Drugs in Sport

The nature of sports fosters a strong desire to win, and some athletes will do anything to rise to the top. Every elite athlete wants to get an edge somehow over his or her opponents. Many athletes have turned to supplements to gain this edge and the use of performance enhancing drugs has increased dramatically. While I was researching I found out about a poll that was taken four years ago on 198 athletes and they …

…produces a calm feeling · often used in shooting sports Stimulants: Cocaine, Amphetamine · increases alertness, raises heart rate, delays fatigue, improves performance · Often used in most sports, counter productive in shooting sports Diuretics: Frusemide · reduces weight, masks presence of other drugs · often used in weight lifting, boxing In addition to these drug classes there are also local anaesthetic’s, cortico steriods - treats asthma and beta-blockers - treats heart conditions, these are restricted in some sports.