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PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUGS.
Term Paper ID:28939
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Essay Subject:
Use in anateur & professional sports. Motivation. Tests for detecting drug use. Development of new drugs. 2000 Olympic Games.... More...
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12 Pages / 2700 Words
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Paper Abstract:
Use in anateur & professional sports. Motivation. Tests for detecting drug use. Development of new drugs. 2000 Olympic Games.
Paper Introduction:
I. Introduction
Athletes are always striving to be the best and so are always looking for ways to improve their performance. When they have exhausted all regular means, such as specialized training, personalized diets, a regular workout, and a healthy lifestyle, the often feel they need a little something more to give them the edge. This is when they are tempted to turn to drugs for that extra boost which will take them to the top. Often, drug-taking by athletes is coerced by coaches whose careers may depend on having the winning team. In professional sports, and particularly in the Olympic games, the pressure to win is overwhelming to many, and they succumb to the temptation of a little extra help.
The drugs used vary depending on the type of sport being
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LosAngeles Times, p. For the 2 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, the U.S. Washington Post, p. McKinley, J. It enhances performance by increasing thenumber of red blood cells in the circulation, and thus the oxygen-carryingcapacity of the blood. One of the advantages of thesedrugs is that they are difficult to detect because they are producednaturally by the body, so will be present in the blood and the urineanyway. This can lead todeath, and is suspected in the deaths of about 2 European cyclists since1987 (Zorpette, 2 ). This shows the rampant drug use is by Olympic athletes, not only fromthe United States, but from around the world. The international perception of U. wasthe biggest medal winner in the Sydney games, these kinds of problems mustcall into doubt the credibility of this kind of success. Hunter has four pre-Olympic positivesteroid tests. It encourages drug use because of the chances of getting awaywith it. Nowhere has drug use by athletes been more in the spotlight than inthe Olympic Games. Epogen is a naturally occurring hormone in the body, andwhen it is injected it boosts the concentration of red blood cells. J. In the 1998 Tour de Franceinvestigators found caches of the drug in team vans, in car trunks, and incompetitors= hotel rooms (Zorpette, 2 ). They still act like drugs. Since the U. AtlantaConst., p. No specific athletes or sports were targeted, but the tests wereconcentrated on athletes in what are considered the high-risk sports forepogen use. In 1996, aLatvian company was found harvesting hGH from human cadavers and selling itfor athletic use. In this respect, theodds are not in favor of the athletes. References Abrahamson, A. Olympic athletes. It is harder to put onmuscle as age increases, and older players resort to steroids to keep upwith younger players (McKinley, 2 ). Lancet, 355, p. (2 , March). (2 , August). Drugs taint games. S. (2 ). Similar action has been taken in major leaguebaseball (McKinley, 2 ). The system obviously is fraught with problems,and this casts a shadow on all U. French researchers now report that they have developed a test thatdetects the presence of artificial erythropoietin in the urine (Larkin,2 ). Epogen is a synthetic form of erythropoietin, a hormone produced bythe body which stimulates erythropoiesis, red blood cell production, justas the natural hormone does. This is particularly useful for endurance athletessuch as runners, cross-country skiers, swimmers, and cyclists. drug testing reached a newlow at the Sydney Games with allegations of cover-ups and the revelationthat world champion shot putter C. It shows the impact ofsports heroes on the public, and the desire of the public to keep sportsfree of drugs.III. Steroid suspicions abound in majorleague dugouts. Olympic Committee (USOC)(Patrick,2 ). The rush to getinjured athletes back on the field or into the gym also fosters drug usebecause steroids help injuries heal faster, as well as building musclebulk. C. This takes away theoriginal purpose of the game - competition between people, ordinary peoplewho happen to have a particular talent. The head of the IOC medical commission, PrinceAlexandre de Merode, charges that the USA covered up positive tests of fivetrack athletes who went on to compete in the 1988 Seoul Olympics (Patrick,Drugs taint games, 2 ). Theproblem for sports agencies and officials is that there is presently