Performance enhancing drugs have been around for hundreds of years. The Incas of South America used the burned leaves of coca trees to give them great amounts of energy when faced with battles, hunts, etc. Today we know that the ashes of the coca tree’s leaves actually contained cocaine. The first recorded drug related death in sports was of a European cyclist in 1886. The drug responsible for the death of the cyclist was a mixture of heroin and cocaine, nicknamed the “speedball”. Tom Hicks of the United States collapsed after winning the marathon in the 1904 Olympics. It was later found that Hicks had drunk a mixture of brandy and strychnine (Dolan, 1986). As you can see, the use of drugs to try to enhance performance is not a new idea; athletes have been experimenting with drugs for years.
Probably the most recognized performance enhancing drugs are anabolic steroids. Steroids have been used in medical practice for years. As with most drugs, steroids can be helpful when used under medical supervision. The muscle-building capabilities of steroids were soon discovered by the athletic world. Steroid use by athletes was already under way by the mid 1950’s. Steroids were first introduced to the United States by the late Dr. John Ziegler. Along with being a physician and scientist, Dr. Ziegler was also and athlete. He was a leading weight lifter in the United States. In 1956 he traveled to Vienna, Austria for a wrestling championship meet. While he was there, he talked to a Russian trainer who told him that the Russian athletes had discovered a miracle drug, anabolic steroids. The athletes had enormous strength gains from this new drug. Dr. Ziegler wanted to help his country keep up with the Russian competition, so when he came home he started prescribing them for his weight lifter friends. He worked with a pharmaceutical company to market steroids under the brand name, Dianabol. Some of the lifters asked for larger and larger doses of the steroids. When Dr. Ziegler refused, the athletes obtained their steroids from other sources. In time, the doctor realized the incredible harm that steroids caused and turned against them. Right before Dr. John Ziegler died in 1984 he said he wished he had never heard of steroids (Dolan, 1986). Of course steroids aren’t the only performance enhancing drugs. Amphetamines are another popular performance enhancing drug. The popularity of amphetamines in sports is because of the drugs’ ability to give the body an enormous sense of energy. Just like steroids, amphetamines are used in medical practice for a number of benefits. But also, just like steroids, amphetamines are widely abused. Before World War II, amphetamines could be obtained without a prescription, and it wasn’t until 1970 that the United States government passed strict laws against amphetamine abuse (Dolan, 1986). Of course there are many other drugs that are being abused. These listed are just a few of the many being used in athletics. All in all, drug use by athletes was getting out of hand.
In 1967 The International Olympic Committee (IOC) established the IOC Medical Commission. The goal was to perform drug tests on athletes competing in the Olympics (International Olympic Committee, February, 1996).
One of the most publicized Olympic drug scandals was that of Ben Johnson during the 1988 Olympics in South Korea. Ben Johnson, a Canadian sprinter, had aroused suspicion of steroid use after he set a world record of 9.83 in the 100 meter dash at the 1987 Track and Field World Championships. During the 1988 Olympics, Ben Johnson annihilated his previous world record by .04 of second. His time, 9.79 seconds, was an incredible feat. About two hours after the world record setting race, though, the International Olympic Committee announced that Johnson had failed his drug test for steroids. After his conviction of drug use during the 1988 Olympics, his previous world record from 1987 was also disqualified (Anderson, September 28).
There is no doubt that steroids make you perform better. If Ben Johnson’s time in the 1988 Olympics wasn’t disqualified, it would still be the world record today. In fact, the “world’s fastest human”, Donovan Bailey, also a Canadian, holds the world record for the 100 meter dash today, and his time 9.84 (set in the 1996 Olympics), is a whole .05 seconds slower than Johnson’s time in 1988 (All-time Outdoor Track Lists, November 1997). The difference of .05 seconds may not seem like a lot, but it is a big difference in track and field.
Apparently many athletes must feel as if it is worth the risk to use these performance enhancing drugs. The truth is, though, if you get caught, it will ruin your athletic career. If test positive for drug use in the Olympics you will be banned from the Olympics totally. Ben Johnson never competed again after he was caught for steroid use in the 1988 Olympic Games. Even if Johnson were to ever run again, everyone would suspect him of drug use, even if he didn’t test positive. One problem is that athletes are now trying to mask their drug use with other drugs that will let them pass their drug tests. Also, some athletes who use steroids months before the games, discontinue their usage a few months before they will be drug tested. This allows them the possibility of not being caught. This could be a serious problem, although the International Olympic Committee is trying to prevent this by researching and creating new, better drug testing machines. In the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta for example, the International Olympic Committee unveiled a new powerful drug testing machine. This machine, a high resolution spectrometer, could catch athletes, even if they stopped taking the drugs months before the Olympics (International Olympic Committee, February, 1996). So, it is obvious that athletes will always try to use performance enhancing drugs, that’s just the nature of some athletes. These athletes will try anything for that “winning edge”. The International Olympic Committee however, seems to be making good progress in catching athletes who use drugs. In the future, hopefully, It will be harder to cheat drug tests because in my opinion drug use in the athletic world will always exist.
