing, with the benefits and limitations.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
World Anti-Doping Agency - The Doping Control Process for Athletes

# data[].attributes.body
This article explores the positives and negative's pf drug testing among elite athletes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Since sprinter Ben Johnson was stripped of the gold and world record after the 1988 Olympics, drug use among athletes has become a hot issue, though Johnson was not the first athlete caught doing such a shady practice. While many people agree on the argument that taking steroids to win is unethical and illegal, there are still those who make arguments in the other direction. There are many pros and cons to drug testing in sports, with both sides pointing to valid opinions.

List of Pros of Drug Testing in Sports

1. It helps secure the reputation of sports.
Many branches of sports have all had their reputations damaged by competitors using some types of illegal drugs. As athletes are supposed to be role models for the youth, it is important that they should go by the rules, especially the unwritten laws of good sportsmanship. As you can see, any sports personality involved in the act would lose awards, sponsorship deals and will even face a fine or ban.

2. It prevents unfair advantage.
Some athletes take drugs to falsely improve performance and eventually gain an unfair advantage over their competitors, misrepresenting the true nature of sports, which is supposed to determine the best individual at a certain competition naturally.

3. It helps athletes maintain optimum performance.
Many athletes have received fines and bans for taking illegal recreational drugs, such as marijuana and cocaine. Now, these drugs can reduce performance, rather than improve it. While it is obvious that drug use should not be encouraged in any event, there is a significant difference between taking something that is illegal in order to win and other rationales.

List of Cons of Drug Testing in Sports

1. It can cause drug use among athletes to get worse.
While drug testing methods have become more sophisticated, illegal drugs that athletes are taking have also gotten more complicated to avoid detection, which means that a dangerous practice has also become worse. This is why some sports scientists suggest drug use to be made legal to stop this habit's dangerous aspect. In fact, this argument has also been pushed to try and legalize recreational drugs, though it has not been successful-probably for good reason.

2. It might find certain athletes to be testing positive, while they are actually innocent.
Some famous sports personalities who were banned for drug use were actually taking something innocent, such as cough medicine, without realizing that it contained a controlled substance. Regardless of whether this excuse is true or not, it is seen as unfair to force certain athletes to battle through an illness without relief just because of this policy.

3. It is not always accurate.
There were some cases where athletes were tested positive for a drug, only for the results to be revoked afterwards due to faulty tests. When this happens, these athletes had struggled building back their reputation under false pretenses.

Based on the pros and cons listed above, do you think that drug testing is generally beneficial for the world of sports, or not?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Pros and Cons of Drug Testing in Sports - Vision Launch

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Since sprinter Ben Johnson was stripped of the gold and world record after the 1988 Olympics, drug use among athletes has become a hot issue, though Johnson was not the first athlete caught doing such a shady practice. While many people agree on the argument that taking steroids to win is unethical and illegal, there ...

# data[].attributes.headline
Overview of the ethical concerns of PED's

# data[].attributes.subject
Overview of the ethical concerns of PED's

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Disturbing Truth About Doping in Sports

# data[].attributes.headline
Exploration of pro's and con's of the use of PED's

# data[].attributes.subject
Exploration of pro's and con's of the use of PED's

# data[].attributes.body
This article explores the impact of PED's on the athlete and the impact of the fairness of sport. The article also address the idea of 'fair and equal play'.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Usain Bolt (centre) won the highly anticipated men's 100m event at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing. EPA/Hu Wong

The World Athletics Championships are currently in full flow. There was a collective sigh of relief earlier this week when Usain Bolt triumphed in the blue-riband men's 100m event over Justin Gatlin, who has previously served two bans for taking performance-enhancing drugs. Three other athletes in the final - Mike Rodgers, Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell - had also received previous bans for doping.

Almost everyone seems to be in agreement that performance-enhancing drugs are a blight on competitive sport. Two major claims underpin the aversion to this use of drugs. The first is that it is cheating. The second is that performance-enhancing drugs threaten the health of athletes.

But is either claim persuasive?

Using drugs is unfair

The problem is not that athletes try to gain an advantage over their competitors by enhancing their performance. We praise them for doing so, and it is the main goal that athletes set for themselves.

