Safety and Security

D oping Concept of Doping Doping is not a new trend brought on by the advent of modern pharmaceutical agents. History shows that athletes in the ancient Olympic Games were willing to take plant extracts in a bid to perform better than their competitors. Performance enhancing drugs and dietary supplements have been around since the ancient Olympic Games. Because of the ethical considerations relating to unfair advantage during competition and the potential for the adverse effect, most athletic governing bodies have generated a list of substances that are banned from national and international competitions.

Doping, is a term used for performance enhancing drugs in sports and often understood as the use of such drugs which are considered helpful to improve athletic performance. Many drugs have been banned in sports as they are deemed to provide an unfair advantage, pose a health risk, or are seen to violate the ‘spirit of sport’. The use of banned drugs by athletes is referred to as ‘doping’. Doping is defined by the International Olympics Committee (IOC) as, ‘the use of any method or substance that might harm the athlete, in a quest to gain an unfair advantage, over his or her fellow competitors’.

Hence, training at altitude to increase the blood’s ability to carry oxygen is allowed, but the use of drugs, to achieve the same result is considered unethical and prohibited by the authorities. Rigorous testing procedures have shown many notable athletes to be trying to ‘beat the system’ by taking such drugs. Most notably, Ben Johnson, in , who won the m sprint in a new world record time of .79s, was tested positive for steroids, and lost his gold medal and world record. The reasons to ban doping in sports are mainly the health risks of performance-enhancing drugs, the equality of opportunity for athletes, and the exemplary effect of drug- free sport for the public.

Anti-doping authorities state that using performance-enhancing drugs goes against the ‘spirit of sport’. Why Doping? Most athletes take drugs— •• to enhance their physical performance in an attempt to prevent them falling behind other competitors even at the cost of damaging their health and risking their sports career. •• to help them wind down and relax, Fig.

. : Medicine label showing date of manufacturing and expiry date Do You Know? EPO-Erythroproietin, is a peptide hormone, i.e., produced naturally by the human body. Activity .

Find out when was the doping case first recorded in an International Competition. •• to cope with the pressure and stress associated with constant battle to win all the time •• to boost their own self-esteem and confidence, •• to mask the pain of certain sports injuries, •• to control and reduce weight, •• to hide the use of any other banned substances. Doping in Sports In competitive sports, doping refers to the use of banned performance-enhancing drugs by competitors, where the term doping is widely used by organisations that regulate sporting competitions. The use of drugs to enhance performance is considered unethical by most international sports organisations, including the International Olympic Committee.

Although, ethicists (World Health Organisation) have argued that it is not different from the use of new materials in the construction of apparels and sporting equipment, which can also aid performance and give competitors an unfair advantage. Classifications of Doping The technology in our world today is truly amazing. People are discovering new and exciting ways everyday to make our lives easier and more enjoyable. Doctors and scientists are also discovering ways to help us live longer and finding ways to cure our bodies from many different illnesses.

Medicine today is without a doubt much better than in past years. Doctors and scientists continue to discover ways to help create the ideal athlete in the world. They find ways to use drugs that were originally set out for some other function and use it to improve the performances of athletes today. Besides the other unethical practices used by athletes, the two principal categories of performance-enhancing substances considered as the main source are: .

Dietary supplements . Injectable supplements—Hormones and Drugs Dietary Supplements Dietary supplements are highly refined products that should not be confused with food. They may not have any positive nutritional value; hence, not referred to as nutritional supplements. Hormones A variety of endogenously produced hormones are used to enhance athletic performance.

The most commonly used Do You Know? •• Players are selected for doping control either via a random draw conducted by the Doping Control Officer (DCO), witnessed by the team or representatives. •• The World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) is a foundation created through a collective initiative led by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). hormone is ‘testosterone’.

This hormone is known to produce strength and stimulate the function of skeleton muscles with higher level of energy. Hormone produced and secreted by different organs of the body are stored and employed by athlete as ‘Ergogenic aids’. Drugs A drug encompasses substance that changes the body’s function. A drug is a chemical substance that, when absorbed into the body, can alter normal bodily function.

This includes the substances that stimulate hormone secretion. If a substance looks like a medicine or is administered differently from the way in which foods would be consumed, it may be classified as a drug. Basic Doping Drugs used in Sports The basic drugs which are used for doping purposes in different sports are described below for better understanding about the drugs. Narcotics Narcotics are used as doping in sports.

They are injected into a human’s blood stream, or muscles, or under skin. Narcotics can also be swallowed. Consumption of narcotics reduces, eliminate, and hide pain. Examples of narcotics are morphine and methadone.

They are also used for moderate inflammation. This drug is commonly used in sports with less recovery time in between games. Athletes from football and hockey games commonly use narcotics. Side Effects: Narcotics decrease heart rate, causes nausea, and vomiting.

Steroids The well-known doping drugs called anabolic-androgenic steroids are a group of powerful chemical compound, related to the male sex hormone ‘testosterone’. The original purpose of steroids was to help with different diseases. It was developed in the ’s. Consumption helps to produce more hormones in the body.

Side Effects: Consumption can lead to early heart attacks, strokes, liver, tumours, kidney failure, and serious psychiatric problems. Steroids can be injected with needles, which cause risks of infections, such as HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis B and C. Physical symptoms include developing a very large head, acne flare ups, aggressive behaviour and mood swings. Gene Doping Gene doping probably began in the year , when the International Olympic Committee Medical Commission came together to discuss the adverse effects of gene therapy in sports.

World Anti Doping Agency in took the action immediately and banned gene doping. Genes can be injected into muscles to prevent muscle-wasting disorder and this camouflages with the other human genes thus making gene doping almost impossible to detect. Side Effects: Gene doping is very dangerous for the human body as it leads to abnormal growth, extra muscles in the body which needs more blood circulation during contraction hence, may lead to lack of blood for other systems and may cause serious problems for the user. Gene doping is susceptive to extra growth of unwanted hair, heart related problems, nervous breakdown and suspecting to cancer at an early age.

Blood doping Blood doping is a very high intense type of doping. It increases red blood cell mass and thereby, delivering more oxygen to the muscles. Athletes use this unethical practice with the help of pathologist and medical practioners, usually in the sports like cross-country, cycling, and swimming, etc. Blood doping vastly increases an athlete’s endurance.

The red blood cells are then separated and stored in a cold area. The blood is then fused back into the body about a week prior to the athletes’ high endurance event. Blood doping increases the capacity of cardiovascular system and helps delaying the fatigue. This is all unethical.

Side Effects: EPO is a peptide hormone that is produced naturally by the human body. EPO is released from the kidneys and acts on the bone marrow to stimulate red blood cell production. It is well known that EPO, by thickening the blood, leads to an increased risk of several deadly diseases such as, heart disease, stroke, and cerebral or pulmonary embolism. The misuse of recombinant human EPO may also lead to autoimmune diseases with serious health consequences.

In blood doping, one to four units of blood is taken out from the athlete’s body.