Steroids+and+Sports


 * __ Steroids and Sports __**


 * The use of drugs to enhance performance dates as far back as the first Olympic Games and individuals attempted to increase testosterone as far back as 776 BC
 * The first incidence of proven steroid use in sports occurred at the World Weightlifting Championships in 1954 among the Russians, who outperformed all others in their weight classes
 * This incidence of steroid abuse was confirmed by the Russian team’s physician, who openly admitted that the Russian competitors were given testosterone injections while training
 * This open confession marked the first indication that steroids were being used to enhance performance in athletic events
 * The Russian team was not sanctioned for using steroids because there were no penalties in place at the time
 * Eventually, a new oral steroid replaced the injectable one that the Soviets had been using, which is known as Dianabol – this became the most widely abused steroid in the history of sports
 * In the late 1960s, the East Germans adopted a statewide doping program in order to achieve athletic success
 * In fact, in 1968 the German government approved the administration of steroids to all athletes in East Germany, resulting in this group outperforming all other competitors for the next 20 years
 * However, soon after an official complaint was lodged by the World Health Organization, which lead to a complete ban on the use of performance enhancing drugs during international competitions
 * At this time, steroids were beginning to catch on in the U.S., with athletes realizing the potential for athletic success that these drugs could provide
 * The first American athlete apprehended for using performance enhancing drugs was a swimmer by the name of Rick De Mont, who was using a substance known as Ephedrine
 * Steroid use continued in the Olympics, where athletes enlisted the help of professionals to escape detection through drug testing
 * By the 1990s, the abuse of steroids was rampant in both professional and amateur sports
 * In the late 1990s, it was discovered that steroid abuse had hit major league baseball, when performance enhancing drugs were found in the locker of Mark McGwire
 * Other major league baseball players, such as Ken Caminiti and Jose Canseco also were found to be using steroids – in fact it was estimated that 50-85% of all major league players used steroids
 * The most common reason cited for using steroids is to enhance performance and to achieve athletic success
 * Many youth abuse steroids in order to obtain athletic scholarships and move toward their goal of a professional athletic career
 * Some estimate that steroid abuse is more of a problem in this area than in professional sports
 * No matter what the reason is for using steroids, this abuse knows no boundaries and affects people of various ages, socioeconomic classes, races and genders