Do athletes always abide to the “spirit of the sport”?. While most of them do, there are some who go against it and fall as a prey to some unethical and wicked act such as doping.
“Doping” refers to the use of prohibited medications, drugs, or treatments by athletes with the intension of improving the athlete’s performance. The idea of doping has been in practice by athlete’s centuries ago but recently its rate has been increased due to the wide variety of potential in upcoming athletes. It has found to be unethical and banned by most of the sports organization.
HISTORY:
Doping was first noted at the Olympic Games, in 1904, in a runner who was injected with strychnine to assist with speed and therefore giving him the strength to finish the race. It adverse outcomes and effects lead to the first ban on doping by the International Association of Athletics Federation in 1928.Later in 1967 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned doping, and in 1999 the IOC led the initiative to form the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
SUBSTANCES USED FOR DOPING:
Doping substances are used to increase muscle mass, decrease recovery time, increase energy and endurance, and also mask the presence of other drug. Some of the drugs used for doping are
- ERYTHROPOIETIN (EPO)
- SYNTHETIC OXYGEN CARRIERS
- CERA
- DIURETICS
WHY IS DOPING SUCH A BIG DEAL?
It is indeed a big deal because it has many substances that can be harmful and has a long lasting effects on health of the person who uses it. It can also put an individual’s life at risk. Doping leads to several issues in human health such as
- Abnormal growth
- Diabetes
- Blood cancers
- Arthritis
- Enlarged heart and
In the worst case it also leads to premature death.
TESTING:
A urine and/or blood sample will be collected from an athlete. In case of urine sample, the athlete will collect the sample himself/herself. However, to ensure that the sample has been provided from the athlete’s body and that no other dishonest practice has been committed, a specialist of the same gender as the athlete will be present during the sample collection. These samples will be collected and tested to find out if any doping substances are used.
WADA and the IOC aim to decrease the incidence of doping and eliminate its use in sport. But its not all about it. Its also in the hands of the individual and the athletes taking part in sports and promise an oath to themselves not to involve in unethical and immoral activities that goes against the spirit of the game.
NOTE: In Tokyo Olympics 2020, INDIAN player MIRABAI CHANU stands chance to get gold if Chinese weightlifter fails in dope test.
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