Doping in Sports - Coursework Example

Doping in sports Thesis ment Doping in sports is a problem because of dangerous side effects, cost of drugtesting, and loss of revenue to owners and players Introduction Athletics are meant to promote health, fair and just play as well as the overall interactions among people of different ethnicities. Athletics can also be part of entertainment and source of economic benefit; in fact many professional athletes have been rewarded significantly. Conversely, an athlete may undergo thorough financial losses if he or she is ineligible. However, the desire for positive sport elements can lead to undesirable consequences. The most prevalent is doping. Doping is the use of drugs that enhances the performance of an athlete so as to gain an unfair competitive advantage over other competitors (Poortmans and Francaux, 34). I. Athletes charged with use of performance enhancing drugs Doping in athletes is the most current element that threatens the entire athletics body in the world. Athletes have been found to have used performance enhancing drugs in various athletic competitions through out the world. The motive behind the use of these drugs is not yet established. But the fact remains constant that the primary reason for using performance enhancing drugs by some athletes his to gain competitive advantage and thus snatch the rewards. In some cases personal accomplishments and ambitions such as the need to win medals for their countries are among the driving factors that make athletes engage in doping. Among the commonly abused drugs among athletes include anabolic asteroids, androstenedione, human growth hormones, stimulants, creatine, erythropoietin and diuretics. According to this research, about 1-3 million athletes in the United States have been involved in the use of anabolic steroids by the year 2005, with designer steroids being the commonly abused (O'Leary and John 23). II. Dangers and Side effects The side effects and the health risks associated with performance enhancing drugs are difficult to assess to the fact that these drugs are illegal. However, studies have revealed the consequences of using these drugs as discussed below. Effects of anabolic steroids The use of anabolic steroids comes with very adverse effects on athletes. The effects however, manifest themselves differently depending on gender. For instance, men develop prominent breasts, baldness, infertility and impotence. In advanced stages, the male testicles become shrunken. On the mother hand, females develop deeper voice, increased body hair, baldness, frequent or sometimes absence of periods (Houlihan and Barrie, 67). Effects of Androstenedione This is a drug that is legally found in prescription form. However, the use of it as a performance enhancing drug is illegal in some countries like the United States of America. The effects of androstenedione in men are; diminished sperm production, breasts enlargement and shrinking of the testicles. In females the effect is that is common is masculinization, such as voice deepening and male-pattern baldness. Effects of human growth hormones This hormone is also known as gonadotropin, and is mainly used by athletes to increase the mass of the muscles and performance. However, the human growth hormones have anabolic effect. Among these effects are; High blood pressure (hypertension), Muscle weakness, Diabetes, pain in the joints and impaired glucose regulation (Khan et al, 12). III. Drug testing procedures Test for doping can be done in two ways. One through blood sample test and the other is done through urine sample test. However, urine sample test is the most commonly used method. The procedures followed are as shown below. Step1. Notification of selection for a urine test The athletes are notified of selection for a test an anti-doping agency through the use of an official Doping Control Form. Step2. Reporting for sample collection The notified athletes are expected to report to the Doping Control Station with immediate effect on the specified time. The athletes may be provided with sealed drinks that would trigger the required volume of urine that can meet the Specific Gravity needs for analysis. At this stage the athletes selected for testing are advised to avoid excessive rehydration. Step3. Selecting sample collection vessel The athletes are then asked to select a vessel for collection. He or she should check that the vessel s empty clean and that the seal is not tampered. The vessels are required to be within the sight of the officer in charge and the athlete or his or her representative through out the whole process. Step4. Provision of urine sample The athletes are asked to remove as much amount of urine as possible from their bodies. The required amount at minimum is 90mls. The Doping Control Officer must be present during this process to avoid cases of urine manipulation. Step5. Recording and certification of information for urine samples The samples collected are recorded in two bottles as A and B samples by the Doping Control Officer in the sample collection form and the respective athletes invited to cross-check and sign it after satisfying that the information recorded is correct. Step 6. Transferring the samples to the laboratory After the samples have been placed in secured and sealed transit bags, they are taken to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) laboratory which is accredited fully by the agency for analysis. The copies of relevant information in the doping control forms are attached with the samples to the laboratory. The analysis of A sample is done and the B sample kept for further analysis. The results are then sent to the responsible Anti-Doping Organization and WADA. IV. Rehab procedures There are two procedures that can be embraced in rehabilitation process. These are; Traditional verses alternative addiction rehab and the out-patient verses in-patient addiction rehab. a) Traditional verses alternative addiction rehab There are two kinds of facilities used in rehabilitation process. The traditional facility, which may be informed of hospital or clinic in appearance and the second one which is, takes the residential approach. It could be inform of apartment atmosphere where the addict can recover in his or her residential areas. The rate of recovery is quite higher in the modern method than in the traditional form (Parssinen and Seppala, 36). b) Out-patient verses In-patient addiction rehab The name of each of these programs represents how each of the programs is conducted. The services offered by both programs are the same depending on the individual who enroll. The out-patient facility gathers for clients who: are in full-time jobs, still in pursuit of their education, are parents of children at home and he or she has less dependency problems. Clients in the out-patient facilities return home in the evenings while those in in-patient remains in the facility until when they are cleared to join sober living facilities and homes. V. Conclusion Drawing conclusion, it is quite apparent that athletes use performance enhancing drugs due to their ambitious aims of winning in the races. However, they do so without the knowledge of the financial implications and the health side effects and risks that accompany the use of such drugs (Thieme et al, 45). On the other hand the anti-doping agencies among them government institutions spend a lot of money in testing for doping among athletes hence stunted economic growth. Lastly, doping undermines the principle of developing fair a competitive ground. Work Cited Houlihan, Barrie. Dying to Win: Doping in Sport and the Development of Anti-Doping Policy. Strasbourgh: Council of Europe Pub, 2002. Print. Khan, Dilshad Ahmad, Babar Khan (Doping Control Committee): Doping Control Guide, (2nd Edition), 9th SAF Games Islamabad 2004. Thieme, Peter, Hemmersbach and Detlef. Doping and Sports. Berlin: Springer, 2010. Print. O'Leary, John. Drugs and Doping in Sport: Socio-legal Perspectives. London: Cavendish Pub, 2001. Internet resource. Parssinen M, Seppala T: Steroid use and long term health risks in former Athletes. Sports Med. 2000 Poortmans R, Francaux M: Renal dysfunction accompanying oral creatine supplement. Lancet. 1998 Read More