Chapter 8 Doping and the Olympics

Introduction Athletes have ingested performance-enhancing substances since the time of the Ancient Greeks. During the Athens 2004 Games 3000 drug tests were conducted. –23 athletes tested positive to banned substances – the largest number for any Olympic Games.

Some Modern Performance-Enhancing Substances Anabolic steroids Human growth hormone Blood doping Erythropoietin (EPO) Bromantan Tetrahydrogestrinone (THG)

Arguments For Legalising Drug Use Could be monitored by doctors, reducing risk of overdose. Would create fairer competition: all athletes would have the choice. Sporting records would continue to be broken, thus, making the Games more entertaining for spectators. Pressures on use of ‘safe drugs’ would result in development of more drugs that are safe. The goal of catching all cheaters is unattainable.

Arguments Against Legalisation of Drug Use Doping is unfair and is, therefore, against the philosophy of the Olympics. Legalisation would result in some athletes consuming more drugs – the level of use would be difficult to monitor. Some countries cannot afford expensive drugs. Some athletes are given drugs without their knowledge – out-of-season drug testing can uncover such practices. Long term effects of some drugs are still not known.

History of Drug Use in the Olympics 1950s –1952 Oslo Winter Olympics: several speed skaters overdosed and needed medical attention. 1960s –1960 Rome Olympic Games: first Olympic athlete to die due to drug overdose. 1970s –1974: IOC declares steroid use illegal: –Blood doping began in earnest.

History of Drug Use in the Olympics (cont’d.) 1980s –1980 Moscow Games: no athletes tested positive. –1988 Seoul Games: IOC expelled one of the most famous of its athletes, Ben Johnson. Figure 8.1. Ben Johnson wins the 100 metres at the Seoul, 1988 Olympics, ahead of Carl Lewis and Lynford Christie

History of Drug Use in the Olympics (cont’d.) 1990s –Cheating competitors became more sophisticated about what drugs they consumed and when – 2006 –Sydney 2000 Games: innovations in drug testing. –Athens 2004 Games: Drug scandals appeared even before Games began.

IOC Medical Commission Fundamental principles: Protection of the health of athletes. Respect for both medical and sport ethics. Equality for all competing athletes.

World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Tour de France drug scandals highlighted the need for an international body to unify anti- doping standards. November 1999: WADA established to: –promote and coordinate the fight against doping in sport internationally. Uniform set of anti-doping rules established: –World Anti-Doping Code

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) (cont’d.) Table 8.1. WADA Out-of-competition tests carried out during 2004

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) (cont’d.) Table 8.1. WADA Out-of-competition tests carried out during 2004 (cont’d.) *Agreement not signed. Source: World Anti-Doping Agency

Athletes’ Obligations and Doping Control IOC Eligibility code: All athletes and team officials must: –respect the spirit of fair play and non-violence, and behave accordingly; and –respect and comply in all aspects with the World Anti- Doping Code.

Athletes’ Obligations and Doping Control (cont’d.) Table 8.2. Doping tests at the Summer Olympic Games, 1968–2004 *The cases recorded covered not only positive doping tests, but also violations of the anti-doping rules, such as non-arrival within the set deadline for the test, or providing a urine sample that did not conform to the established procedures. Source: IOC website.

Athletes’ Obligations and Doping Control (cont’d.) Table 8.3. Doping tests: Winter Olympic Games, 1968–2006 Source: IOC (2007c)

Episodes in Sport, the Olympics and Drug Use East Germany –athletes systematically and scientifically monitored, so that they passed drug testing during competition Chinese Athletes –During an unexpected drug test upon arrival at the 1994 Asian Games, 11 Chinese athletes tested positive. –Chinese authorities denied charges that doping was systematic.

Episodes in Sport, the Olympics and Drug Use (cont’d.) 1998 Tour de France –Widespread use of EPO by the cyclists – also impacted for the Olympic Movement. Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative (BALCO) –Supplied many US athletes with a performance enhancing drug: ‘the clear’. Then undetectable by gas chromatography tests –2003 US Track and Field Championships: US authorities investigated after 350 athletes tested positive to THG at the

Episodes in Sport, the Olympics and Drug Use (cont’d.) Table 8.4. Australian Sport Drug Agency drug testing result trends: 1989–2004 Source:

The Future Performance enhancement as a result of genetic manipulation Repoxygen: A gene therapy, which has not been produced commercially, is supposedly already being used in sport to gain an unfair advantage