Doping in Sports
“The dark side of Sports & Athletes”.
Doping is the use of prohibited performance-enhancing drugs & medication in sports by athletes to improve athletic performance.
The usage of drugs is considered unethical and is banned by most international sports organizations, including the International Olympic Committee.
The foremost cause of the ban behind the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports is the unfair competitive level which is not good for the “spirit of any Sport” and second is the unexpected health problems that most athletes face in the long run after taking peds in sports.
History of Doping ?
The history of Doping originated from the sport itself. The Ancient history of Sports Doping began with Chariot racing.
The modern-day athlete uses illegal drugs for running faster & performance-enhancing which varies from athlete to athlete, country to country and Sport to Sport.
In recent year’s athletes participating in Cycling, Baseball, Boxing, Tennis, Track & Fields etc. have been involved in doping in sports.
Who determines whether a doping violation has occurred?
World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is the world’s largest anti-doping organization that monitor’s doping violations for athlete’s which varies from sport to sport.
All Athletes who participate in sports that have signed the (WADA) code are subject to random in and out of competition testing.
Testing is either performed on urine and/or blood samples depending on the substances being tested.
The type of testing varies upon a variety of factors including history of doping in the sport, type of sports (e.g., endurance, strength/power), substances being taken, and duration of the season.
Ban for doping violations can vary greatly between sports. In sports that follow the WADA Code, a single violation can result in a ban from sports competition of up to 2 years while a second violation may result in a lifetime ban.
The Penalty for a first offence anti-doping violation in the NFL is a four-game suspension, in the NBA is a 5 game suspension, and in the NHL a 20 game suspension.
Famous Athletes Charged For Doping ?
● LANCE ARMSTRONG (Cycling)
Lance Edward Armstrong is a former American professional road racing cyclist.
Lance Armstrong became a part of doping conversations after his win in the 1999 Tour de France.
Years Armstrong denied the charges for doping on several occasions. United States anti-doping agency (USADA) in the year 2012 after a successful investigation concluded that Armstrong had used performance-enhancing drugs throughout his career.
Armstrong was stripped of his seven consecutive Tour de France titles from 1999 to 2005 after the doping investigation and his admission to using performance-enhancing drugs.
● Ben Johnson ( Athletics)
Ben Sinclair Johnson is a former Canadian professional Sprinter.
Ben Johnson won two medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics, as well as the gold medals in the 1985 World indoor championship, 1986 Goodwill Games and 1986 Commonwealth Games and held the title of the world’s fastest man during the 1987-1988 seasons. (9.83 seconds in 100m)
In September 1988, Johnson won Gold in the 100 meters final at the Summer Olympics in Seoul, beating his previous record to 9.79 seconds.
Later the South Korean doping control centre found that Johnson’s urine sample is contaminated with stanozolol (a synthetic drug derived from testosterone which has anabolic and androgenic properties).
Johnson was disqualified from the race three days later and also admitted to having use steroids when he ran his 1987 world record race which later led the revoke that record as well.
● Diego Maradona ( Football)
Diego Armando Maradona was an Argentine professional football player and manager.
He was known as the greatest player of the game. Maradona was one of the two joint winners of the FIFA Player of the 20th Century Award.
Maradona though one of the greatest of his time couldn’t resist the addiction to drugs.
It was during his tenure with Barcelona in the early 1980’s he started Cocaine (an addictive drug derived from coca or prepared synthetically).
By the time he was playing for Napoli (Italy) he was addicted to cocaine.
1994 World Cup in the United States was the last world cup and international match against Nigeria Diego Maradona played as he was sent home after failing a drug test for ephedrine doping (ephedrine is used as a doping substance to improve exercise tolerance and, in the case of long-lasting performances, to prevent fatigue).
Can Doping in Sport be Stopped ?
So the answer is to the question that can doping in Sports can be eradicated is still unanswered at present, certain measures are being taken to strictly control and minimize doping in sports.
Famous organizations like (WADA) and other organizations associated with (WADA) can structure new norms which can aid in the situation of doping in sports.
Promoting & supporting the acts of whistleblowing in such unfair practices is one such thing that can be done to stop doping in sports. Combating the problem of doping with whistleblowing can be beneficial in the long term as it will help the player’s health, maintain an ethical code of conduct, and promote fair means of play and keep a safe environment.
