WHAT’S YOUR DRUG?
Part 1
Dr Jonathan King
July 1998
Introduction
There has been a lot of publicity recently in New South Wales concerning performance-enhancing drugs in sport. There is a long history of athletes taking drugs to enhance performance, and it has become a battle between the drug-takers and drug (detection) agencies. I use the word "cheats" to include those who intentionally take medication, drugs or use other means to gain an advantage over their opponents. There are rules in any competition in order to have a basis of "fairness" for the athletes or players. Ideally the winners should be the ones who display the most "natural ability". However, the professionalism of sports has made it extremely desirable to succeed, using whatever means available. It is an antithesis to have athletes who strive for years to train to their peak ability, and endanger their health by taking chemical substances that promise success.
The History
In the 3rd century BC, documents show that Greek athletes ate mushrooms to improve their performance. In the 19th century, there was widespread use of caffeine, alcohol, nitroglycerine, strychnine, and opium by athletes. Knowledge today tells us that not all these substances enhance performance- some have the opposite effect!
In the Second World War, German soldiers were given anabolic steroids to increase combativeness. The observed increased aggression has been used by strength athletes ever since.
In the 1950’s the Soviet athletes were given testosterone to improve their performance. The Soviet authorities banned steroid use in 1986, possibly in reaction to the increased deaths of athletes who used the drugs. It was only in the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, that the dangers of excessive drug use were highlighted. Cyclist Kurt Jensen died during competition and this was linked to amphetamine use.
At the 1964 Tokyo Games, the IOC Medical Commission petitioned the IOC President to ban the use of drugs by athletes. This resulted in the establishment of a banned substance list, and formal drug testing.
The IOC and United States Olympic Committee defined doping:
"The administration of or use by a competing athlete of any substance foreign to the body or any physiological substance taken in abnormal quantity or taken by any abnormal route of entry into the body with the sole intention of increasing in an artificial and unfair manner his/her performance in competition."
The groups and list of banned substances are constantly being revised.
Currently these are:
More later!!!