Transcript Drug Use In Sport

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 19th 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, 1967. 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
http://sportsanddrugs.procon.org/view.res
ource.php?resourceID=002366
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