! DRUGS IN SPORT !

Question 1

For what reasons do athletes take performance enhancing drugs?

Answer 1

To improve strength e.g. weight lifting
· To lower arousal e.g. archery, pigeon shooting
· To mask injury
· To deal with pressure from coaches and fans
· To gain power and recognition
. Win at all costs attitude

Question 2

What are the consequences of taking drugs?

Answer 2

Being caught breaking the law of sport, which can lead to disqualification and athletes being stripped of their medals/titles
· Creates bad role models
· Lowers status of the sport
· Damages health of the athlete

Question 3

Possible Solutions to drugs?

Answer 3

Better testing/ more testing/ different types of testing: blood, urine etc
· Research into dangers of drug use in sport: educate the athletes and coaches
· Stricter punishment

Question 4

What is doping?

Answer 4

• in competitive sport, doping refers to the use of banned performance- enhancing drugs by athletic competitors.

Question 5

What is erythropoietin (EPO)?

Answer 5

A hormone which is naturally produced by the kidneys by can also be artificially produced to increase performance in endurance athletes such as long-distance cyclists

Question 6

What is THG?

Answer 6

A banned steroid used to increase power which was tweaked by chemists to make it undetectable by ‘normal tests’

Question 7

What is BALCO?

Answer 7

The ‘Bay area laboratory cooperative’ this was behind one of the highest scandals in drugs history as the source of THG, with several athletes implicated and subsequently banned from sport

Question 8

What is the whereabouts system?

Answer 8

A system designed to support out of competition testing which requiresbathletesntovsupplg the details of their whereabouts so that they can be located at any time and anywhere for testing, with or without notice

Question 9

What is the world anti-doping agency (WADA)?

Answer 9

A foundation created in 1999 through a collective initiative led by the IOC to promote, coordinate and monitor the fight against sport

Question 10

Identify the social and psychological reasons why elite performers continue to take illegal performance-enhancing drugs despite obvious dangers to their health.

Answer 10

Social reasons:
• A win-at-all-costs attitude which dominates modern-day elite sport
• The fame and fortune attached to success at elite level (i.e. the very high level of extrinsic rewards/money received for sporting success via prize money, sponsorship deals and so on)
• The high levels of pressure to win from a variety of different sources, such as coaches, family and the media (e.g. coaches might persuade athletes to take drugs illegally because their main competitors already do so, and they won’t be able to compete with them on
a level playing field if they don’t)
• The lack of effective deterrents and firm belief that a performer will get away with it and not get caught
• Poor role models setting a bad example that drug take

Question 11

Some performers break the rules and use banned substances to enhance their performance. Identify the physiological reasons why a performer may use (a) beta blockers and (b) EPO

Answer 11

Reasons for using beta blockers:
• Counteracts adrenaline that interferes with performance by binding to nerve receptors
• Keeps heart rate low
• Decreases trembling in the hands
• Increases blood flow through the arteries
• Decreases muscle spasms

Reasons for using EPO:
• Stimulates red blood cell production
• Increases endurance; performer can keep going for longer
• Delays onset of fatigue

Question 12

Explain the advantages of all sports in all countries testing for performance-enhancing drugs.

Answer 12

Uphold the traditions of sport/sporting ethics/all competitors are equal
• Standard list of banned substances/same testing procedures/similar punishments
• Random tests are more effective
• Shared costs between all sports
• Performers are not able to ‘pick and choose’ sports based on drug-testing procedures

Question 13

Elite athletes continue to take performance-enhancing drugs, despite obvious risks to their health and the negative implications of being caught. Give reasons why drug taking continues at elite sporting events such as the Olympics. (4)

Answer 13

• Physiological benefits (e.g. increased power/endurance)
• Psychological benefits (e.g. increased aggression/confidence)
• Win-at-all-costs attitude
• Financial rewards/fame
• Pressure from coaches/peers/media to win
• Levels playing field (others doing it, can’t win if don’t)
• Belief won’t get caught/effective masking agents
• Poor punishments/lack of effective deterrents

Question 14

Describe the physiological reasons why an elite performer might use anabolic steroids just like any other training aid. (3)

Answer 14

• Aid in the assimilation/storage of protein
• Decrease in fat in the muscles
• Increase ability to train for longer and train at a higher intensity
• Increase ability to train more frequently/have a faster recovery time due to quicker repair of the muscles
• Increase in muscle size/mass/strength

Question 15

Outline the strategies being used by sports organisations to try to decrease the use of drugs by elite performers. (4)

Answer 15

• Testing: random testing/out-of-competition testing/’whereabouts’ system
• Education/anti-doping culture: education programmes for athletes/coaches; create a strong anti-doping culture/promote ethically fair, drug-free sport (e.g. 100% Me)
• Co-ordination: improve co-ordination between organisations involved in drug detection (e.g. WADA, UKAD, NGBs)
• Punishment: harsher punishments (e.g. life bans/return of medals or career earnings/loss of sponsorship deals)
• Investment in technology: increased
investment/funding into new testing
programmes/new technology
• Role models: promote successes of positive role models; name and shame

Question 16

Social reasons for taking drugs in sport

Answer 16

Win-at-all-costs attitude dominates modern-day elite sport.
Fame and fortune attached to success e.g. prize money, sponsorship deals.
High levels of pressure to win from a variety of different sources such as coaches, family and media.
Other athletes taking it, unable to compete unless taken due to unlevel playing field.
Lack of effective deterrents.
Poor role models.

