Testing for Drugs In The Olympics

1511 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Doping in sports and its effects

Have you ever watched the Olympics and wondered how the athletes can be that strong and fast? The International Olympic Committee (I.O.C.) certainly has. Each year the athletes come up with new ways to enhance their performance, and make it harder for the Olympic drug testers to detect banned substances. With performance enhancing drugs becoming harder to police, the burden of trying to keep the Olympics as clean as possible falls on the I.O.C.'s shoulders.

Drug use in the Olympics is not a new idea. Dating back to the runners and javelin throwers of ancient Greece and Rome, athletes have been looking for supposedly magic potions (Corelli, par. 1). With competition growing stronger and stronger throughout the years, athletes have tried to beat their opponents by any means necessary.

Back in 1904, American Thomas Hicks won the marathon fuelled by a combination of brandy and strychnine, a nerve stimulant (Corelli, par. 1). Soviet weight lifters of the 1950's discovered the benefits of steroids (Cowley and Brant, par. 4). The 1956 hammer-throw champion admitted to taking muscle-building steroids for the previous eight years (Corelli, par. 1). But when an autopsy found amphetamines in the blood of Danish cyclist Knut Enemark Jensen when he fell and fractured his skull, the I.O.C. had seen enough of drugs in sports.

The I.O.C. introduced testing in 1968 at the Mexico City Games and made it all-inclusive at Munich in 1972 (Corelli, par. 1). Even though the tests have been put in place, forty-four athletes since 1972 have still been caught at the Olympics.

Considering the fact that the Olympics are the most tested sporting event in the world, the situa...

... middle of paper ...

...ney.

Will The Games Be Clean? Not A Chance." "Time." 156.11 (11 Sept. 2000): 90+. Infotrac Web: Expanded Academic ASAP. Gale Group. 16 Oct. 2000 <http://web5.infotrac.galegroup.com>.

Corelli, Rae. "The Drug Detectives: Technological Wizardry Will Try To Keep The Olympics

Clean - But Is It Enough?" Maclean's. 109.30 (22 July 1996): 28. InfoTrac Web: Expanded Academic ASAP. Gale Group. 16 Oct. 2000 <http://web5.infotrac.galegroup.com>.

Cowley, Geoffrey, and Martha Brant. "Doped To Perfection: Can Cheaters Be Stopped?"

Newsweek. 128.4 (22 July 1996): 31. Infotrac Web: Expanded Academic ASAP. Gale Group. 31 Oct. 2000 <http://web5.infotrac.galegroup.com>.

"Stoned On Ice." The Economist. 306.7537 (13 Feb. 1988): 81(2). Infotrac Web: Expanded

Academic ASAP. Gale Group. 13 Oct. 2000 <http://web5.infotrac.galegroup.com>.

Show More
Related

  • Drug Testing in The Olympics

    762 Words  | 2 Pages

    Citius, Altius, Fortius is the motto of the Olympic games. Translated from Greek, it means "Faster, Higher, Stronger". Recently, Olympic contenders have been doing everything they can to live up to that motto. Most do it by training hour after hour, each day. Others try to do it by illegally taking performance enhancing drugs. This is why we need to test for drugs at the Olympics. Drug Testing in the Olympics began only recently in the 1968 Games held in Mexico1. Drugs are banned for two very good reasons: the use of drugs produces an unfair advantage, and it is hazardous to the athlete to take them. While drug testing is now commonplace, the procedures are still fairly primitive and arouse much controversy2. We all remember the Andreea Raducan situation from the Sydney Olympics. She unknowingly had consumed a performing enhancing drug that was in her cold medication. Her medal was revoked as soon as the drug test results got back.3 While Andreea was caught, many others who intentionally "doped up" weren't Many of the drugs or procedures out there, still can't be tested for, and more and more athletes are cheating. Most of the drugs and procedures have adverse long term effects, some resulting in death. The drug tests are detrimental to the existence of the Olympics and need to be upheld at all costs.

    Read More

  • Genetic Interventions and the Ethics of Enhancement of Human Beings by Julian Savulescu

    3287 Words  | 7 Pages

    Parens, Erik. "Special Supplement: Is Better Always Good? The Enhancement Project." Hastings Center Report 28.1 (1998): s1-s17. Web. 1 Apr 2011. .

    Read More

  • Teammates of Performance Enhancing Drug Users Have No Rights to Their Unearned Medals

    1553 Words  | 4 Pages

    Olympic.org. The International Olympic Committee Anti-Doping Rules applicable to the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, Beijing 2008. n.d. 9 September 2013. .

    Read More

  • Athletes and Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sports

    4514 Words  | 10 Pages

    Abstract: Since the beginning of sports competition, athletes have always looked for some kind of edge over their competitors. They will do whatever it takes to be one of the elite, and that includes injecting supplements into their bodies to make them bigger, stronger, and faster. Steroid use is probably one of the most common drug misuses in sports competition. Athletes found that with anabolic steroids, one could become a better athlete twice as fast. Not until 1975 was the drug first banned from Olympic competition because of the health risks it produced.

    Read More

  • Confidentiality of Medical Information

    1553 Words  | 4 Pages

    The law does not give permission to the health care professionals to disclose the medical information of the patients. It is the right of a patient to have his or her personal identifiable information to be confidential. This medical information is suppose to only be available to the physician of record as well as other necessary health care and insurance personal. Confidentiality of patient was protected by federal statute, as of 2003. Passing of federal regulations which was the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 was facilitated by the requirement of having privacy as well as protection of personal records and data in an electronic medical records environment and third party insurance payers.

