Drugs in sport Flashcards
What drugs do some athletes take to enhance their performance?
Anabolic steroids. beta-blockers, EPO
What are anabolic steroids?
Artificially produced hormones used mainly by power athletes such as sprinters
What are the benefits of this anabolic steroids?
Aids storage of protein and promotes muscle growth and to increase strength and power.
What are the side effects of anabolic steroids?
Liver, heart and immune system problems.Behavioral changes such as aggression and paranoia.
What are Beta-blockers?
A substance that counteract the adrenaline by preventing it binding to nerve receptors. Used by athletes in high precision sports such as archery.
What are the benefits of this beta blockers?
Calms and decreases anxiety of an individual. Improves accuracy in precision sports. Keeps heart rate low.
What are the side effects of beta blockers?
Tiredness due to low blood pressure and slower heart rate.
What is EPO?
Natural hormone produced by the kidneys to increase red blood cells but can be enhanced artificially. Mainly used by endurance athletes such as cyclists.
Why is EPO used?
To increase oxygen carrying capacity of the body. An athlete can keep going for longer and has a shorter recovery time.
What are the side effects of EPO?
Blood clotting, stroke
What is doping?
The use of banned performance enhancing drugs.
What are the four main categories of the positive and negative implications of doping?
Moral, health, role modelling and socially
What are the moral positive and negative implications of doping?
. Cheating-unfair advantage
. Ruins reputation of the sport
What are the health positive and negative implications of doping?
The negative health side effects of drugs
What are the role modelling negative implications of doping?
Bad example to others and the sport
What are the social positive and negative implications of doping
. Lost reputation
. Legal action
. Loss or earnings
What strategies are in place to decrease drug use? (DOPING)
. Drug- free culture through education programmes
. Organisations who do drug testing must cooperate
. Punishments must be harsher
. Investment into testing facilities
. Name and shame negative role models
. Guilty lose funding and sponsorship deals
What problems exist to try and decrease drug us?
. Difficult to access athletes training abroad
. Constant development of new drugs
. Drugs can be taken accidentally
. Different countries have different regulaltions and testing procedures
What are the arguments for legalising drugs in sport?
. Battle against drugs is expensive and time consuming
. Drugs are easy to access so they are fighting a losing battle
. Detection is not always effective
. Drugs are sometimes taken accidently
. If everyone takes it, it levels the playing field
. Athletes don’t choose to be role models and its their body
What are the arguments against legalising drugs in sport?
. Health risks and dangerous side effects
. Creates negative role models
. Creates negative image to certain sports
. Success in sport should be about hard work and natural talent
. Gives an unfair advantage and is immoral
. Illegal
