Introduction
In many years the world were facing constant improvement of the world records in athletics. Suddenly something happened. In the year of 1988 they started to test athletes more frequently in search of performance-enhancing drugs and immediately the results dropped like a stone. Today, we are left with some records that might be unbeatable without illegal drugs. Nevertheless, the records remain because no one can provide evidence for that the record holder were using performance-enhancing drugs during the time.
Further, performance-enhancing drugs not only gives us records today’s elite only can dream about; it has also led to a big market where many work to come up with new drugs. The elite; or in many cases their trainers, are willing to try out new drugs to find a way to the records they are longing for. Not only, is this dangerous for the individual; but also for the sport. It is not unusual that athletes who have used these kinds of drugs die prematurely. An example of that is the 100 meters record holder for women: Florence Griffith Joyner who died only 38 years old.
Nowadays, the audience is aware of that these drugs exist and when someone reaches a certain level they immediately suspect usage of performance-enhancing drugs. In many sports, if you get caught using illegal drugs you only get suspended for a couple of years and this usually upset many people because you still are allowed to train during the period; even though the drug still can be active.
Today, the elite sportsmen are screened all over the year, so we can be quite sure that the world top in sports is clean. Even though, totally sure can we never be; the production of new drugs is rising higher than the verification methods are.
Performance-enhancing drugs affect the whole human body and should be prohibited in all sports.
Carl Sténson and Lisa Berg
Performance-enhancing drugs are hurting the sport and its perpetrators.
People in general know that performance-enhancing drugs are affecting the sport in a negative way. However, many do not know all side effects it has on its abuser.
Performance-enhancing-drugs are raising the human body´s physical conditions to an unnatural level. So, it is obvious that it is affecting the natural balance in the human body; all the organs will be affected! Several will start to grow in an unnatural way and others will be outrivaled of the growing organs. Some might recover if one stops taking the drugs. Nevertheless, some of them might be affected all of their life time.
According to Mayo clinic’s (http://www.mayoclinic.com), usage of illegal drugs can for instance cause infertility and heart problems; problems that will affect the athletes all their lifetime, and shorten it distinctly.
As well, performance-enhancing drugs can be compared to general drug abuse; a difference is that with performance-enhancing drugs one is not only fooling oneself, also all of one’s competitors. In both cases one runs the risk of getting caught. Dissimilarity is that tests are made much more frequently in elite sports. Assuming to this, one will probably get caught. It is not understandable that illegal, harmful, drugs should be allowed in sports when it is not allowed outside the stadium.
Some might think that the advantage is worth the risk, but it can never be worth to venture one’s future life and fool oneself.
Carl Sténson
Essential medicines is classified as performance-enhancing
Even though these drugs influence the individuals’ entire life you must consider the fact that it is a conscious choice from the sportsman’s side to take these risks. Despite that, most of them are aware of all the side effects; they continue to take the drugs by their own desire.
Also, if we should forbid performance-enhancing drugs in all contexts it would however not only affect the elite sportsmen. Most of all, it would affect all those who is relying on these drugs to make them healthy; in some cases to keep them alive. Some examples are the very common drugs against asthma. These drugs are very important to many people and they need it just to be able to train or compete as anyone that has not got asthma. Nevertheless, these drugs are classified as performance-enhancing drugs and one need a special dispensation for one’s medication. In consequence, if we should totally forbid the usage of these drugs it would be many that would become forced to quit.
This implies it would harm the sports in a devastating way when you foreclose some from sport because of their diseases. Also, if these drugs were legal there would not be any discrimination of those who must request dispensation and thus being forced to tell the world about the disease one maybe want to keep private.
All together, it is important to remember that these drugs not only are used in a performance-enhancing purpose; they also serve its function as a life saving or at least relieving drug for many diseases and if these people want to be active in some sport they must reveal a personal part of their life. It is humiliating and it can be adjusted just by making these drugs legal for everyone.
Lisa Berg
Performance-enhancing tests serve its purpose in all situations.
On the other hand, to say that it is discriminating that people have to enlighten that they suffer from a certain disease is a vague argument. Besides, if one as a fair sportsman has a problem with this; one probably has something illegal to hide.
Firstly, as an athlete you appreciate that as many as possible are able to participate and compete. For this, a typical example is the one also mentioned earlier; the common disease asthma. Due to the Swedish association for allergies and asthma (http://www.astmaoallergiforbundet.se) there are 30 million people suffering from asthma in Europe. These people do not get any abilities above the normal from their medications. In short, it is only fair to let some people take drugs that are illegal and others not.
Secondly, the tests are customized to serve its purpose even if the person has taken drugs that are listed on the red list of illegal drugs (http://www.rf.se). Therefore, even those who are allowed to take a particular drug can be tested for both other drugs and too high levels of the drug that is allowed according to the athlete’s dispensation. With other words, even if one gets to take a drug one can be judged if one takes too much. For this reason, the system with dispensation works and makes more people able to participate at the same conditions.To sum up, if one do not have anything to hide there should not be any problem to leave a test. The reason for testing is to make it even for everyone; no matter if one needs to have a dispensation or not.