    Read More

  • Patients' Rights and Access to Medical Records

    1008 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...rove the efficiency and effectiveness of the nation's health care system by encouraging the widespread use of electronic data in health care.

    Read More

  • Too Old to Drive

    919 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is a well known fact that when you get older, you are more likely to experience certain health problems. With age comes many different diseases and illnesses that range from Alzheimer’s to Parkinson’s. So why do people not bat an eye when they see elderly people behind the wheel? Has society come to terms with the fact that if you can pass your drivers license test at any age, you can continue to drive efficiently and safely the rest of your life? While there still are many elderly people who can drive effectively at their old age, the risk of allowing all senior citizens to drive is far too great. In order to ensure the safety of everyone on the streets, anyone over the age of 65 should be required to take a drivers license test based on their mental and physical capabilities.

    Read More

  • Steroid Use By Athletes Should be Banned

    2039 Words  | 5 Pages

    Steroids became an option to athletes in the Olympics and other major sporting events during the 1950’s. But this use of steroids among athletes only became widely apparent when Canadian sprint runner Ben Johnson tested positive for steroid use after winning the gold medal for the one hundred-meter dash during the 1988 Olympics (Francis, 45). Now a skinny fifteen-year-old can just walk down to the local gym and find people who either sell or know how to get in contact with those who sell the drug that will make him envious of his friends. Steroids are an attractive drug. While steroids seem harmless to the unaware user, they can have a risky effect. Most of the time whether the users are new or experienced, they do not know the dangerous consequences steroids can have on their bodies and their minds. Though steroids cause a relatively insignificant number of deaths in our society, the banning of steroids is justified because steroids have a lot of side effects not known to the uninformed user.

    Read More

  • Ergogenic Aids in Sports

    1296 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shipe, Jr., J, & Savory, J (eds.). Drugs in competitive athletes. Boston: Blackwell Scientific Publications.1991.

    Read More

  • Is Televisoin Beneficial to Society?

    769 Words  | 2 Pages

    Of course, everyone can agree that television has become an important fixture in our lives. This machine makes it possible for people at any place or time to learn, laugh, and discover the many wonders of the universe from their living room chair. It also allows those who dislike the idea of reading a newspaper, browsing the internet, or listening to a radio station a simple alternative for staying caught up on the news. Television has been seen as one of the most effective ways for reaching out and influencing the masses since it caught on in the 1950’s. TV affects the way people view politics, fashion, social culture, and the world itself. From news stations broadcasting across the country and keeping us all up to date, to movies and TV shows playing for pleasure, television keeps our society connected and entertained.

    Read More

  • The Dangers of Road Life

    1408 Words  | 3 Pages

    Statistics show that people over the age of seventy cause more accidents and are in more accidents than teenage drivers. In 2008, more than 5,500 elders were killed in car accidents, and more than 183,00 were injured in car accidents(Older Adult Drivers). There are many reasons why elderly drivers are more likely to get into accidents that teenagers. Physical and mental changes are just some the causes of car accidents among elders. These include slowing down fast enough, the loss of clear vision and hearing, the loss of muscle strength and flexiblity, and drowsiness which cause reduction to the ability to focus on the surroundings while driving(West-Port News).

    Read More

  • Vince Lombardi - Winning is the Only Thing That Matters

    2109 Words  | 5 Pages

    Winning is a very important thing not only to athletes, but winning is very important to countries as well. In the early 1960s drugs were used more frequently among the communist nations who wanted to enhance their national prestige through sports. Countries such as China and East Germany have been guilty of using such practices as doping their athletes. The glory of winning a gold medal and what will follow after that is more important than anything else. It one of the major influences behind drug use in sports. The main concern now for athletes who are representing their countries is not just about the satisfaction of winning but the rewards for success. The rewards are staggering, as the dollar volume being showered on winners is second to none. The figures have become so mind-boggling that the interests of people involved in this lucrative business is no longer centred around ethical and health-related concerns.

    Read More

  • Why Do Olympic Athletes Use Steroids

    1225 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the 2016 Summer Olympic games in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, 11,544 athletes from 207 different countries competed in 41 different competitions and sports. These athletes had trained for these games since the 2012 Olympics in London, England. For four years, veteran and newcomers have worked very hard to qualify for the Olympics, preparing to prove themselves and earn medals, or defend old titles. During training, these athletes diet and workout in order to be in the best shape physically and mentally. Despite this preparation, many athletes feel the need to take the risk of using steroids or performance enhancing drug. Increased steroid use among Olympic athletes has led to more frequent drug testing and comes with the risks of losing any medals won, being denied the opportunity to compete, health repercussions, and negative effects on an athlete's and

    Read More

  • Doping, Athletes and Sports

    905 Words  | 2 Pages

    Doping is a practice that has been going on since the time of "ancient Greek athletes, who supposedly ate herbs, sesame seeds, dried figs, and mushrooms for this purpose" (Hoberman, 1992, 104). Likewise, athletes have readily consumed such drugs as caffeine and alcohol to improve performa...

    Read More

  • Doping In Sports Essay

    1475 Words  | 3 Pages

    Overall it is clear that the need to use performance enhancing drugs is outweighed by the consequences and issues caused by performance enhancing drugs. Sporting events such as the world cup, the Olympics or the World Series make young children feel inspired and encouraged about what they could achieve through dedication and hard work. I feel it is important for the sporting industry as well as the athletes to return respectability to the sport. By

    Read More

More about Testing for Drugs In The Olympics

Open Document