The complaint is not against performance enhancement, but the method by which it is achieved. The real concern behind the cheating claim is that athletes who use drugs are gaining an unfair advantage by accessing something not available to those who follow the rules. Those who use drugs prosper at the expense of those who play fair.

But things are murkier than they seem. How interested are we in fairness in sport? Athletes try to enhance their performance in many ways: coaches, psychologists, dietitians, massage therapists, training at high altitude, skin-tight swimsuits. All of these are used to gain an advantage, which is often unfair because, like drugs, they are available to some - wealthy athletes rather than cheats - but not to everyone.

The Tour de France, a sporting event well known for drug use, would not suddenly become a level contest if drug use disappeared. The race winner has his performance enhanced by the quality of his team. The Tour would only be a true test of individual riders if teams were banned.

Performance is also unfairly enhanced when governments fund athletes. Australia spent more than A$300 million to prepare athletes for the last Olympics. One of the major reasons for the British squad's success at the London Olympics was the large amount of financial support for the team.

The advantage gained through financial support might be different to that gained by drug use because it is not achieved through underhand means. But, if fairness is our goal, the source of the disadvantage is secondary.

So, if our objection to drugs is that they create an unfair advantage, consistency demands we apply the same standard to many other aspects of athletic competition. There seems to be no reasonable justification for drawing a line in the sand that places drug use on one side and the above-mentioned performance enhancers on the other.

Given that drugs are significantly cheaper than psychologists, permitting their use might actually level out the playing field for poorer athletes. Finally, if fairness is our major concern we can easily solve the problem by lifting the prohibition - thus making drugs available to all athletes.

shutterstock

Performance-enhancing drugs and harm

The second objection is that drug use, unlike coaches and massage therapists, causes harm. Removing the prohibition might make things fairer but it would come at a heavy price.

In response to this objection, ethicist Julian Savulescu has argued that performance-enhancing drugs are not particularly dangerous, and if their use was no longer clandestine they would be safer still. It is difficult to know whether allowing drug use would lead to greater harm to athletes, but for the sake of argument let's assume Savulescu is wrong and accept that drug use is risky.

Is harm prevention a reasonable justification for limiting drug use in sport? One thing to bear in mind is that the very act of participating in many sporting activities is dangerous. Climbing, boxing, mixed martial arts, rugby, AFL, NFL, cricket, horse riding and many other sports can cause significant physical harms and sometimes result in death. There is no rush to ban people from climbing Mount Everest even though it is far more dangerous than taking EPO.

The NFL in America recently agreed to pay US$750 million to compensate for head injuries sustained by former players. Still, NFL athletes are allowed to collide with great force every week. It is certainly not obvious that performance-enhancing drugs cause more damage than high-impact sports.

I have not suggested that drug use should be permissible in sport because there might be persuasive arguments for proscription I have not addressed. For example, one might argue that using drugs is an attempt to win in the "wrong way". If so, we need to know why using other performance enhancers like caddies in golf or high-tech equipment is winning in the "right way".

But, the two claims most often used for prohibiting performance-enhancing drugs do not seem to provide sufficient grounds for a ban unless one is willing also to prohibit many other aspects of sport in the name of fairness and harm prevention.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why are we so opposed to performance-enhancing drugs in sport?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The World Athletics Championships are currently in full flow. There was a collective sigh of relief earlier this week when Usain Bolt triumphed in the blue-riband men's 100m event over Justin Gatlin, who has previously served two bans for taking performance-enhancing drugs.

# data[].attributes.body
Great summary and provides previous HSC questions concerning the topic.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The use of drugs is sport is always a hot topic around the globe. There are many people who were considered possibly the greatest athletes of all time, who, due to the use of drugs, have now shamed the sport and their name (e.g. Lance Armstrong). For HSC PDHPE use of drugs needs to be considered from an ethical perspective, not just a performance enhancing view point.

The use of drugs in sport requires you to have a general understanding of how performance enhancing drugs work and the risks associated with them, in order to justify why the use of drugs is considered unethical (you should not try to say it is... ever).

You are also required to understand the role of drug testing, and argue issues related to this testing. So although the benefits and limitations of drug testing is just a dash point below, the learn to makes it very important for you to examine.
Students learn about: Students learn to:
justify the reasons drugs are considered to be unethical and carry a range of risks for the athlete

argue issues related to drug testing such as:

at what level of competition should drug testing be introduced?

which drugs should be tested for?

what are the pros and cons of drug testing?

what should be the consequences of drug use?

