Drugs

The aim of this lesson is to learn about the effect legal and illegal drugs have on our performance and why some of these are banned from sport (Equivalent to UK GCSE Physical Education)

Drugs come in a number of forms. They can be medical, recreational or performance enhancing. Many of these are prohibited in sporting competitions, if they are though to have a positive effect on performance.

Performance Enhancing Drugs

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) have a list of banned substances, as do most other governing bodies of all different sports. The following drugs are on the IOC's list:

Anabolic agents (steroids)

These are used by athletes who want to bulk up and increase their muscle mass. They also allow the athlete to train harder
They have many side-effects, including high blood pressure; heart disease; infertility and cancer. They can also cause women to take on male characteristics such as facial hair!

Stimulants

Stimulants reduce pain, increase reaction speed and raise aggression
They are highly addictive and have side effects including high blood pressure, strokes, heart and liver problems. They can also increase the risk of injury as pain is suppressed, causing the athlete to continue to train or compete

Diuretics

Athletes use diuretics for one of two reasons. Either to loose weight quickly (such as a boxer or jockey needing to meet weight) through the effect of increased urination, or to clear traces of other substances from their urine
They cause dehydration which can seriously affect your performance in a negative way!

Narcotic analgesics

These are pain killers which athletes use to mask pain from an injury or overtraining
These are highly addictive and cause withdrawal symptoms when you stop using them. Constipation and low blood pressure are other side effects

Peptide hormones

These include EPO (Erythropoetin) which works a bit like blood doping. Most other peptide hormones have similar effects to anabolic steroids
They can cause strokes and abnormal growth patterns

The above drugs are completely banned from use under the IOC. However, other substances are restricted, usually meaning they have a genuine medical use in some cases. In order to use one of the following drugs in competition (with the exception of alcohol) you must have a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) certificate.

Beta blockers

These are used to lower the heart rate, but also have the effect of reducing anxiety and steadying shaking hands
They're banned in some sports where they may cause an advantage, such as shooting

Corticosteroids

These are used to reduce pain and inflammation from injuries and also in inflammatory conditions like asthma
They can side-effects including diabetes and brittle bones

Alcohol

Alcohol is sometimes used by athletes to calm nerves.
It can however reduce coordination, judgment and reactions. Long term use has more serious side-effects such as liver, kidney and heart failure

Local anaesthetics

These are usually in the form of an injection to an injured area to reduce pain
They may be allowed in some sports for medical purposes

Drug Testing

Drug testing is monitored closely to make sure results are accurate and athletes are protected. Tests can be performed at any time, in or out of competition.

Urine samples are taken and divided into two samples - A and B
The A sample is then tested
If a positive result is found, sample B is then tested
If this is also positive the athlete faces as much as a lifetime ban
Refusing to take a drugs test is taken as failing a drugs test

Blood Doping

Blood doping involves:

Removing red blood cells from the athlete and freezing them
Over the next few weeks the athletes body makes more red blood cells to replace those removed
A few days before a competition the athlete injects the stored red blood cells back into their body
This means they now have the capacity to carry more Oxygen which improves cardiovascular performance
This has possibly dangerous side effects such as allergic reactions, kidney damage, stroke and transfer of viruses and infections

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