The Ban of Performance Enhancing Drugs in Sport: Is It Needed

In this essay I will be discussing the issue of performance enhancing drugs that are used by athletes. And what should happen to them if they are caught using performance-enhancing drugs. The most common drug that are used by athletes are different types of anabolic steroids, they are a mix of a natural and synthetic substance which helps muscle mass to increase at a quicker rate, they also enable athletes to train even harder than they usually would and recover quickly from completing strenuous workouts. Another type of drug that can be used is Tetrahydrogestrinone, this is also known as THG, it is a powerful steroid that has been used by high profile athletes. Stimulants, including amphetamines increase alertness and decrease the appetite allowing athletes to train harder and for longer. Also athletes have been known to use growth hormones, they are taken to help to improve the athletes physical stamina and strength. Androstenedione is a supplement that you used to be able to buy at a chemist until the FDA stopped people from just purchasing it in 2004. It is now banned by multiple sporting committees banned it as it is an anabolic steroid precursor, that the body then turns into testosterone. In my opinion I think that if you are ever caught with even trace amounts of any banned substance you should be able to prove that it wasn't intentional or if you actually didn't take anything that was illegal, but if it is proven that you purposely took a banned substance you should be completely dissalowed from competiting in all competitions that your sport is a part of. This would help to minimise the amount of people that would take the risk, of using a banned substance because it would ruin the rest of their careers.

Whereas currently in nearly all sports you are still able to compete in a number of competitions even if you have previously received a ban no matter how long. Lance Armstrong. US Anti-Doping Agency's released a 202-page report on Armstrong stating that he was at the centre of a serious doping program during his time when he competed. In the report it also mentioned, that some of his former teammates admit to doping and finding out different ways of beating the drug-testing that they are put through so that they would be able to continue to cheat. Lance Armstrong always denied any sort of allegations that he was a drugs cheat no matter what proof they may have had. The Sunday Times of London consided Pershing a lawsuit against him in hopes of regaining the settlement that they had to pay towards him in June 2006 for an article that implied that he like many other people took performance-enhancing drugs and that they were the reason that he had won so much. Lance Armstrong announced that he would step down as the chairman of LIVESTRONG. Nike terminated the contract that they had with him. Anheuser-Busch didn't renew the contract that they had previously had with lance Armstrong after the expiry date was reached.

The International Cycling Union announced that lance Armstrong was to have all of his Tour de France titles taken away from him and was they banned him from ever cycling professionally again. Oakley announced that it cut their association with him but they still continue to support the LIVESTRONG Foundation because they also stopped supporting him. Alex Rodriguez, BaseballRodriguez was one of the top players in Major League Baseball for many years, and many fans expected him to be the “clean” record-holder for home runs by the time his career was over. Unfortunately all those hopes were ruined in 2009 after Rodriguez admitted that he had used performance-enhancing drugs earlier in his career. Rodriguez led the New York Yankees to a World Series championship later on in that season. He was later connected to the Biogenesis scandal of 2013, this then led to him getting a 211 mlb game suspension. He later appealed the suspension— by playing for the Yankees while it was going on—but the ban was upheld and he missed the entirety of the 2014 season. Rodriguez then built back up some good will with his performance in 2015 after he had served his suspension, but many in the sport are not able overlook his use of performance-enhancing drugs and believe that he should have been banned from ever competing in the MLB.

In sport there aren't many athletes who have taken performance enhancing drugs that receive permanent hand from their sport as most athletes get away with a few years suspension from competition, even if they have had to serve multiple drugs bans in the past they have still been able to compete in international competitions on their own or with their country. In 2001, Justin Gatlin received a two-year ban from competing in all athletics events for testing positive for a banned substance; the ban was then later reduced to one year because of an appeal that was put forward. Though in 2006, he received a further four-year ban (that was reduced from an eight-year ban) from track and field for testing positive for a banned substance, this second ban erased his world record time of 9. 77 seconds for the 100 metres. On August 22, 2006, Gatlin accepted an eight-year ban from track and field, avoiding a lifetime ban in exchange for his cooperation with the doping authorities, and because of the exceptional circumstances surrounding his first positive drug test. In athletics there aren't many lifetime bans in the world championships or any non Olympic events but there seem to be many cases where the country that is competing in the Olympics for the sport, won't let athletes try out for the Olympic team because they are currently serving bans. Also in some cases the Olympic committee bans athletes from ever competing in another Olympics again.

Many people agree with the fact that they are doing this and fans of the sport think that many athletes who are tested positive for a banned substance, shouldn't be allowed to compete in any future competitions for that sport. This would help to detter future athletes from taking any banned substance as it would risk the rest of their careers. In conclusion, I think that even though it is a bit extreme to stop athletes from ever competing again if they test positive for banned drugs, I think that it is a fair punishment considering how much of an advantage they can provide, therefore men like Justin Gatlin would have never competed in the 2016 Rio Olympics because he was a previous 2x drugs cheat, and this means that he wouldn't be the current world champion.