THE HISTORY OF DRUGS IN SPORT

The use of performance enhancing substances is not a recent phenomena Evidence would suggest that even back in ancient times athletes were willing to ingest anything to improve athletic performance.

Chariot racers fed their horses a mixture of herbs and plant extracts in the hope of making them run faster. It is believed ancient athletes would consume sheep or dog testicles to give them an edge. The Ancient Greeks knew they were a source of Testosterone production.

The first modern case of doping came to light 1865, with Dutch swimmers using various stimulants. By the late 19th Century, European cyclist were using a variety of substance, including caffeine, in an attempt to delay fatigue. In 1896, the first recorded death of an athlete occurred. Cyclist Arthur Linton died after an overdose of the stimulant trimethyl. In 1904 American Marathon runner Thomas Hicks had to be revived by doctors after ingesting brandy laced with cocaine and strychnine (stimulant of the central nervous system).

The real modern doping era started with the introduction of injectable testosterone in 1935. It was developed by Nazi doctors to promote aggression in their troops. Testosterone found its way onto the athletic field with Germanys 1936 Berlin Olympic team.

In 1955, a physician for the US weightlifting team (John Ziegler), developed a modified synthetic testosterone – the first synthetic anabolic steroid. By the 1960’s a wide variety of anabolic steroids were available. Steroids increase muscle bulk, aggression and increase the speed of recovery.

INITIATIVES COMMENCE! * The televised death of Tommy Simpson in the 1967 Tour de France prompted the IOC to take action. * It was this event that prompted the IOC to establish anti-doping initiatives.

SIDE EFFECTS??? Heidi Krieger a German Shot-putter. Now Andreas Krieger – she was forced to have a sex change as a result of the systematic administration of steroids by her coaches.

IOC TAKES ACTION! Action commenced and drug testing became prevalent throughout the 1970’s. Although the fact that testing programs were in operation did not guarantee their effectiveness. Many athletes used techniques of evasion: Substitution of urine samples Stopping the consumption of the drug with sufficient time to clear all traces.

BEN JOHNSON He was briefly the "fastest man in the world" after winning the 100 m final in the record time of 9.79 seconds during the 1988 Seoul Olympics but he was disqualified for doping and stripped of his gold medal.

SCIENCE ADVANCES With the development of sophisticated testing procedures for anabolic steroids, athletes began to experiment with different drugs. In the 1980’s human growth hormone (hGH) became popular, and proved to be an amazing performance enhancer particularly for power and sprint athletes. Both the natural and synthetic form had the advantage of being undetectable.

THE 1990’s EPO – erythropoietin becomes the drug of choice. A drug produced naturally in the body and stimulates the production of red blood cells. Ultimately an increase in EPO leads to an increase in the oxygen-carrying capacity and therefore endurance improvements. Given that it breaks down so quickly it becomes virtually undetectable. It wasn’t until the 2000 Sydney Olympics that a test for EPO was devised.

WHERE TO?? Despite sophisticated testing and procedures the incidence of athletes testing positive to drugs continues to be widespread. At the Sydney Olympics gold medalist Marion Jones was involved in a doping scandal. You will probably remember the Greek athletes Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou, both reigning athletic champions. Both failed to turn up for compulsory drug tests prior to the 2004 games and finally withdrew from the competition in unexplained circumstances. In the lead up to the 2004 Olympics, drug tests revealed 23 athletes who had taken banned substances, truly evident that the use of illegal performance-enhancing substances remains a real concern.