Lisa Berg
Test for performance-enhancing drugs are humiliating
Firstly, asthma is a common disease in stamina related elite sports disciples, for example nearly 40% of the 15 first on short distance skiing in the world championship 1991 endured of asthmatic diseases (http://www.lakartidningen.se/)[1]. This number is much higher than the number among normal people. However, asthma is causing a reduced respiratory function, and a need of drug dispensation. This number shows that it is obvious that asthmatic drugs are beneficial in some sports, according to its high amount of usage. Then why are dispensations necessary? When so many already are using drugs that are classified as performance-enhancing?
Secondly, it is very expensive to run tests in search of performance-enhancing drugs; which result in that only people on high international level is being screened continuously. Furthermore, the tests are deeply restraining the athletes’ privacy. For example, the most usual tests are urine tests. These tests are easy to falsify, it is only to take urine from someone else or save from when one still were free of illegal drugs. This implies that a functionary have to control that the urine comes from one and not any other sources.
According to an interview with Carolina Klüft an inspector once calmly asked her:
- Spread your legs please.
At the same time he looked up into her lower abdomen. This is certainly a situation that can be anxiety-ridden for both parts, and very humiliating for the athlete.
There is no need for expensive tests, when there however are too many dispensations and so many absurd situations that the athletes’ have to endure.
Carl Sténson
Sports and a good health should go hand-in-hand
To begin with, everything has its backsides: Performance-enhancing drugs cause injuries on the human body and urine tests can be humiliating for the athlete. A consequence that is effortless in comparison.
However, performance-enhancing drugs are damaging so much more than only its abusers. The whole sport loses its credibleness when athletes can come up from nothing and fade away in the same pace. The elite sports would, if performance-enhancing drugs were legalized, depend on who respond best on the substances and who manage to perform using them. This is not as it should be: the one who train the most and have the best talent.
Still, somebody will say that illegal drugs could evolve the sports. It is obvious that this is not the case. It follows that youngsters comprehend that drugs are the only way to perform and also parents will see the unhealthiness that comes in the sports footprints.
This implies that fewer youngsters will be allowed to train and many will quit when they realize that drugs and poor health is the only way. Due to this fact, children will leave the sports. Beside the loss of sportsmen, all the nonprofit clubs and the world wide sports climate will get seriously hurt. Why can we not accept the fact that the human body has physical limits, and instead of only results see the blissfulness and well-being in sports? Sports and a good health should go hand-in-hand.We cannot support a process which leads to unnatural results and athletes that liberate on the edge of life.
Carl Sténson
Why deny our dreams?
After all, the most obvious reason to take performance-enhancing drugs is to improve the results of training. Mostly, it is people on low levels in sports that take these drugs (http://www.rf.se). Of course, this probably makes them feel a lot better and makes them continue training. Important is that sports are for everyone and if some need drugs to keep up the motivation they should be allowed to take it; as well as some need complicated machines on a gym to keep up the desire.
Equal significant is that every person needs a dream to pursue and for many that dream is outlived by the elite. This suggests that if the elite are better; also the rest of the people’s dreams will be higher. For this reason, we should give the elite all the apparatus they need to become as good as possible. For example, the world record holder for 100 meters for women; Florence Griffith Joyner, improved her best time from 10.96 seconds to 10.49 seconds in just one season (September 23, 1998 http://www.indianexpress.com). Although, she never got caught using performance-enhancing drugs; but many suspect it because of the rapid development of the results. Again, people need dreams; she became an idol and made people dream. All in all, she should be praised for her achievements; no matter whether she used drugs.
Finally, people sometimes need drugs; most of all we need others to take them. In fact, it makes us more healthy to set up ambitions and our goals are often based on others performances. That is why we need the elite to be as great as possible and we can achieve that by legalize all drugs in sports.
Lisa Berg
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are obviously strong arguments from both parts. Still, some arguments are stronger than the others and we as authors have come to an inference.
Firstly, the level of the results made by the elite is going to be raised by the continual usage of illegal drugs. Further, this leads to a situation where we are back on the same spot as in the beginning; when everyone has equal performances. The only differences are that the results will be slightly better and that we endangering the athletes’ future life; a consequence that is completely unnecessary.
Secondly, to say that there are too many exceptions from the rules is not a good argument due to the fact that dispensations exist because everyone are supposed to get the same fundamental conditions. Like mentioned earlier, the tests are designed to serve its function even if the athlete is taking medications. Still, the tests are expensive and slightly humiliating; but at the same time, it is worth it because we avoid adventuring the athletes’ lives.
Notwithstanding, it is still the athletes’ own choice; at least in the beginning. After a while, one develops an addiction that is hard to abandon; then it is not one’s own will anymore. In other words, in the start it is one’s own wish to take the drugs; but later on the addiction is constructed both on the audience’s expectations and by one’s biological needs that is created by the drugs.
Finally, adolescents need idols to admire. However, it is probably better to have realistic goals rather than super naturalistic goals created by people using deadly drugs. Instead, we should teach children to appreciate their own abilities and help them to develop a good self-esteem.
According to us as editors the conclusion that could be drawn from all this is the fact that performance-enhancing drugs should be prohibited for all those who do not need it in a medical purpose.
Bild 5: http://kcrg.biz/2011/03/athletics-lavillenie-and-djhone-crowned-champions-of-europe-in-bercy/
Carl Sténson and Lisa Berg
