History of Drug Use In Sport

Ancient Times Ancient Olympians drank wine and experimented with herbs to enhance performance Ancient Roman Gladiators took hallucinogens and stimulants to fight fatigue and injury. They even feed their horses substances like hydromel (alcoholic beverage made from honey) to make them run faster.

Modern Use In the late 19 th century athletes began to use the coca leaf. They would make a mixture called Vin Mariani (the wine for athletes) which was a mixture of coca leaf extract and wine. Coca and cocaine were used because they reduced the sense of fatigue and hunger brought on by prolonged

1900’s "In 1904 Olympics marathon runner, Thomas Hicks, was using a mixture of brandy and strychnine [a stimulant that is fatal in high doses] and nearly died. Mixtures of strychnine, heroin, cocaine, and caffeine were used widely by athletes and each coach or team developed its own unique secret formulae. This was common practice until heroin and cocaine became available only by prescription in the 1920s."

First Anti-Doping Rule In 1928, the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF), the governing body for the sport of track and field, become the first international sporting federation to prohibit doping by athletes.

Early 1950’s Amphetamines, which were first used by soldiers in WWII became widely used in sports. These drugs -- nicknamed la bomba by Italian cyclists and atoom by Dutch cyclists -- minimize the uncomfortable sensations of fatigue during exercise.

1958 Dianabol, the first anabolic steroid to gain FDA approval is released by Ciba Pharmaceuticals. Dianabol was created to maximize the strength-building characteristics of testosterone while minimizing negative side effects. Close to his death in 1983, Dr. Zieglar speaks out against his invention and says he wishes he had never created the anabolic steroid after seeing athletes abuse the drug.

Early Deaths Danish cyclist, Knut Jensen, dies on Aug. 26, 1960 at the Summer Olympics in Rome during the 100km team time trial race. His collapse, which fractured his skull, is initially thought to be caused by the high temperatures that day. His autopsy, however, reveals traces of an amphetamine called Ronicol.

Early Deaths British cyclist Tommy Simpson, dies during the 13th stage of the Tour de France on July 13, The cyclist, whose motto was allegedly "if it takes ten to kill you, take nine and win," consumes excess amounts of amphetamines and brandy to combat the effects of an illness and he continues to ride until his body shuts down. Simpson's death creates pressure for sporting agencies to take action against doping.

1967 Partly in reaction to Tommy Simpson's death, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) establishes the Medical Commission to fight against doping in sports. The Commission is given three guiding principles: protection of the health of athletes, respect for medical and sport ethics, and equality for all competing athletes.

1968 "The IOC instituted its first compulsory doping controls at the Winter Olympic Games in Grenoble, France in 1968 and again at the Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City in the same year. Banned substances included narcotic analgesics and stimulants. Although it was suspected that androgenic anabolic steroids were being used at this time, there was no reliable way to test for them, therefore they were not included on the list of banned substances.

Currently In 2008, there were 192 banned performance enhancing drugs and methods included in the WADA code (World Anti-Doping Agency) There have been 21, 849 summer Olympians tested with 105 doping cases reported. There have 5,264 winter Olympians tested with 13 doping cases reported.

References ource.php?resourceID= ource.php?resourceID= (ProCon.org is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity that has no government affiliations of any kind. Our purpose is to provide resources for critical thinking and to educate without bias. We do not express opinions on our research projects ("issue websites"). ource.php?resourceID=002366