Steroids in Sports

 What are Steroids? Anabolic steroids are drugs that are synthetically made to mimic the male hormone testosterone. They have been banned in sport, as they are not only dangerous to ones health but also because they are said to give an unfair advantage to sportsmen. Steroids come in many different forms and the two methods of administration include oral and injectable. With regard to oral steroids this includes tablets, pills as well as liquid forms. 

Methods of Administration: Oral steroids are the most convenient form of administration, as one just has to take a pill. This method does allow the steroid to start working quite fast. Injectbale steroids are more popular though as they start to work as soon as they enter the bloodstream. They are not the most common form, as it requires a high threshold for pain for a person to inject a steroid on a daily basis. There are also many risks associated with injecting steroids such as infections and diseases. It is always recommended never to share syringes even with someone you know as disease spreads this way like AIDS and Hepatitis. Oral steroids are commonly associated with liver problems as they are 17-alkylated substances. 

Reasons why Sportsmen take Steroids: There are many reasons that sportsmen take steroids as they increase ones endurance and their capability to train hard. Steroids reduce fatigue that is associated with the consistent exertion and they also reduce the time that is required to recover from this physical exertion. First Drug Tests Against the use of Performance Enhancing Substances: In 1928 the IAAF were the first sporting federation to ban doping but it was hard to follow as other hormones were being made synthetically but the pressure became enhanced when Knud Enemark Jensen during the Olympic Games in 1960 died and an autopsy revealed amphetamines. In 1966 UCI and FIFA were among the first International Federations to introduce drug testing in their relevant World Championships. In 1967 the IOC had its medical Commission set up its very first list of prohibited substances and drug test were introduced at the Olympic Winter Games in Grenobie and at the Olympic Games in Mexico. 

The IOC and NCAA as well as many other professional sporting leagues have banned steroids. Since the Mark McGuire incidence the IOC, NCAA and NFL have also banned steroid use and these associations use urine testing to detect steroid use during competition as well as out of competition. 

WADA World-Anti-Doping-Agency is another agency that is against the use of performance enhancing substances and was established on November 10, 1999. This was established after police raided the Tour de France and found a lot of prohibited medical substances this lead the need for another agency to be set up to control this and this was to be WADA. 

Controversy towards the Disqualification of any World Records set and Steroid Use: The IOC In 1989 a senior official of the IOC criticized the International Amateur Athletic Federation for passing a rule that would penalize any record holder who admits or admitted to taking any performance-enhancing drug. Richard Pound of Canada an IOC VP said that this would not help in solving any of the problems of drugs in sports. This new rule was approved in Spain and took effect on Jan 1; it nullifies any world record set within the six year who admits under oath to using any drugs. 

Athletes who have Admitted or been Caught using Steroids: Nina Kraft was suspended and banned from all Ironman competitions for two years after she had won in Hawaii. She later received positive results for EPO. Alex Rodriquez also known as A-Rod, a notoriously famous baseball player is another athlete who tested positive for steroids. He won the Al Most Valuable Player award for the Texas Rangers and leader tested positive for two anabolic steroids in 2003. Marion Jones is another athlete who tested positive for steroid use. She was an overnight sensation and became one of the first female millionaires; just 8 years later she had everything stripped from her on her own wrongdoing. Marion spent 6 months in prison in January 2008 for lying to federal investigators about taking performance enhancing drugs as well as a cheque fraud.