UNDERSTANDING DOPING IN 2022

 




“If you hadn’t taken it you would have been slaughtered. You didn’t do it to cheat. You did it to survive. To fight the battle with the same arms as everyone else.”

- Paul Kimmage


Doping is the use of certain medications to enhance performance and endurance. Doping is the improper use of specific drugs and techniques to increase athletic ability and endurance since the body can carry more oxygen to the muscles while using such drugs. Doping is thought to be morally and ethically reprehensible. It is a worldwide issue. Consuming such substances has many negative side effects because they directly affect one's health, causing illnesses like infections, allergies, heart conditions, stroke, pulmonary embolism, high blood pressure, acne, impotence in men, and changes in women's menstrual cycles.Doping control is an essential part of anti-doping programmes to promote and protect the integrity of sports and the health of athletes.

 

World Anti-Doping Agency

The World Anti-Doping Agency is a foundation initiated by the International Olympic

Committee based in Canada to promote, coordinate and monitor the fight against doping in

sports.

The functions of WADA are research, education, development of anti-doping techniques and

to monitor the anti-doping code.

Council of Europe anti-doping convention and US anti-doping agencies aims are closely

related to that of WADA

 

List of Prohibited Substances by WADA (2021)

1. Peptide Hormones, Growth factors, related substances and mimetics.

2. Beta-2 Agonists.

3. Hormone and Metabolic Modulators.

4. Diuretics and Masking agents Stimulants.

6. Glucocorticoids.

Anti-Doping Policies of Wada

• Adequate doping testing.

• Wada release a list of prohibited substances every year.

• Follow-up testing to be done to not spare any sportsperson of doping.

• Testing at night was also introduced to stop doping.

 

The International Convention against doping in sports is a multilateral UNESCO treaty by

which states agree to adopt national measures to prevent and eliminate drug doping in sports.

The convention was adopted at the general conference of UNESCO in Paris on 19th October

2005.

 

Kinds Of Testing

There are two types of tests that are conducted for doping24

• Urine testing

• Blood testing

 

Responsibility Of Athlete

An athlete can be called for dope testing at any anytime and they are responsible that no

violation of policies that are formed by WADA by their side take place.

1. Be aware and comply with all anti-doping policies

2. To be present for sample collection when called for.

3. Responsibility to be taken for use of any banned substance or method.

4. Inform medical personnel about any treatment or medicine that is prohibited and can

amount to doping.

5. To report immediately to doping control station for testing unless relayed for valid reason.

6. To maintain control of the sample until it’s sealed.

 

Anti-Doping Rules Violation

Major anti-doping rule violations which apply to players team management and officials.

1. Presence of banned substance in an athlete’s sample.

2. Use or attempted use by an athlete a prohibited substance or a prohibited method.

3. Refusing or failing to do a drug test after notification for committing doping.

4. Where about failures.

 

Most athletes are aware of how these performance-enhancing medications can affect their health and, if they use them, how being caught will impact their careers. So why do athletes use these drugs? As there comes a period in a sportsperson's career when their performance is not improving in spite of all training, so they use these illegal substances to enhance their performance. Coaches also suggest such substances to athletes at that time. When a sportsperson is not prepared for a competition, they dope before some months to pass the test later. When sportspersons do not have access to certain facilities, they use such substances. Sometimes they do not use such substances directly but rather in other forms.

 

The COVID-19 crisis brought everything to a standstill, but the authorities were worried that since everything was shut down, athletes would maintain themselves naturally and wouldn't use illegal substances to do so. As a result, the authorities were worried that athletes would use the pandemic as an excuse to break the law because doping testing was not possible during the pandemic. WADA stated that they will check the COVID-19 vaccine before that it does not have any substances that violate the rules of WADA and then only the athletes will be allowed to take the vaccine.

 

Due to the high number of doping cases in India, the country's anti-doping authorities have also urged its athletes to watch what they eat and refrain from using products that are prohibited because doing so might result in a country-wide sports suspension. Despite the fact that it is well known that caffeine boosts endurance, it became allowed in 2004. While using an altitude tent to raise the amount of blood in your blood was acceptable, injecting the hormone that has the same effect was not. More doping methods are allowed because they are accepted as natural, Some believe that physiological doping should be permitted, with red blood cell count and hormone levels restricted and checked for accuracy.

Athletes who use drugs recklessly might harm their health in the long run, therefore doctors and professionals can assist them use drugs in moderation. Since the doping issue won't go away, compromise should be sought rather than an end to it.

Why shouldn't doping be permitted in sports? Some think it should be permitted since it will speed up injury healing, while others think doping is unethical and should be prohibited.

Some people think that doping should not be permitted because if it is, then competitions between doping athletes and anti-doping athletes will take advantage of the pandemic and utilise illegal substances, according to WADA.


Written by

Nupur Verma

LinkedIn

Comments