doping use. What dope do athletes use?

Doping is used in many sports today: athletics, cross-country skiing are examples of this. Many athletes have lost medals and titles when foreign substances were found in their bodies that help in obtaining the maximum result in competitions. There have been, are and will be a huge number of questions and scientific doubts about the use of doping in competitions. Actually, it is worth understanding what doping is, why it is used and what it leads to.

scientific concept

Doping is a natural, synthetic and narcotic substance that can improve the performance of an athlete's body. Also, this concept refers to substances that can stimulate protein synthesis after exposure to an external force on muscle mass. It should be said right away that during the competition, athletes are prohibited from taking certain medications.

First use

The history of these drugs dates back approximately to the beginning of the 20th century. Doping in sports began to be used by American riders and horse trainers, who subcutaneously injected the animals with the necessary substances.

The first information about the use of doping appeared in 1903. It was from that time that the racing society began its struggle against the use of any auxiliary substances. It turns out that from that moment doping control was formed. Only at first he was not as active as he is today.

Types and groups of doping additives

Naturally, certain substances have their effect on the human body. Some drugs are painkillers, while others increase the athlete's physical data, increase strength, endurance. In addition, doping is not only a stimulator of human capabilities during competitions, but also an assistant in training. Based on these signs, doping in sports began to be divided into certain groups.

The following types of doping are prohibited for use both during competitions and during training:

Anabolic steroid. In the people, these substances are called anabolics. This type of doping is formed from male Probably, many people know that in sports, testosterone is of great importance in obtaining the necessary results. Anabolic steroids help in building muscle mass, digesting protein and developing a masculine physique. But their hormonal nature makes itself felt. These drugs have an androgenic effect on the body of the person taking them.

Peptide hormones (or, as they are also called, peptides), growth factors. insulin and erythropoietin are banned substances for use by athletes as they help them gain increased muscle growth and reduce body fat (growth hormone) as well as increase red blood cell production (erythropoietin).
Diuretic substances. The scientific name for these drugs is diuretics. There are three main reasons why sports are used. Firstly, this is a rapid decrease in the weight of a person. Secondly, giving the athlete's body a more beautiful muscular appearance. Thirdly, diuretics help to remove other auxiliary drugs from the body and thus hide the use of illegal substances.
Beta-2 agonists. They increase muscle volume, promote their recovery, and prevent muscle loss with age.

Drugs prohibited only during direct competition:

Narcotic pain relievers (eg, methadone, morphine, fentanyl). The name itself suggests that these substances are used to reduce sensitivity to pain.
Stimulants. First of all, drugs in this group act on the central nervous system. It is worth noting one important fact right away: many stimulants are part of anti-cold and antiviral drugs. Based on this, an athlete should read the composition before using, it would seem, simple. If the drug does not include prohibited substances, then you can use it during treatment.
Glucocorticosteroids. Athletes use them to feel a surge of strength and reduce pain.

The fight against doping additives

As previously mentioned, at the moment there is an active struggle against the use of various drugs that help increase athletic performance. Doping is a danger of leaving the sport for a short time, or even forever. Indeed, at almost every competition, experts check athletes for the presence of prohibited substances in the blood. Winners are always checked, and the rest - to choose from.

If illegal drugs were found in the body of an athlete, then the person is disqualified for a certain time. For the first time - for 2 years, and if this mistake is made again - from 4 years and forever.

Sports fans have heard more than once about the scandals caused by the use of illegal substances. Last year, biathlon was lit up in them more than once. Doping was used by athletes of the Russian team, for which they were disqualified.

Harmful effect on the athlete's body

Conclusion

Concluding the discussion of the use of doping substances, it is worth saying a few words about the recent trend towards a decrease in their use and a healthy approach to sports thanks to doping control, various anti-doping prevention programs. Many people in the sports world say "No" to doping. Take, for example, the biathlon mentioned above. Doping in this sport, according to the president of the Russian Biathlon Union, will never be used again.

E. GIK, E. GUPALO.

In October 2007, a unique case occurred - the famous American athlete Marion Jones pleaded guilty to doping at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games and was stripped of all medals - three gold (100 and 200 m, 4x400 m relay) and two bronze! As a result, a lot of changes took place in the statistics of the Australian Olympiad, including those that affected Russian athletes: Tatyana Kotova in long jump became the owner of bronze instead of Jones, our women's team in the 4x400 m relay race instead of bronze received silver, and the national team Russia in terms of the total number of medals came close to the United States. Despite five losses, the Americans retained first place.

Science and life // Illustrations

Marion Jones is the record holder for the number of Olympic medals taken from her due to doping. She had five of them.

