Performance enhancing drugs, also known as PED's are drugs that affect the performance or physical ability of a person. For this reason, many performance enhancing drugs are banned for use in sport. In a lot of countries, performance enhancing drugs can even get you arrested. Anabolic steroids are widely available but can cause a nasty assault on the human body. The term "doping" in sport refers to a person who has Anabolic steroids are popular with weight lifters and sprinters as they can improve their performance. This increase of performance comes at a cost as anabolic steroids are known to cause baldness, infertility, aggression and and increased chance of heart attacks and strokes. Robert Goldman asked athletes if they would take a drug for assured athletic success even if it would make them die after 5 years. Surprisingly he found that over 50% said they would take it. This raises a lot of questions about the impact PEDs in sport by Anthony Tornambe.
The Rio Olympics has been directly impacted by the use of performance enhancing drugs. Many Russian athletes have been banned from competing due to doping. Russia's, Yulias Efimova is the latest to be caught up in the doping scandal. It seems at Rio there are few PED advocates as Yulia was met with boo's at the Olympics. This was because she was recently reinstated after a ban. The reinstating of Yulia has caused a uproar, with many angered and left feeling cheated. Fiona Doyle from Ireland was unfortunate as she failed to qualify for the 100m breaststroke semi-finals by one place. This is the same competition in which Yulia competed.
The use of performance enhancing drugs in the Olympics has gained more media attention in the recent years. UK 100m sprinter, Dwain Chambers was banned from competing in the Olympic games after testing positive for anabolic steroids. Dwain claims that over half of the US racing team are guilty of doping, however not all face bans. Ethics professor, Julian Savulescu claims the war assault on doping has failed. He believes it is impossible to remove doping from sport as there are ways to cheat a doping test. Some steroids and hormones, such as the growth hormone are hard to detect by test and therefore many athletes may be getting off lightly. Advocates for performance enhancing drugs believe that PEDs make sport more interesting as they allow a human to surpass the boundaries of their natural human bodies. Others argue that the health risks involved makes doping unsafe and unethical to promote. It is unlikely for an athlete get arrested over doping, however the use of PEDs is illegal in most countries by Anthony Tornambe.
There are many types of performance enhancing drugs, which serve different purposes. Anabolic steroids are used to increase muscle mass and strength. Protein hormones like human growth hormones, also known as HGH, are used to strengthen bones, muscle and reduce fat. There are many risks with HGH such as organ enlargement, heart disease, impotence and diabetes. Erythropoietin and blood doping are used to increase the delivery of oxygen to tissues that are being exercised. This increase of oxygen can give the muscles more energy and are popular with endurance athletes, such as marathon runners and cyclists. Erythropoietin, also known as EPO stimulate bone marrow, which in turn increases the number of red blood cells in your body. EPOs can increase the delivery of oxygen by around 10%, which can make a significant difference. The use of EPOs increases the chance of stroke and heart attack as well as many other health implications. EPOs can be hard to detect as they are removed from the body over a short period of time. This raises further concern regarding how many athletes are not being detected using performance enhancing drugs at Rio.
Over 100 Russian athletes have now been barred from the Rio Olympic Games, which is the biggest doping ban in Olympic history. Some Russian fans have cried that it is unfair for so many to be banned when the testing process is not fair. Many claim that it has become even easier to pass a doping test. The effects of PEDs is worrying. The competitive attitude that comes with the Olympic Games contributes to the high levels of doping. This mentality of competition sport arguably makes Olympic athletes disregard their health in exchange for Olympic success. Many believe the war on doping cannot be won as it is too hard to regulate. Some feel that education can help prevent athletes from taking high risk PEDs. The Rio Olympics has uncovered a new dimension of PEDs to the public eye, which has left many confused on how we can tackle such issues. Do you feel the war on doping can be won, and if so what would you suggest? - Anthony Tornambe
Over 100 Russian athletes have now been barred from the Rio Olympic Games, which is the biggest doping ban in Olympic history. Some Russian fans have cried that it is unfair for so many to be banned when the testing process is not fair. Many claim that it has become even easier to pass a doping test. The effects of PEDs is worrying. The competitive attitude that comes with the Olympic Games contributes to the high levels of doping. This mentality of competition sport arguably makes Olympic athletes disregard their health in exchange for Olympic success. Many believe the war on doping cannot be won as it is too hard to regulate. Some feel that education can help prevent athletes from taking high risk PEDs. The Rio Olympics has uncovered a new dimension of PEDs to the public eye, which has left many confused on how we can tackle such issues. Do you feel the war on doping can be won, and if so what would you suggest? - Anthony Tornambe
