Performance-enhancing drug use is not limited to the Olympic Games. There are few sports that have not been affected in some way by drug use, and the effect has usually been negative. Certain sports quickly come to mind when people think of drug use. People think of bodybuilders and weight lifters as obvious candidates for using steroids and other muscle or strength-building substances, but few would consider long distance runners or gymnasts as potential drug abusers. However, there are numerous substances currently available with potential benefits for athletes in all sports.

The desired effects of illegal substances range from increasing muscle size and strength, to decreasing fatigue, providing

Another problem is the testing procedure itself. Samples are tested for a list of known substances, and since new drugs have to be used and discovered in tests before the IOC is aware of them and can include them on the list, those athletes who have access to the newest products have the advantage of using drugs not yet on the banned list. In addition, most of these drugs leave certain traces in urine samples, and it is often these traces and not the actual drugs that show up in positive tests.

Americans do not hope for success from their athletes, they expect and even demand it, and exposing the public to the darker side of elite-level sports could produce negative sentiments towards the Olympic Games (Street, 1998). In many countries, athletes have no control over their training methods, including doping procedures. They are told by a group of coaches when to train, when to sleep, what to eat, and what drugs to take. They are often not aware of what they are taking, or what the possible risks are. There is tremendous pressure placed on the athletes of these countries by their government to perform well, as in many countries, as in the former Eastern bloc nations, athletics are deeply intertwined with political fortune. Winning demonstrates greatness as a political power and creates a strong national identity (Street 1998).

Blood doping, now common in many endurance events, involves systematically removing quantities of an athlete’s blood before a competition and storing it. Over time the athlete’s body replaces the lost blood and returns blood levels to normal. Prior to a competition, the stored blood is re-injected creating an artificially high blood level and a resulting high level of red blood cells. While extremely risky to the athlete, this has the effect of dramatically increasing the blood’s ability to carry oxygen to the muscles, therefore increasing the athlete’s endurance. Because blood doping does not involve the introduction of any foreign chemicals into the athlete’s body, detection is very difficult and the procedure usually goes unnoticed.

So what possible course of action can the IOC take to stop this current trend that threatens the Olympic Games? It seems that the best plan would be to continue with their current procedure, and enforce testing wherever possible. The IOC is sending a message to athletes that they are aware of the use of drugs, but they will never condone it, and that they will continue to implement testing in an attempt to discourage the spread of substance abuse throughout Olympic sports. With continued funding and research, the IOC may someday develop testing procedures more advanced than the technology available to the athletes. This would hopefully eliminate the use of performance-enhancing drugs, de

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