Should Performance Enhancing Drugs Be Allowed in Sports Providing They Do No Long Term Damage

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Should athletes be allowed to take drugs to enhance their performance, providing the drugs do no long- term damage to their bodies. Athletes are willing to pay a heavy price to achieve their ultimate goal in their chosen sport. They put in a lot of time, dedication, and practice to be the best in their field. Many modern day athletes are seen as celebrities as they reach the peak of their sporting career, but if they use performance enhancing drugs to get to this level it is frowned upon by society. This essay examines performance enhancing drugs and should they be allowed in sports. Drug use to enhance performance in sports dates as far back as the Romans and Greeks. They relayed on herbs and mushrooms to improve their performance. As time went by different substances were used like caffeine, opium, and alcohol. In recent times the drugs have become more sophisticated and are made to target a wide range of sporting activities. Anabolic steroids or Testosterone for instance is mainly used in power sports like sprinting, weight lifting and cycling as it helps build increased muscle mass and strength, or in smaller doses can help with muscle recovery. Anabolic steroids were banned from sporting in 1975 after a test was developed to detect there use. Then in 1983 caffeine was also banned this was followed by testosterone, blood doping and Erythropoietin (EPO), although accurate tests for their detection was not found until 2000. ( USADA CEO Travis Tygart 2012) Said, ‘Nobody wins when an athlete decides to cheat with dangerous performance enhancing drugs, but clean athletes at every level expect those of us here on their behalf, to pursue the truth to ensure the win-at-all-cost culture does not permanently overtake fair, honest competition. Any time we have overwhelming proof of doping, our mandate is to initiate the case through the process and see it to

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