Sports ethical issues before 1995

One of the noteworthy global passions that unites all nations is sports

Regardless of regional, cultural, economic, or political differences, it can bring individuals together (O’Leary, 2013). Sport serves as a model for how a cohesive community should operate. The advantages of athletics are simply amazing. Sports’ beneficial effects, however, are in danger of being lost due to the sports industry’s phenomenal growth and development over the years. The sector has not been immune to moral problems like doping, an unethical practice that has permeated contemporary sports. (de Hon, Kuipers, & van Bottenburg, 2015). Doping, in competitive sports, is defined as the consumption of banned substances in healthy people with the sole intention of artificially boosting performance (O’Leary, 2013). The artificial enhancements give the user an unfair advantage over other competitors which essentially is contrary to the sporting spirit (O’Leary, 2013).

It is integral in the sport’s nature that participants and spectators of all sports are assured of crime-free competition

(O’Leary, 2013). It makes doping in sports a pressing issue world which not only poses a risk to the athlete’s health but also threatens the integrity of clean athletes besides damaging the reputation of games. In an interview conducted on a cohort of elite Olympics athletes, 99% asserted that they would take performance enhancing substances if they would be guaranteed of not being caught and consequently win (Overbye, Knudsen, & Pfister, 2013; Woolf, Mazanov, & Connor, 2016). More intriguing findings showed that 60% of the respondents affirmed that they would still take the performance enhancing pills if they were assured of winning all the competitions in five years but die after the years elapse (Overbye, Knudsen, & Pfister, 2013; Woolf, Mazanov, & Connor, 2016). Concerted and comprehensive efforts are needed globally to curb doping and its far-reaching consequences.

The history of doping dates back centuries

Ancient Greek athletes used mixtures of herbs for speed stimulation and pain endurance during competitions (O’Leary, 2013). These mixtures would mask pain and allow injured athletes to continue in the contest (O’Leary, 2013). Thomas Hicks is reported to have used a combination of strychnine and brandy during Olympics to alleviate exhaustion. The use of strychnine, caffeine and, heroine was common practice before the replacement of strychnine by amphetamines (O’Leary, 2013). Following the stripping of a gold medal belonging to Ben Johnson on doping allegations, “The International Olympic Committee” published a list of prohibited substances and introduced anti-doping tests in a bid to curb doping (O’Leary, 2013). The years 1980s and 1990s saw surreptitious doping programs by unethical professionals in the sports medicine that led to the establishment of the “World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).” It was after a shocking discovery of massive amounts of performance enhancement substances at Tour de France racing competition of 1998 (O’Leary, 2013). WADA currently leads the fight against doping.

There is a myriad of substances that are used for doping

Anabolic steroids, commonly referred to as steroids are the most detected doping substances (de Hon et al., 2015). They are known to increase physical strength and muscle mass hence their usage in sports (de Hon et al., 2015). Woolf et al., (2016) reports that 6.7% of respondents interviewed in a study admitted to the use of steroids to acquire a competitive edge. Their first report of abuse was in the 1950’s Olympics (O’Leary, 2013). They have multiple sources including trainers, doctors, and friends. They have serious side effects such as abnormalities in liver function, testicular atrophy, effects on the heart, and kidney tumors (O’Leary, 2013). It is especially compounded by the fact that people who use them for doping use multiple times the recommended dose besides usage of potentially harmful counterfeit steroids from unregulated pharmacies (O’Leary, 2013). Others include hormones such as erythropoietin and human growth hormone, cannabinoids, stimulants such as ephedrine and narcotics such as morphine. Erythropoietin (EPO) is used by athletes in endurance sports to achieve higher numbers of red blood cells and consequently, more oxygen delivery to tissues (de Hon et al., 2015). As with other doping drugs, its administration at supernormal doses results in important side effects such as deep venous thrombosis, stroke, and death. Estimates show that EPO has led to the death of approximately 30 European cyclists since 1987 making it a fatal doping substance (Overbye et al., 2013). The consequences of doping stretch all the way to the young aspiring sports individuals who may be influenced by what elite athletes do.

The misplaced obsession with fame and fortune that comes along with winning has resulted in an expanding consumer base of doping agents

Their usage is gradually shifting ground to encompass young customers who abuse them in a bid to claim fortunes as depicted in sports icons who use them. Educational prevention programs should be developed for the risk populations to avert the doping crisis. Professional athletes should be at the forefront in advocating for drug-free sports and lifestyle. The media, team owners, and international sports federations should support this course actively by advocating for anti-doping programs in sporting activities besides providing consistent leadership in line with this position.

References

de Hon, O., Kuipers, H., & van Bottenburg, M. (2015). Prevalence of doping use in elite sports: a review of numbers and methods. Sports Medicine, 45(1), 57-69. O’Leary, J. (2013). Drugs & Doping in Sports. Routledge.

Overbye, M., Knudsen, M. L., & Pfister, G. (2013). To dope or not to dope: Elite athletes’ perceptions of doping deterrents and incentives. Performance enhancement & health, 2(3), 119-134.

Woolf, J., Mazanov, J., & Connor, J. (2016). The Goldman Dilemma is dead: what elite athletes really think about doping, winning, and death. International Journal of Sports Policy and Politics, 1-15.