"" For more than 40 years, the Medical Commission has worked in the anti-doping field, studying alternative methods to help athletes. .
Today the elimination of doping in sport is one of the fundamental objectives of the Olympic movement. As stated on the International Olympic Committee Web page: "The Anti-Doping Code, which the entire Olympic Movement must observe, contains the following key points:.
It applies to the Olympic Games, the various championships and all competitions to which the IOC grants its patronage or support.
It intends to ensure respect of the main ethical concepts and protect the health of the athletes.
It shall include provisions to enable appeals to be lodged with the Court of Arbitration for Sport against certain decisions rendered in the application of such Code."" .
A World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has been established and recently oversaw the IOC testing of athletics in the Winter Olympic Games held in Salt Lake City. As printed on the WADA Web site, WADA Chairman Richard Pound asserted: "Olympic ideals demand that we give potential cheaters no quarter. We want athletes to know that chemical engineering with banned substances not only can destroy their health, but also will not be tolerated under the ethics of sport for which the Olympics stand."".
Drug control has become a part of the everyday life of persons engaged in serious sport. The drug rules have also become all-embracing. A critical review emphasizes that both the rules and their application can threaten the legal rights of athletes, and violate ethical norms in our society. Although, the rules are part of the regulations of organizations, the application of the rules may have social consequences reaching far beyond the responsibilities of the governing sports authorities. Because of the rules, many athletes are denied optimal treatment for disease and injury. For a large majority of the drugs on the list of banned substances, documentation that they enhanced performance is insufficient or completely lacking.