War against doping

One of the greatest problems and dangers of the modern sport in general, and Olympic Games in particular, is use of illicit stimulative substances, drugs, chemical and medical stuff, known as doping. Consuming those substances short term, can provide achievement of better results, if, of course athlete has other necessary qualities. Long term consumation, however, can lead to physiological, physical and health problems, and can lead to sudden death even during the competition.

The wish for participation in the Olympic Games, and winning the medal on that competition is big challenge for every athlete, that’s why some of them in last few years, use all means to achieve the supreme goal. Even during the early years of the XX century, athletes used similar substances for improvement of their capacities, and results. For example, marathon winner on the Olympic Games in St. Louis, in 1904., Thomas Hicks received strihnin and cognac, as stimulators from his coach, even during the race!

So, it lasted until the 60s, when sport federations started to realise the malfunction of the doping and started to prohibit it, while the IOC forbid it in 1967.

The athlete who unfamousely entered the history as the first positive athlete on the doping control test, was Swedish modern pentathlon athlete Hans-Gunar Lilenval, on the Olympic Games in Mexico in 1968. In next 34 years, it was dicovered over 50 athletes positive to doping, mostly in weight-lifting. However, the most “famous” doping case in the history of sport, was the case of Canadian runner Ben Jonson, in the Olympic Games in Seul in 1988. He won the final of the 100m race, using illicit substance stanosolol, that destroys the liver. His golden medal was taken, and the World record from the race (9,79 sec.) was annuled.

Despite all tests, lots of athletes use doping and manage not being couht “in the act”. It was only in 1990s when some evidence appeared that lots of athletes, or let’s say big majority of athletes from Eastern Germany, women in particular, used anabolic steroids and other medical and chemical substances. Some of those women had to deal with the consequences of the long term use of those substances: some of them gave birth to sick children (sad cases of fomer top swimmers from Eastern Germany who sovereignly rulled theworld swimming pools in 1970s and 1980s). Fabulous American athlete Florens Griffit Joyner, who set world records on 100m and 200m in 1988, died on 21. September 1998 in age of 39, in her sleep, from complications caused by astma…(?)

Urged by these and similar, numerous examples and scandals, in late 90s the IOC started its severe fight against doping, and because of that the World Anti-doping Agency (WADA) was founded. On the Olympic Games in 200. and 2002., that fight started to bring the results: “victims” were some of the medal winners in weight-lifting ans ski-running, since they’ve been positive on illicit stimulative substances.

Despite all examples, warnings and threats, on the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004, 23 competitors were disqualified because of doping!!!

Unfortunately, it is more than obvious that the war against doping is going to last for long time.