Question 17

Pyschological reasons for taking drugs in sport

Answer 17

Beta-blockers to steady nerves in fine motor control sports e.g. archery.
Anabolic steroids to increase aggression in high contact sports e.g. rugby.
Stimulants to increase confidence when competition is of highest standard e.g. Olympics.

Question 18

What are anabolic steroids?

Answer 18

Artificially produced hormones e.g. THG which was tweaked by chemists to make it undetectable by normal tests.

Question 19

What are beta blockers?

Answer 19

Medication used for heart conditions that works by widening the arteries, allowing increased blood flow and reducing involuntary muscle spasms.

Question 20

What is EPO?

Answer 20

A natural hormone produced by kidneys to increase red blood cells. Artifically manafactured to cause an increase in haemeglobin levels.

Question 21

Who would use anabolic steroids and what are the physiological benefits?

Answer 21

power athletes e.g. sprinters.

Aid storage of protein and promotes muscle growth and development of muscle tissue, increasing strength and power.
Less fat in muscle and lean body weight.
Improves body’s capacity to train longer at higher intensity, reducing fatigue.

Question 22

Who would use beta blockers and what are the physiological benefits?

Answer 22

High-precision sports e.g. golfers.

Improves accuracy by steadying nerves.
Calm performance anxiety and keeps HR low and decreases tremble in hands.
Counteracts adrenaline that interferes with performance by preventing it from binding to nerve receptors.

Question 23

Who would use EPO and what are the physiological benefits?

Answer 23

Endurance performers e.g. long-distance runners who need effective oxygen transport.

Stimulates red blood cell production leading to an increase in O2 carrying capacity of the body.
Increase amount of work performed.
Increase endurance.
Delay onset of fatigue.

Question 24

Side effects of anabolic steroids

Answer 24

Liver damage.
Heart problems.
Immune system problems.
Acne.
Behavioural changes e.g. aggression and mood swings.

Question 25

Positives to performer of drug taking

Answer 25

Fame and fortune.

Sponsorship deals due to success.

Question 26

Negative implications to performer of drug taking

Answer 26

Provides negative role models.
Damage to health.
Bad reputation.
Loss of income and sponsorship prospects.
Fined, banned, stripped of medal and earnings, jail.
Social isolation.
Negative impact on emotional and psychological well-being.

Question 27

Strategies for the elimination of performance-enhancing drugs in sport.

Answer 27

UKAD - administers testing programmes.
Educationally works with athletes and support staff to increase knowledge of dangers and moral issues of drugs.
100% me programme delivered at all stages of performance pathway.
Investment in drug-detection technology, working in a co-ordinated manner with WADA and NGB’s. Stricter procedures.
Harsh punishments e.g. lifelong ban, loss of earnings. Must be consistent among all countries.
Name and shame cheats, praise naturals.

Question 28

Strategies for eliminating perfomance enhancing drugs in sport ‘DOPING’

Answer 28

D - drug-free culture created via education programmes e.g. 100% me.
O - Organisations co-operate in drug detection.
P - Punishments harsher.
I - Investment in new testing technology.
N - Name and shame negative role models.
G - Guilty athletes lose funding and sponsorship deals.

Question 29

Argument for taking drugs

Answer 29

Battle is expensive and time-consuming.
Easy to access and some would argue that they are difficult to eliminate and money better spent on increasing participation.
Detection not always effective.
Difficult to define what a drug is compared to artificial aids e.g. oxygen tents.
Can be taken accidentally.
Should be a personal choice, didn’t ask to be role models.
If everyone takes them, playing field is level, improving standards.
If properly monitored, health risks lessened.
Can improve recovery

Question 30

Argument against taking drugs

Answer 30

Health risks and side effects.
Creates negative role models, tempting younger athletes.
Negative image to sport e.g. cycling.
Pressure to take drugs from coaches increases.
Success should be due to hard work and talent.
Unfair advantage, immoral, unethical, against fair-play ethic.
Cheating.
Only richer countries can afford them.
Negative consequences if caught e.g. loss of sponsorship, medals and lottery funding.
Illegal.