Performance-Enhancing Drugs
McConnaha
Documented Essay
English 250
Ending the Race
In sports today it hardly raises an eyebrow when an elite athlete fails a drug test. The use of drugs in sport to cheat is not necessarily a new concept but has become increasingly effective in the recent turn of the century. With the numerous medical and technological advances in our world today, much debate has come about the use of performance enhancing drugs/methods (PEDs/PEMs) by elite athletes. Even with the creation of the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) in 1999 to regulate drug use in sport, minor progress in the fight against doping has been made. The war against drugs has shown to be ineffective as many athletes have been able to escape being caught for many years. It may be time for both sides to come together and create a system that works for everyone but does not endanger an athlete’s health. A system which allows controlled use of Erythropoietin (EPO) at doses with no health risk to athletes could provide a solution to many of the medical and economical issues of performance-enhancing drug use in an elite endurance sport such as cycling. The drastic increase in the use of illegal PEDs has plagued the world of elite sport such as cycling. The benefits and rewards of illegal drug use greatly outweigh the risks. Elite athletes are lured by success in that the penalties for cheating are small (a six month to one year ban in professional sport, or a two year ban for a first offense in the Olympics) are greatly outweighed by multimillion dollar rewards of prize money, endorsements, and other rewards that are likely to come if not caught. A survey in 1992 of a small group of Olympic athletes found that they believed that the successful Olympic athletes at the time were using banned substances (Savulescu 666). Although the WADA serves to catch athletes that use these PEDs, they still have a ways to go before they catch everyone. It is estimated that only 10-15% of participated athletes are tested
Documented Essay
English 250
Ending the Race
In sports today it hardly raises an eyebrow when an elite athlete fails a drug test. The use of drugs in sport to cheat is not necessarily a new concept but has become increasingly effective in the recent turn of the century. With the numerous medical and technological advances in our world today, much debate has come about the use of performance enhancing drugs/methods (PEDs/PEMs) by elite athletes. Even with the creation of the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) in 1999 to regulate drug use in sport, minor progress in the fight against doping has been made. The war against drugs has shown to be ineffective as many athletes have been able to escape being caught for many years. It may be time for both sides to come together and create a system that works for everyone but does not endanger an athlete’s health. A system which allows controlled use of Erythropoietin (EPO) at doses with no health risk to athletes could provide a solution to many of the medical and economical issues of performance-enhancing drug use in an elite endurance sport such as cycling. The drastic increase in the use of illegal PEDs has plagued the world of elite sport such as cycling. The benefits and rewards of illegal drug use greatly outweigh the risks. Elite athletes are lured by success in that the penalties for cheating are small (a six month to one year ban in professional sport, or a two year ban for a first offense in the Olympics) are greatly outweighed by multimillion dollar rewards of prize money, endorsements, and other rewards that are likely to come if not caught. A survey in 1992 of a small group of Olympic athletes found that they believed that the successful Olympic athletes at the time were using banned substances (Savulescu 666). Although the WADA serves to catch athletes that use these PEDs, they still have a ways to go before they catch everyone. It is estimated that only 10-15% of participated athletes are tested
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