The Forensics Mentors Institute

Back

Doping In Sports - Edward J. Barbieri, Ph.D.

This dicussion provides basic information regarding the misuse of drugs by some athletes to enhance their performance in competitive sports and the potential dangers to which these athletes are exposing themselves. The discussion describes how drug use by athletes involves those at the professional sports level, Olympic athletes, and amateur athletes in universities, high schools, junior high schools, as well as children at grade school ages who participate in community sports. Examples of real cases of doping by athletes are provided from newspaper accounts, television stories and personal experiences are provided. The talk centers on the five major types of "ergogenic" drugs, i.e., those that are capable of enhancing athletic performance, that are banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) including anabolic agents (e.g., anabolic steroids, growth hormones and certain beta-adrenergic receptor agonists), opioids (e.g., morphine, codeine), central nervous system stimulants (e.g., amphetamines, amphetamine derivatives, over-the-counter decongestants and caffeine), diuretics (e.g., furosemide and hydrochlorothiazide), and a few peptide hormones (e.g., human chorionic gonadotropin) are covered. Blood doping by increasing hematocrit by infusion of ones own erythrocytes or by producing more red blood cells through the use of erythropoietin is mentioned.In all cases, the reasons for the abuse of these drugs, the potential adverse effects of these substances on the athlete, as well as the medical utility of these compounds as therapeutic agents, are discussed. Finally, there is a brief dialogue on the United States Supreme Court decision concerning the appropriatenessof random drug testing of athletes in schools.