The Rise of Using Performance Enhancing Drugs in Today's Sports

A thought provoking topic that has been disputed over the past decade is the increasing catastrophic use of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) in today’s sport. It’s been a dispute for many decades now. As you know today, most athletes will tell you that the urge to win is to be competitive and to have that fierceness inside you to compete at the highest level. The desire to win and compete has led to an abundance of PED use. Our sporting world is in the era of doping. Disastrous headlines, outrageous stories, melancholy moments in sport. It’s all we hear now in sports. ‘PEDs’ are substances and drugs that are used illicitly to improve physical performance while ‘Doping’ refers to use of banned substances in competitive sports.

From sports such as football, bodybuilding, athletics and cycling, there is a high presence of anti-doping violations. As we all know, doping cannot be stopped but can be successfully tackled if we implement new strategies. Football and cycling are sports that are affected the most where in football, there is a use of steroids to increase muscle size while anabolic steroids are used in cycling. Up to 57.1% admitted to using PEDs during the Olympics the past year according to a study published in the journal ‘Sports Medicine’. This is an outrageous figure that must be overlooked at by all seniors from governing bodies! According to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) stats, it’s 2015 Anti-Doping Rule Violations Report shows that there was 2522 adversative analytical findings from 229,412 samples which 1929 led to action against athletes. 

Our sporting world is embraced by the term ‘money’. Adverts, sponsors, bonuses from clubs for outstanding performance during gameplay, these are the aspects that instigate athletes to take drugs, putting their own health at risk! But how long will it take until athletes really understand the consequences of the consumption of these drugs until something major happens? Sponsors should be helping to fight against PEDs and not trying to encourage it by chucking money around! One of the most famous doping cases in our sporting world is Lance Armstrong. Former cyclist, Lance Armstrong was stripped seven Tour de France trophies by the International Cycling Union in 2012 due to taking Performance Enhancing Drugs during a race in order to improve his muscle strength and his position throughout the race. This essay will cover a numerous amount of factors such as how PEDs and doping arrived into our sporting world, the prominent cases of Russia and their 4 year ban from sporting events and Lance Armstrong and the Tour de France. Additionally, it will cover a broad range of how drugs and doping were originally produced and the psychological, physical and mental effects on athletes and many more.

PEDs don’t have to be used in sports as it shows weakness and does not show true abilities. Athletes have been getting away with this very easily and according to sporting governing bodies, doping is considered as cheating. Doping and drug use is becoming a huge crisis for the sporting world. But, why is it so easy to cheat the system?

One type of drug that is regularly used are stimulants. A stimulant is a substance that affects the Central Nervous System (CNS) which speed up parts of the brain and body. They tend to increase heart rate, blood pressure, metabolism and body temperature. Athletes use them to reduce fatigue but also to increase awareness, competitiveness and assertiveness. Amphetamines, cocaine, ecstasy and methylphenidate were found to be the most commonly used stimulants in today’s sport. The presence of stimulants in the body can be tested via urine sampling. Blood serum and saliva testing is also common. Stimulants can be prescribed medicines or illegal drugs such as cocaine which can be taken orally, snorted or injected.

In 2001, five time Olympic medallist and former world champion Justin Gatlin, 37 who is exceptionally rapid and is a professional track event specialist was tested positive for PEDs. It was revealed that he took amphetamine which is a type of stimulant while partaking at the USA Junior Championships. However, the American athlete has confirmed that he ‘had been taking Adderall since childhood’. This drug is used to combat attention deficit disorder which contains an amphetamine. It was this drug that violated the USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) policy and in 2001, Gatlin was banned for two years from competing in professional competitive events but it was later reduced to one year as Gatlin’s intentions were not to cheat. However for the former world champion, there was more trouble as his second suspension was much more condemning. April 2006 at the Kansas Relays, he failed the test for the banned anabolic steroid testosterone. Gatlin received an eight year ban which was then reduced to four by USADA. Although stimulants may increase energy and make breathing easier, they can also inflict havoc to the body’s system when it’s misused. The harm that stimulants can potentially cause should not be overlooked as it can lead to high body temperature, muscle shakes and tremors and an increase in blood pressure. However, the long term effects are more detrimental as it can cause strokes, seizures and muscle deterioration in the long run.

Another type of drug that is also used frequently are anabolic steroids. Anabolic Steroids are drugs that enhance natural hormones in the body. They are derived from testosterone. These hormones regulate and control how the body works and develops as they improve endurance, performance and stimulate muscle development. An example of where this is used is in track races or in bodybuilders. Anabolic Steroids are known for boosting muscle mass when used along a strenuous exercise routine. The most common anabolic steroids detected are nandrolone, boldenone and trenbolone as they can be taken in tablet form or injected directly into the muscle. Nandrolone is a dangerous type of steroid as it is produced naturally in the human body. It’s banned as it reduces tiredness, hence the recovery process for a typical athlete is much quicker from a period of high intensity play. Moreover, it also produces more protein. The tests for nandrolone is quite straightforward as it only requires a urine sample but does it indicate that the athlete has taken the drug to enhance performance? The answer is no. This is because an athlete may have more nandrolone than expected if they eat lots of red meat or if they take dietary supplements.

25 years ago, in the 100m sprint final in the Seoul Olympics, Ben Johnson, a Canadian sprinter, set a new world record of 9.79 seconds. He blew everyone away as it was one of the most spoiled race in sport. But, it was classed as the biggest drug story in Olympic history. 24 hours later, Ben Johnson was forced to complete a PED drugs test to prove he did not dope. However, he failed the drug test where there were traces of stanozolol (banned anabolic steroid) found in his urine sample. Three days after a record triumph, Johnson became the first gold medallist to forfeit his win. Anabolic steroid use has been strongly associated with many risks and diseases such as kidney failure, heart disease and even death in some cases. This is not about getting an advantage, it’s also not about cheating. Athletes are placing their health at risk persistently!

Additionally, there is another type of drug that is quite common with athletes. This is known as the Human Growth Hormone. This is a natural hormone that is produced in the body. It encourages physical development including the growth of muscles during puberty. This strengthens the muscles, tendons and ligaments and also increases growth factors in the liver. It also helps to repair any tissues that are broken. Normally in adults, human growth hormones help to increase the number of red blood cells and increase the amount of energy generated by breaking down fat molecules. One worrying factor is that there are disastrous and devastating threats to health. Clicnical studies have shown jus that it can lead to increased tolerance to insulin, type 2 diabetes, swelling of the arms and legs, joint and muscle pain and increased cancer isk. 

According to sporting bodies, fair play in our sporting world is diminishing away very swiftly. Over the past few years, the use of PEDs, also known as doping, has been accumulating day by day and the utility effects of these drugs are becoming increasingly worrying. Passionate fans spend an infinite amount of their money and time to watch their loved sports whether it be football teams, professional boxers, basketball teams, rugby teams. But, we hear the same question week in week out, is it even worth it after all?