noreliable test for epogen use since it is a normal product of the body andthe epogen used by athletes is difficult to tell from the natural one. IOC adds new drug test. This increases the oxygen-carrying capacity of he blood, and so is the favored drug of enduranceathletes, such as runners and cyclists. Dahlburg, J-T. It was estimated that less than 1 percent of athletes wouldprobably be tested, but they hoped the testing would act as a deterrent toepogen use. USAToday, p. The NBA has just bannedandrostenedione (andro), as well as dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), (bothover-the-counter supplements) another steroid hormone, and other steroidprecursors (Wyche, 2 ). Summary The use of performance enhancing drugs is widespread throughout thesporting world, both amateur and professional. Ruibal, S. Drug testing agency has work cut out.USA=s new anti-doping group takes over amid atmosphere of mistrust. It also sends anugly message to young athletes with Olympic aspirations. The problem with this is that theblood test can detect epogen several weeks after use, but the urine testgoes back only three days. WashingtonPost, p. (2 , August). Now we are seeing artificialtalent. Larkin, M. Notebook: U. It is now alleged that the USA Track and Field (USATF) exonerated twoathletes who tested positive for the steroid nandrolone without notifyingthe international track federation.Another nandrolone and three testosterone positive cases are under review(Patrick, 2 ). The testingobviously needs more adjustments to address this problem.IV. New York Times, p. This sends a message to children that the only thing that isimportant is winning - no matter how it is achieved. This is when they are tempted toturn to drugs for that extra boost which will take them to the top. D1. If too much is taken,the blood becomes too thick and circulation is lowered and blood vesselsclogged. 2 -22. The pressure to win is so great, and so muchdepends on it, such as multimillion dollar spokesperson contracts forsports stars, and gold medals for Olympians, that the temptation to useperformance enhancers is too great for many to resist. They will be kept until an accurate test for epogenis perfected. With professional baseball players becoming bigger, stronger andbetter conditioned than in the past, the temptation to use steroids isunderstandable, particularly in older players. The effectiveness of the testing has come under question because bothblood and urine tests have to be positive for the test to be consideredpositive overall (Abrahamson, 2 ). D1. This trend is verydisturbing. It all comes down to what price we areprepared to pay to win, and who are the real winners. Studies in Sweden and Australiahave shown that epogen, known as EPO, can improve the performance of anathlete by anywhere from seven to 1 percent. It is estimated that epogen can enhance performance ofathletes somewhere between seven and 1 times (Zorpette, 2 ). Not only is drug useobviously widespread, but the athletes testing positive for performanceenhancing drugs are not being treated equally, either. The IOC decidedthat any athlete who refused the test would be disqualified from the games. Eight others were on trial with Virenque. At the 2 games, many athletes were disqualified or lost theirmedals because they tested positive for performance enhancing drugs(Patrick, Drugs taint games 2 ). Sydney Games to test for EPO: Criticssay IOC could do more to stop use of performance-enhancing substance. Thetrial was the major item of news in France because of the intense interestin the race there. Drug Topics, 144, p. I. (2 ). (2 , September). There is a danger to using epogen. They should not be excusedjust because they are marketed over-the-counter as dietary supplements. But the medicationshe used contained pseudoephedrine, which, when used in combination withcaffeine and phenylpropanolamine, behaves like an amphetamine. However, andro and DHEA work the same in the body as othersteroids, and pseudoephedrine can combine with other chemicals to producean amphetamine. It ismarketed on the internet as a body-building supplement that enhancesstrength and stamina. Often,drug-taking by athletes is coerced by coaches whose careers may depend onhaving the winning team. Currently, epogen is widely used as a performance-enhancing drug(Zorpette, 2 ). Hunter tested positive for steroid use; Romanian gymnast Andreea Raducanwas stripped of her gold medal after testing positive for stimulant use;Dutch swimmer Inge de Brujin was accused of drug use before the Games andafter she won three gold medals; the Bulgarian weight-lifting team wasexpelled from the games after three of them tested positive for performanceenhancing drugs; Jamaican runner Merlene Oyttey, who finished fourth in thewomen=s 1 tested positive for the steroid nandrolone, but was