Drugs In Sport

How substances come to be prohibited

For a substance or method to be prohibited, it must meet two of the following three conditions:

• The substance or method has the potential to enhance, or does enhance performance in sport.

• The substance or method has the potential to risk the athlete’s health.

• The substance or method is deemed to violate the spirit of sport

World Anti doping codeProhibited list:

At all times• Anabolic agents – Steroids• Hormones – EPO, HGH• Beta 2 agonists – Ventolin• Hormone antagonists and modulators• Diuretics & masking agents

Prohibited In competition only

• Stimulants• Narcotics• Cannabonoids• Gluco-cortico steroids• Alcohol (some sports)• Beta Blockers (some sports)

Doping methods

• Oxygen transfer or enhancement• Chemically or physically

tampering with samples• Gene doping

Why do some athlete’s use PHD

• Anxiety• Lack of confidence• Determination to win• Beliefs and attitudes• Values’• Appearance• Dependence

Environmental reasons

• Influence of others• Family pressure• Media pressure• National identity• Financial rewards• Public reaction• Prestige / status

Narcotic analgesics

• Pain killers used by athlete’s to mask the pain of an injury e.g. Morphine, Pethadine

• Effects:- Loss of balance- Lack of concentration- Sleepiness- Slow Breathing- Nausea / vomiting- Aggravation of injury if keep training- Blurred Vision

Anabolic steroids

• Manufactured version of testosterone (naturally produced in our body)

• Used to increase strength & power• Reduces recovery time, more time for training

• Health risks of anabolic steroids. Medical experts see significant dangers in the use – and particularly the gross over-use – of anabolic steroids. Some of the effects are minor or only last while the drug is being taken; others are more serious and long-term. For example, anabolic steroids can cause high blood pressure, acne, abnormalities in liver function, alterations in the menstrual cycle in women, decline in sperm production and impotence in men, kidney failure and heart disease. They can also make both men and women more aggressive.

Stimulants

• Increased alertness• Mask tiredness• Hype you up to competeUse will cause• Rise in body temp*• Rapid breathing• Loss of co-ordination & balance• Violent & aggressive behaviour

Diuretics

• Increases fluid loss in body in an attempt to decrease weight

• Used by athlete’s in weight category sports• Also used to dilute urine so as to avoid

detection of anabolic steroids

Cont…Use may cause:• Faintness• Dizziness• Headaches• Nausea• Poor balance / co-ordination• Muscle cramps• Kidney failure• Heart failure

Blood doping

• Injecting blood into the body to increase the number of red blood cells, thereby increasing the O2 levels in blood

• Increases energy availability & utilization• Primarily for endurance athletes• Risks of bacterial infections• Sharing needles increases risk of Hepatitis &

HIV.• Blood clots, stroke or heart failure

Peptide Hormones & Analogues

• Messenger hormones made of two or more amino acids

• Increase Muscle size and strength• Two main types in Sport:1. HGH2. EPO

HGH

• Synthetic version of a hormone primarily responsible for determining height

• Used by athlete’s to build muscle and bone• Health risks:- Acromegaly – hands, feet & face grow very

large- Joint & muscle problems- Diabetes

• Health risks of human growth hormone If you believe all the hype – emanating mainly from drug manufacturers – hGH is a wonder drug that will remove wrinkles, reverse the ageing process, restore vitality and improve sleep. Nevertheless, there are some health risks. For example, too much hGH before or during puberty can lead to gigantism, which is excessive growth in height and other physical attributes. After puberty, inflated levels of hGH can cause acromegaly, a disease characterized by excessive growth of the head, feet and hands. The lips, nose, tongue, jaw and forehead increase in size and the fingers and toes widen and become spade-like. The organs and digestive system may also increase in size, which may eventually cause heart failure. Acromegaly sufferers often die before the age of 40. Excessive hGH in adults may also lead to diabetes.

EPO

• Pharmacological alternative to blood doping• Increases No. of red blood cells• Risks (same as blood doping)

If EPO levels are too high the body will produce too many red blood cells, which can lead to blood clotting, heart attack and stroke. In fact, EPO has been implicated in the deaths of several athletes.

Assignment

• Visit http://www.wada-ama.org • Answer:1. What is the current status for use of

Clenbuterol, Caffeine & actovegin2. What is the WADA monitoring program3. Browse this site on ‘who will win the battle’http://www.science.org.au/nova

Cont…

Download the ‘world anti doping code’1. List the fundamental rationale of the code2. Who’s responsibility is it to ensure that

prohibited substances do not enter their body?

3. What else may constitute an anti-doping violation?

Visithttp://www.asada.gov.au/substances/index.html

• Watch the video on prohibited substance and methods

Testing

• You can be selected for testing anywhere, any time, and are subject to both random and targeted selection methods.

• An ASADA Doping Control Officer (DCO) will organise and manage the sample collection session, ensuring that all procedures are followed. A Chaperone will notify, accompany, and witness you providing a sample.

Athletes may at times need to use a prohibited medication to treat a legitimate medical condition.

A Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) is an exemption that allows an athlete to use, for therapeutic purposes only, an otherwise prohibited substance or method (of administering a substance) which may be present during competition.