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Wiki #6 Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports

PED's in Endurance Sports

The use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport has become an increasing problem across a wide range of sports . It is defined as any substance or drug that, when taken, gives an athlete an unfair advantage relative to a "clean" athlete. The banning of these drugs promotes a more level playing field which most if not all sporting organizations seek to achieve. Recently, the use of 'the suit' in swimming, which gives athletes an advantage in the the way of hydrodynamics, has been banned from international competition due to the unfair advantage it delivered . The drugs taken by athletes differ widely based on the performance needs of the sport. Erythropoietin (EPO) is largely taken by endurance athletes who seek a higher level of red blood cells, which leads to more oxygenated blood, and a higher VO2 max. An athlete's V02 max is highly correlated with success within endurance sports such as swimming, long-distance running, cycling, rowing, and cross-country skiing. EPO has recently become prevalent amongst endurance athletes due to its potentness and low degree of detectability when compared to other methods of doping such as blood transfusion. While EPO is believed to have been widely used by athletes in the 1990's, there was not a way to directly test for the drug until 2002. Athletes at the Olympic Games are tested for EPO through blood and urine tests. Testing endurance athletes for blood doping protects them from the deleterious effects that the practice can have on them. Stringent guidelines and regulations can lessen the dangerous culture of doping that has existed within a handful of endurance sports. As of 2012, 18 pro cyclist in the last fifteen years years have died from using EPO.

PED's in non-endurance sports

In sports which physical strength is favored, athletes have resorted to anabolic steroids, known for their ability to increase physical strength and muscle mass. The drug mimics the effect of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in the body. They were developed after Eastern Bloc countries demonstrated success in weightlifting during the 1940's. At the time they were using testosterone, which carried with it negative effects;anabolic steroids were developed as a solution. The drug has been used across a wide range of sports from football and basketball to weightlifting and track and field. While not as inherently life threatening as the drugs used in endurance sports, anabolic steroids have many negative side effects including, but not limited to, the following:

Side Effects in Men

• acne
• impaired liver function
• impotency
• breast formation (gynecomastia)
• increase in estrogen
• errectile dysfunction
• increased sex drive
• male pattern baldness

Side Effects in Women

• hair loss
• male pattern baldness
• hypertrophy of the clitoris
• increased sex drive
• irregularities of the menstrual cycle
• development of masculine facial traits
• increased coarseness of the skin
• premature closure of the epiphysis

Legal Ramifications

The legality of performance-enhancing drugs differs based on the sporting organization and the existing laws within the country. Anti-doping policies instituted by individual sporting governing bodies may conflict with local laws. Notable case includes the National Football League (NFL) inability to suspend players found with banned susbstances; after it was ruled by a federal court, that local labor laws superseded the NFL's anti-doping regime. The challenge was supported by the National Football League Players Association. Athletes caught doping may be subject to penalties from their locality as well from the individual sporting governing body. The legal status of anabolic steroids varies from country to country. In the U.S., anabolic steroids are currently listed as Schedule III controlled substances under the Controlled Substances Act, which makes the first offense simple possession of such substances without a prescription a federal crime punishable by up to one year in prison, and the unlawful distribution or possession with intent to distribute anabolic steroids punishable as a first offense by up to ten years in prison . EPO is a drug that may only be obtained through an medical practitioner's prescription. Professional cyclist that test positive for the drug are banned from professional road races for a minimum of two years on first offense and banned on the second offense.