The syllabus also has a teacher note for the use of drugs in sport. It says

Students need only a general understanding of the performance-related effects of, and the harm associated with, using drugs. Ethical considerations - such as fair play versus cheating, whether the drug use is for personal success or because sport is 'big business' - need to be explored.

If you haven't already, I encourage you to read through the following articles:

You may also like to check out Sandor Earls interview with the Footy Show as you consider the pressures on athletes and how the use of drugs can affect athletes.

Past HSC PDHPE exam questions

(a) (i) What is ONE benefit and ONE limitation of drug testing? 2 Marks

(a) (ii) Why are performance enhancing drugs considered unethical in sport? 6 Marks

(b) Evaluate the risks and ethical issues related to the use of drugs to improve performance. 12 Marks

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
https://www.youtube.com/embed/kqYPckwAvUY?list=PLesvqngPCeVMgJP0HvYTtLrpzbuc5DTPdThe use of drugs is sport is always a hot topic around the globe. There are many people who were considered possibly the greatest athletes of all time, who, due to the use of drugs, have now shamed the sport and their name (e.g. Lance Armstrong).

# data[].attributes.body
Alcohol can be used as an ergolyric aid to sports performance, meaning it will detract from overall performance (acting as depressant but has the same masking effect of a diuretic by diluting urine. Alcohol is only banned from a select amount of sport s during competition such as karate and motorcycling. Alcohol can have a significantly negative short-term and long-term effect on both the athletes health and performance.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Drinkaware is an independent charity working to reduce alcohol misuse and harm in the UK. We're here to help people make better choices about drinking.
We asked fitness experts give the lowdown on whether even small amounts of alcohol can affect your sporting and exercise efforts.
It doesn't matter whether you're a casual exerciser, are in the gym every day, or compete in regular matches or events, anyone who cares about playing sport or keeping fit needs to understand the effects alcohol can have on their performance. Not having a balanced approach to alcohol could be what gets in the way of you reaping the rewards from all the work you've put in.
Figures from Sport England show that more people are taking part in sport than they used to. During the year to March 2015, 15.5 million people aged 16 years and over in England played sport at least once a week. That's an increase of more than 1.4 million since 2005/6 - the first year of the survey ¹. So we're getting more active but is this move to a healthier lifestyle counteracted by our alcohol consumption?

Effects of alcohol on sport performance

Overall, alcohol is detrimental to sports performance because of how it affects the body during exercise. It does this in two main ways.

Firstly, because alcohol is a diuretic, drinking too much can lead to dehydration because the alcohol makes your kidney produce more urine. Exercising soon after drinking alcohol can make this dehydration worse because you sweat as your body temperature rises. Combined, sweating and the diuretic effect of exercise make dehydration much more likely. You need to be hydrated when you exercise to maintain the flow of blood through your body, which is essential for circulating oxygen and nutrients to your muscles.

"Dehydration leads to reduced performance," says Professor Greg Whyte, an expert in sports performance. "Hydration also helps control your body temperature so you're more likely to overheat if you've been drinking alcohol."

Secondly, alcohol interferes with the way your body makes energy. When you're metabolising, or breaking down alcohol, the liver can't produce as much glucose, which means you have low levels of blood sugar. Exercise requires high levels of sugar to give you energy. If your liver isn't producing enough glucose, your performance will be adversely affected. "If your body is forced to run from your supplies of fat rather than blood sugar, you will be slower and have less energy and won't be able to exercise as intensely," says Professor Whyte. As a result, your coordination, dexterity, concentration and reactions could be adversely affected too.

Both of these effects are immediate which is why it's not advised to exercise or compete in sport soon after drinking alcohol.
Take our Alcohol Self Assessment test to find out if you're drinking too much
Exercising the day after the night before

Drinking alcohol the night before could have a negative influence on your performance the following day. Sports dietitian Jane Griffin says: "It's not possible to perform at your best if you're feeling any of the effects normally associated with a hangover such as dehydration, a headache and hypersensitivity to outside stimuli, such as light and sound."
Trying to avoid a hangover? Get some simple tips here
Even if you're not experiencing the symptoms of a hangover, elite sports nutritionist Matt Lovall adds that "exercising the day after drinking alcohol can mean you have an all-round lower quality training session or sporting activity."
You'll lack strength and power, be less likely to make split second decisions and more likely to feel tired quicker because your body won't be able to clear out the lactic acid you produce when you exercise. "This is because your liver will be working harder to get rid of the toxic by-products of alcohol in your system," explains Lovall.