exoneratedby the IAAF; and Cuban men=s high jumper Javier Sotomayor won a silvermedal after a two-years suspension for cocaine use was cut in half by theIAAF. Sci.Am., 282, pp. Anti-Drug Agency (USADA) assumed control of drug testing for domesticOlympic Sports, replacing the U. In young female gymnasts, maturation isoften delayed because of drug use. Epogenis used to treat patients in kidney failure who have a deficiency of thehormone and so suffer from chronic anemia. S. All doped-up - and going for the gold. S. (2 , November). A1. A Romanian gymnast who lost her gold medal at the 2 Olympic Gamesin Sydney protested that she only used cold medication. Toooften it is the coaches who are supplying the drugs, as in the case ofyoung Olympic hopefuls. As soon assports committees develop tests for detecting performance enhancing druguse, new drugs come on the scene for which tests have not yet beendeveloped. Prolongedsteroid use can also have longterm deleterious effects, such as strokes,heart problems, and liver disease. DHEA and andro are produced in the testicles,ovaries and adrenal glands, and so are considered naturally occurringsubstances and so are classed as dietary supplements and not drugs.Anabolic steroid not only help build muscle, but also help athletes recovermore quickly from injuries (McKinley, 2 ). And it is not just the athletes themselves who are to blame. When they have exhausted allregular means, such as specialized training, personalized diets, a regularworkout, and a healthy lifestyle, the often feel they need a littlesomething more to give them the edge. On the down side, they havealso been linked in scientific studies to heart disease, stroke and liverdisease. Testing for epogen began at the 2 Olympic games in Sydney, with theapproval of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) (Shipley, 2 ).This new drug test represents the most significant doping advance in morethan 2 years from the IOC. Shipley, A. Human growth hormone (hGH), another naturally occurring hormone in thebody, is also used to enhance performance because it is a steroid-likehormone and helps build muscle (Zorpette, 2 ). Zorpette, G. S. C3. In fact, a former USOC medical chief, Robert Voy, said theUSOC and its national governing bodies do not adequately discourageperformance-enhancing drug use, are not interested in reducing drug use andhave covered up positive tests for banned performance enhancing drugs(Notebook, 2 ). D5. Patrick, D. Greg LeMond, an American cyclist who has won the event threetimes is happy about the action of the UCI, and says that most people inFrance are too because they love the sport and don=t like what is happeningto it. (2 , October). Wyche, S. Its use is obviously rampant in this sport, andis well-known. Coaches in fear oflosing their jobs push the drugs onto their athletes. Voy added that he believes the USOCpublicly represents that it is committed to eliminating the use of bannedperformance enhancing drugs in Olympic sport, but that it has actuallypursued policies that ignore the use of banned performance enhancing drugsamong American Olympic level athletes. This means the testing could miss a lot ofcases of athletes who have used the drug. French cyclists takes a spill atdoping trial. In Lille this October, Richard Virenque, the winner of the 1998 Tour,and an extremely popular figure in France, was on trial for suspected druguse during the race, and admitted that he took performance enhancing drugsto help him cycle over the Alps, the Pyrennes and the rest of the 1998 Touritinerary (Dahlburg, 2 ). American world champion shot putter C.J. Eight fellow cyclists from that raceare on trial with him, and he has admitted using the drug. He also stated that performance drug use is common amongAmerican Olympic level athletes. The IOC announced that at least 3 and possibly as many as7 tests for epogen would be conducted during the games. But this is changing the verynature of the sport. LeMond: Time to Acome clean.@ Three-time Tour winner says French lead anti-drug fight. Social Implications Here in the United States, the use of performance-enhancing drugs hasbeen highlighted mainly in professional sports - namely football, baseballand basketball. Case Study Epogen seems to be the drug of the moment, and its impact on sportscan be tremendous. In the 2 race, caches of the drug were found in vans and cars belonging to the teamand in their hotel rooms. 1A. The problem of performance enhancing drug use is compounded by thefact that certain drugs can mask the presence of other drugs in the body.For instance, diuretics are prohibited in athletic competition because theymask the presence of other drugs (Page, 2 ). In baseball, MarkMcguire admitted taking androstenedione in his efforts to beat RogerMarris=s home run record, a race watched by millions of baseball fans(Wyche, 2 ). 