Performance-enhancing drug use is not limited to the Olympic games. There are few sports that have not been affected in some way by drug use, and the effect has usually been negative. Certain sports quickly come to mind when we thing of drug use. We think of bodybuilders and weight lifters as obvious candidates for using steroids and other muscle or strength-building substances, but few would consider long distance runners or gymnasts as potential drug abusers. The fact is that there are a numerous of substances currently available with potential benefits for athletes in all sports.

These desired effects range from increasing muscle size and strength, to decreasing fatigue, providing quick

Tipton, Charles M. "Sports Medicine: A Century of Progress." Journal of Nutrition May 1997: 878S-885S.

Bamberger, Michael, and Don Yaeger. "Over the Edge (widespread use of performance- enhancing drugs by Olympic athletes)." Sports Illustrated 14 April 1997: 60-68.

So what possible course of action can the IOC take to stop this current trend that threatens the Olympic Games? It seems that the best plan is to continue with their current procedure, and enforce testing wherever possible. The IOC is sending a message to athletes, that they are aware of the use of drugs but they will never condone it, and that they will continue to implement testing in an attempt to discourage the spread of substance abuse throughout Olympic sports. With continued funding and research, the IOC may someday develop testing procedures more advanced than the technology available to the athletes. This would hopefully eliminate the use performance-enhancing drugs and return the Olympics to the level playing field that was originally intended.

Corelli, Rae. "The Drug Detectives." Maclean's 22 July 1996: 28-29.

Blood doping, now common in many endurance events, involves systematically removing quantities of an athlete's blood before a competition and storing it. Over time the athlete's body replaces the lost blood and returns blood levels to normal. Finally, just prior to a competition, the stored blood is re-injected creating an artificially high blood level and a resulting high level of red blood cells. While extremely risky to the athlete, this has the effect of dramatically increasing the blood's ability to carry oxygen to the muscles, therefore increasing the athlete's endurance. Because blood doping does not involve the introduction of any foreign chemicals into the athlete's body, detection is very difficult and the procedure usually goes unnoticed. "In essence, sports medicine recommendations and actions taken since 1896 have been notoriously slow and cautious in addressing and monitoring use of substances or methods that transgress the spirit of the modern Olympics and violate the ethics of medical practice and athletic competition" (Tipton 14-15).

Another reason why the use of these substances is controlled is that many are potentially dangerous to the health of the athlete. Athletes have been known to suffer cardiac arrest due to excessive use of stimulants, and anabolic steroids have been linked to health problems ranging from liver and kidney dysfunction to various forms of cancer. Many of the drugs today lack the extensive testing needed to predict possible side effects and consequences of long-term use. Athletes commonly prescribe their own drug regimen, many believing that "more is better", and often produce drastic or even fatal side effects. In their quest to achieve the immortality of the record books, many athletes find themselves facing their own mortality much sooner than expected.

Many would ask why athletes would put themselves at such a tremendous and unknown risk to both their health and r

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2038
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)