For all of these reasons, experts suggest avoiding alcohol the night before exercise whether you're due to go for a heavy session at the gym or compete in a team game. However, if you do decide to drink, both Lovall and Griffin advise sticking to just one drink with food.
"I would say with whether you have a drink the day before a training session or workout - you make the choice. But definitely think twice before drinking the day before a competition or match," says Griffin.
Similarly, drinking after exercise is not advisable if you haven't consumed enough water to replace the fluids you lost. Professor Whyte recommends sticking to the UK Chief Medical Officers' (CMO) low risk drinking guidelines of not regularly drinking more than 14 units of alcohol a week, and alternating with soft drinks. He warns that drinking after after exercise is more likely to make you crave stodgy high in calorie foods - which could affect your sports performance later down the line if you put on weight as a result. Drinking too much and eating calorific food will cancel out the health gains of the exercise your body would have benefited from.

Longer-term effects

Indeed, alcohol is high in sugar which means alcohol contains lots of calories - seven calories a gram in fact, almost as many as pure fat. "If your aim in the gym or through exercise is weight management, then it seems paradoxical to consume 'empty' calories in liquid form," says Professor Whyte. Alcohol can also slow down the amount of calories you're able to burn through exercise. Because your body isn't designed to store alcohol, it tries to expel it as quickly as possible. This gets in the way of other processes, including absorbing nutrients in food and burning fat.
Muscle gain can be affected too. Alcohol can disrupt sleep patterns and growth hormones, vital for muscle growth, are released while you're in deep sleep. It could also reduce the amount of testosterone - a hormone you need to gain muscles - that you have in your blood. "And drinking alcohol to excess can poison muscle fibres which means they don't adapt like they should do for up to three days," says Lovall.

Alcohol and your heart rate

Most worryingly, drinking can increase the potential for unusual heart rhythms. This is a risk which significantly increases during exercise up to two days after heavy alcohol consumption. "How much you need to drink to be at risk depends on the individual, but the risk increases if you are an irregular drinker," says Professor Whyte. It's because the activity itself already increases your heart rate and with a lot of alcohol in your system, you put extra stress on the organ. Other long-term impacts of alcohol such as heart disease, cancer and liver disease, could stop you taking part in exercise and sport altogether.
Can wine ever be good for the heart? Find out here...

Drinking alcohol while recovering from a sports injury

Sports performance is also impaired when you drink after you've had an injury. You'll be out of action for longer because the recovery process slows down. "It's difficult to quantify how much you have to drink but we know that alcohol causes the blood vessels to the skin, arms and legs to open up," explains Griffin. "The increased blood supply makes an injury bleed and swell even more."

Cutting back

If you regularly drink above the low risk drinking guidelines your body starts to build up a tolerance to alcohol. This is one of the main reasons why many medical experts recommend taking regular days off from drinking or spreading your intake out evenly over the week. If you are drinking above the guidelines, see what positive results you notice when you reduce your drinking - better sports performance is likely to be one of them.
Keep track of how many calories you are consuming in your favourite drinks using our the Drinkaware app which includes a Unit and Calorie Calculator.
See how much alcohol is really in your drinks with our Unit Calculator

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Can alcohol affect sports performance and fitness levels

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Drinkaware is an independent charity working to reduce alcohol misuse and harm in the UK. We're here to help people make better choices about drinking.

# data[].attributes.body
This page explores the common consequences athletes face when caught doping. These all vary in severity depending on drug, sport and level of competition.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Further to these sanctions, an athlete who has been found guilty of an Anti-Doping Rule Violation is often exposed to a level of media attention that can result in permanent damage to their reputation.

# data[].attributes.body
Past HSC question + Sample Answer

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Question 32 b (12 marks - 2012 HSC PDHPE Exam) Evaluate the risks and ethical issues related to the use of drugs to improve performance.