33. Page, D. USA Today, p. With a national hero=s admission that he used banned drugsin Tour de France, the country=s love affair with the sport is being sorelytested. The use of epogen (EPO) and human growth hormone (hGH) are verypopular as performance enhancers currently. USA Today, p. 12C. An athlete who used the drugfour days previously would not be found positive because the urine testwould be negative even though the blood test was positive. 2 53. The test, an immunoblotting assay that distinguishes natural fromartificial erythropoietin reliably detected exogenous erythropoietin fromamong 1 2 frozen urine samples from the 1998 Tour de France cyclingcompetition. Los Angeles Times, p. The test will be used in combination with blood tests developed inAustralia which pinpoint hematological variables characteristic oferythropoietin use. It is destroying the public image of sports heroes as thenumber caught taking banned substances increases. A2. In 1998, a Chineseswimmer on her way to competitions in Perth was detained at the airport andfound to have 13 vials of hGH packed in a thermos bottle. The newer drugs, such as erythropoietin, enhance performance byincreasing oxygen concentration in the blood, an aid to endurance athletes,but also puts them at risk for strokes and heart attacks. If so many athletes are taking performance enhancing drugs, itcalls into question the credibility of any medal winners because testing israndom and it is impossible to know who won on their own merits and who didso with the help of drugs. Athletes use it to lose weight, increase speed andenhance concentration.II. S. Patrick, D. Epogen caused a worldwide furor when it was found that the Frenchcycling team in the Tour de France were using the medication routinely.The Union Cycliste International (UCI), cycling=s world governing body, haspreserved 91 frozen urine samples taken from riders in the 2 Tour deFrance (Ruibal, 2 ). (2 ). (2 , October). Athletes had to have a positive result in bothblood and urine for the test to be considered positive. New test added to armoury against performance-enhancing drugs. It no longer depends on a player=s natural abilitiesand talents, but on artificially derived muscle power. He was criticized because it was felt he might inspirechildren to start taking steroids when taking part in sports, a dangeroushabit to begin, with serious consequences possible. Some observers believe that putting a national herolike Virenque on trial on drug charges is part of a slow process of endingthe immunity of the powerful in that country. The drugs used vary depending on the type of sport being engaged in.For instance, football players, baseball players, and basketball players,and especially weight-lifters need to build muscle mass and often useandrostenedione and other muscle-building drugs. Many athletes who take androstenedione, DHEA, or pseudoephedrine claimthat they are not drugs but dietary supplements because that is how theyare sold. From professional footballto major league baseball, Olympic sports such as weight-lifting andswimming, to track and field events, drug use is rampant. In professional sports, and particularly in theOlympic games, the pressure to win is overwhelming to many, and theysuccumb to the temptation of a little extra help. This increases the risk of strokes and heart attacks. D1. Atlanta J. (2 , October). Pharmacists play role in making sure athletes arerunning clean. This is unfair competition. accused of encouraging drug use. The USOC released documents of athletes for all sports in1999 showing 2 7 positives with 1 convictions, though the USOC claims that6 percent of these positive tests were for asthma drugs for which athleteshad medical exemptions. It is thedrug which brought French Cyclist Richard Virenque to trial this year forusing it in the 1998 Tour de France. Introduction Athletes are always striving to be the best and so are always lookingfor ways to improve their performance. Twenty-eight of the samples had higher than normalerythropoietin concentrations, and analysis of 14 of the samples with thehighest concentrations showed a pattern typical of the recombinant hormone. So far it has not been possible to devise a satisfactory testwhich will differentiate between the natural hormones and those taken toenhance performance in the blood and urine simultaneously. Thecurrently used test for erythropoietin in blood and urine indicate onlythat erythropoiesis has been stimulated, not that drug use is to blame(Larkin, 2 ). NBA says andro will be banned; Eight othersubstances on League=s list. Thecombination of these factors with an endurance athlete performing in hotweather, and getting dehydrated, which also increases the viscosity of theblood, is a very dangerous combination (Larkin, 2 ).
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