Drugs in Sport: The Changing Face

When Canadian Sprinter Ben Johnson tested positive for using the banned anabolic steroid stanzolol after he won gold in the 100m at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, the world of sport was sent reeling from the blow to its image. For some it was an introduction to the uglier side of the Olympic Games. This was drugs in port at its worst.

No one knows what enticed Johnson to take the body-effecting substance which stunned the world. His time of 9.79 seconds was the fastest time ever for a human, cheating or not. He could have become a hero in the world for, the wrong reasons. But the only thing that separated him from a great number of other athletes who competed in 1988 was simple: He got caught.

Throughout the 20th century, it has become quite a universal practice to have used some type of enhancing agent among sportspeople. Athletes, it seems, just cannot ignore its presence. The sport field is starting to become a place of aesthetic people.

From the ancient fields of the old Olympic Games to the modern arenas around the globe. Sports have been given humans an opportunity to succeed. The hours of hard-earned sweat could be turned into something that was once only dreamt about. This was the whole idea when it

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” For many, many sportspeople throughout this century, that has been the major letdown. I was making all this money, so…” In short, the coach only allowed someone who would do whatever it took to win to train with him. Many are quite prepared to risk harm to themselves to just be able to win. The rise of performance enhancers has been uncontrollable. Offering athletes the opportunity of open discussions with doctors and adequate monitoring of the harm drugs can cause them.

The Effects

Anabolic-Androgenic steroids are still tremendously popular among a high number of athletes for one simple reason. At the surveys end, the results showed that over 50% of the athletes replied “Yes”. As of present, these remain undetectable. These occur because of the hormonal imbalance placed on the body by the Androgenic side of the steroid. But as fate sees it, complete eradication is impossible. Ever since sport was created: there has been a wanting for shortcuts to win. During the Roman period, the extent was widespread as well, with gladiators and chariot racers taking potent mixtures of stimulants. A number of professional born athletes were given a question that asked if they would be willing to take a substance that would guarantee them an Olympic Gold medal, even if they knew it would kill them within a year.

Approximate Word count = 1154
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

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