Pharmacological aids improve physical power by affecting various metabolic processes related with sport success. An example of this is amphetamines which may imitate the effects of epinephrine hormone secreted naturally during work outs that enhances physiological processes involved in energy production. These Ergogenic aids are those which brought up the most concern within the athletic governing bodies. Other physiological sports Ergogenics may be related to nutritional sports Ergogenic aids. Creatine is found in food and also formed in the body. Supplements are taken to meet unusual nutrient demands induced by profound exercise, to generate immediate effect onto the performance or to even sufficient diet or everyday life. Ergogenic aids and other supplements are taken to become better at their sport, to be able to cope better with pressure to succeed, for personal problems, pressure from media and illnesses or injuries. Athletes feel that they need to take drugs to cheat in order to win due to pressure of money, sponsors, contacts and pressure just to be the best.
Drugs and other legal nutritional supplements are used by many athletes in almost all sports whether it’s to help slow performance down in sports such as darts and snooker, to improve stamina in long distant running, to increase strength in weight lifting and many more. Most sporting federations have anti-doping regulations in order to make sure all athletes understand the importance of drug use and so they know the regulations and how to apply to them in which not to break the rules and values at any time. All athletes should compete by the same principles involved of being drug free. The athletes should understand their responsibilities of checking medication and other supplements especially when abroad as some things contain different substances compared to the UK.
Drug testing can be done any day, any time and for an athlete to refuse testing, only proves that they are or have been taking a legal substance. If they are found guilty, it could lead to a short or long term ban from their sport and a fine depending on the seriousness of the drug. Some drugs have been modernised and can leave the blood system within a day in which would therefore maybe not show up on a drug test.
Nutritional supplements and their use by athletes as performance- enhancing or Ergogenic get a lot of media attention. Not the only professional athletes use Ergogenic aids. Athletes who do sport in their spare time who do regular works outs, also use these supplements. Although any people take these, it is the professions the media are interested in, which can cause a lot of trouble. Out of many sports, I would say that mainly athletics and football get drug tested the most. They are both very popular sports and the athletes have a large amount of pressure to give the best performance ever and to be noticed. Some of the nutritional supplements that are taken can be harmless and do not contain illegal substances such as Creatine, carbohydrate supplements such as sports drinks etc. Creatine and bicarbonate supplements are both practical and useful during high intensity work. Creatine supplementation can raise muscle Creatine phosphate levels for use in the ATP-CP energy system. Alkaline salts, such as sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), can help to reduce the effect of lactic acid and delay exhaustion. Caffeine is also a performance enhancing supplement as it is a central nervous system stimulant. If you are competing, a caffeine level in the urine above 12mg/l is not permitted. This level will be achieved by taking about 7 cups of coffee in a short time. Caffeine is also a diuretic, which can make you dehydrated.
The substances that are more serious and most common in sports are ones such as androgenic anabolic steroid. These are a group of both natural and synthetic compounds which are very similar to the natural male hormone known as testosterone. The effects of this is the anabolic stimulates the build up pf muscle tissue and the androgenic promotes the development of male characteristics. In athletics, a sprinter who uses steroids for performance enhancing, would only need a 10 % improvement to change from a boarder line international athlete to a world record holder. Steroid use could lead to many side effects etc such as liver damage and heart disease, sexual problems, behavioural effects, weakness in the body, high blood pressures, mental disturbance and many more. Some banned substances which are found in nutritional supplements such as caffeine, androstenedione, 19-norandrostenedione and ephedrine. Many fat burners and weight-gain products contain these substances. Nutritional supplements can come in various forms such as pill, powder, liquid and bars. They are legally obtained almost anywhere including food stores, pharmacies, and health stores and on the Internet. In addition to those which are of risk of a positive drug test for those banned ingredients listed on the label, athletes risk positive drug test by using products potentially infected with substances that are not listed on the label! Sports performers in elite sport in athletics, track and field in particular find themselves in an uncomfortable position. Since drug testing has loopholes and no tests exist for some drugs that are thought to be widely used, like human growth hormone, individuals who are not using illegal substances cannot verify their innocence. Last year, at least five track and field athletes were found positive after being tested for a fairly new discovered steroid THG short for tetrahydrogestrinone. It was discovered by drug authorities when a track coach gave the anti doping agency a syringe containing a substance identified as THG. One of the athletes that were proven guilty of taking this drug after being tested positive was Dwain Chambers, the European champion in the 100 metres. He has now been given a two year ban due to this discovery. Athletics performers who take drugs vary due to different competitions, some of which are long distance runners, some short distance runners, some jumpers and some of which are throwers. Each of these athletes concentrates on a certain part of their body in which they need to improve on for their event. A thrower would need great strength in both upper and lower body but mainly the upper body for the enormous throw. A short distance runner would only need a quick and strong burst of energy to get him/ her off the starting line and across to the finishing line. They would take a performance enhancer to work the legs. A long distance runner would need to improve their stamina in order to work a longer period of time and still have enough energy for the quick burst of energy at the end also. Some drugs work more than one part of the body but others work specific parts of the body and make the body react in different ways Such as a snooker player may take beta blockers in which would increase the concentration level and slow the heart down. Another sport that is very common to this drug is football. Last summer, anti doping officials uncovered that four Oakland football players were found positive of taking THG. A lot of football players have been found taken illegal substances, most of which are to improve their strength and stamina, to help them have a great game through out the eighty minutes. Some of these drugs do have side effects and some athletes may get aggressive because of them. If a footballer has an injury during their game, these performance enhancers can also help them recover quicker and play just as good the next time. Although THG has been used a lot, there are also thousands of other banned substances that are still getting used. Another athletics athlete, CJ Hunter, an American shot putter failed four drug tests yet used the excuse of blaming nutritional supplements for his out come. He failed four separate tests for the banned steroid nandrolone while competing in Europe this summer.
Taking into consideration the amount of athletes participating in these sports and so little get tested positive for using performance enhancing drugs, it makes you think how many people exactly are in on the drug scheme. It is clearly obvious that a lot more athletes take these drugs but are some how getting away with it, due to private doctors, some claiming that they have consumed contaminated nutritional supplements and so on. I think that a lot more research needs to be done and for the government to take a more drastic approach to those who feel it is acceptable to take drugs to enhance their sporting performance. A larger fine should be given and a life time ban if proven guilty and no other reason suggesting otherwise. If a longer ban is given, it would put athletes off taking drugs a lot easier and quicker leading to drug free sports, better and maybe more participation and a wider range of publicity for the right reasons. If a harsher approach was given, it would give athletes a more respectable approach towards their sport and make more take it more seriously. More surveys should be done and more talks within the teams, sports, countries should be given on the responsibilities of each individual and the effects cheating can have on one’s career.
