Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Sports

Historians believe that drugs have been used by athletes to enhance their performance for more than 2,000 years. A wide range of sporting organizations have moved to increase the list of drugs banned from sports to prevent participants from gaining an unfair advantage. An athlete must apply to the International Federation for a Therapeutic Use Exemption if the athlete requires a listed medication for a medical condition. As defined by the current Prohibited Substances List of the World Anti-Doping Agency, there are three banned methods of doping.

  1. Substances Banned at All Times

    • Anabolic steroids have been at the forefront of many controversies in the world of athletics. Drugs such as Nandrolone stimulate the production of protein in the body, which advances the development of muscle tissue, thus increasing strength and power. Like all performance enhancers, anabolic steroids have potential health risks that include organ damage, potential heart attack and development of inappropriate sexual characteristics such as male breast increase and facial hair on women. Sprinters Linford Christie and Ben Johnson are two high-profile athletes who have tested positive for Nandrolone. Another steroid related to hormonal effects is erythropoietin, a drug that has tarnished cycling and its main event, the Tour de France. Erythropoeitin is a hormone naturally produced in the kidneys that promotes the formation of red blood cells within bone marrow. Injecting the drug into the blood system boosts hemoglobin levels within the red blood cells, thus giving an athlete increased energy levels and performance. Misuse of erythropoeitin is potentially very dangerous because it heightens the chances of blood clots, heart attacks and strokes. Other hormonal substances banned at all times are beta-2-agonists, hormone antagonists and modulators, and diuretics.

    Methods Banned at All Times

    • The enhancement of oxygen transfer through blood doping and artificial oxygen carriers is strictly prohibited. Erythropoeitin, synthetic oxygen carriers and blood transfusions are the three most common forms of blood doping. Once seen as the next generation of illegal doping, gene manipulation is also prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency. This is a process whereby a healthy gene is transplanted into cells or directly into the genome to replaced a damaged or missing gene. Gene doping has the potential to produce the same result as blood doping, although it may also reduce injury and fatigue recovery times. In 2006 a German coach was caught trying to obtain Repoxygen, an experimental gene therapy agent that increases the amount of oxygen sent to the muscles. At the Beijing Olympics, it was reported that a Chinese doctor offered a journalist posing as a swimming coach stem-cell injections. Chemical and physical manipulation, which includes sample tampering and intravenous infusion, are also prohibited.

    Substances Banned in Competition

    • Stimulants, including performance enhancers and recreational drugs, are prohibited for use for the duration of a competition. Cocaine and cannabinoids are the most popular recreational drugs despite being detrimental to an athlete's performance. Adrian Mutu is one of several sports professionals to have tested positive for cocaine, while several players in South Africa tested positive for marijuana in 2005. Amphetamines, Ephedra, caffeine and narcotics are prohibited stimulants that can enhance an athlete's performance. Although Ephedra carries no illegal advantages, a large dose mixed with caffeine has been proved to improve the performance of cyclists. Narcotics are permitted outside competition but are prohibited during competition because athletes may use these to mask pain caused by musculoskeletal injuries.

    World Anti-Doping Agency

    • Established in 1999, the World Anti-Doping Agency's prime objective is to promote, coordinate and monitor the fight against doping in sport. Funded by sports movements and governments worldwide, it focuses on key scientific research, education and development of anti-doping capacities. The agency is working toward a doping-free culture in sport. The agency treats its prohibited list as the cornerstone of its code and a key component of harmonization. First published in 1963, the list contains prohibited substances and methods in and out of competition and with respect to particular sports. The list is updated on an annual basis. An essential component of the World Anti-Doping Agency strategy is an International Standard for Testing that carries the purpose of planning toward effective testing and maintaining the integrity and identity of samples.