American sprinter Ben Johnson went down in history as the first athlete to lose an Olympic gold medal due to doping (Seoul -1988).

Doping in sports refers to illegal drugs that can significantly improve performance. The word "doping" (doping) itself comes from doop - the name of an alcoholic drink that the people of South Africa used to increase stamina. In England at the end of the 19th century, doping was called the introduction of stimulants to horses before the races.

All groups of doping drugs used by athletes include potent drugs, most of which are used to treat serious illnesses and are sold in pharmacies by prescription. The use of doping can only be detected with the help of a special analysis - a doping test. Doping control is usually carried out before the performance of the athlete or immediately after it.

The history of doping has developed in parallel with the history of sports. It is known, for example, that even in ancient Greece, athletes used stimulant drugs from raw mushrooms. However, at that time it was not forbidden. The first death from doping is considered to be the death of cyclist Linton in 1886. At the modern Olympic Games, marathon runner Thomas Hicks almost died from doping: in 1904, in St. Louis, 20 km from the finish line, he lost consciousness. The doctors of the American team, bringing him to his senses, made him drink a mixture of brandy and strychnine. In certain doses, strychnine is the strongest stimulant of muscle activity. Hicks fell a few more times, and doctors immediately appeared with strychnine and brandy. The athlete made it to the finish line and received an Olympic gold medal. By the way, he crossed the line second. And the first then was a certain Lords, who was disqualified for cheating: he overcame a considerable part of the distance in his friend's car.

Danish cyclist Kurt Jensen died of an amphetamine overdose at the 1960 Rome Olympics.

France was the first country to adopt anti-doping legislation. In 1967, after the death of Tommy Simpson from amphetamines at the Tour de France, the International Olympic Committee also took decisive action. A list of prohibited drugs was drawn up, and a special commission to combat doping was created. For the first time, doping tests at the Olympic Games were held in Mexico City in 1968, and then only one violating athlete was identified. But already at the next Olympics - in Munich-1972, seven athletes were convicted of using illegal drugs. And in the 80s of the last century, there was a whole series of major doping scandals.

At the Pan American Games in Venezuela, an unannounced test by a group of German doctors found 19 athletes using illegal drugs. Approximately the same number refused both the test and participation in competitions. At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Canadian Ben Johnson became the first to lose an Olympic gold medal due to the use of steroids. Subsequently, there were many cases of disqualification.

The athlete himself and his representatives usually deny the conscious use of doping and explain the positive doping test by the use of medicines for the disease or nutritional supplements of an unknown composition. The announcement of a positive doping test result is followed by a lengthy legal battle.

In 1999, the International Anti-Doping Conference was held in Lausanne and the World Anti-Doping Commission was created, whose tasks were to develop a list of prohibited drugs and coordinate doping tests: now they were supposed to be carried out not only at competitions, but also in between. Despite the measures taken, doping scandals continued. In the list of drugs prohibited by the IOC at the beginning of the 21st century, there were more than 300 main ones, and in total - about 10,000. According to the rules of the IOC, doping is subject to disqualification for up to two years, and in case of a repeated violation, disqualification becomes for life.

At the Sydney 2000 Olympics, the weightlifting teams of Bulgaria and Romania for three positive doping tests at first wanted to be sent home in full force. But then the punishment was replaced by fines of 50,000 dollars, which the Olympic committees of these countries were forced to pay. The guilty athletes, of course, were disqualified and the medals were taken away. In the same Sydney there was a curious incident. German athlete Meredith Michaels-Bierbaum was disqualified from equestrian competitions due to the fact that prohibited substances were found ... in the blood of her horse.

One of the most famous was the trial after the Goodwill Games in Brisbane (Australia, 2001), associated with the use of a banned diuretic by gymnasts Alina Kabaeva and Irina

Chashchina. At the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, skiers Johan Myulegg (Spain), as well as Larisa Lazutina and Olga Danilova (Russia) were involved in a scandal with erythropoietin, a hormone that stimulates the production of red blood cells. Shot putter Irina Korzhanenko, the anti-heroine of the 2004 Athens Olympics, was disqualified for life because she was caught doping for the second time. Korzhanenko's longtime rival, world champion Ukrainian Vita Pavlysh, who was convicted of repeated doping, received the same punishment.

In Turin-2006, our biathlete Olga Pyleva, deprived of silver, was at the center of a doping scandal. True, in this case, the story is not entirely clear, since Olga used a drug that was not listed on the banned list (perhaps the manufacturer who recommended it is to blame).

The use of doping is inextricably linked with the commercialization of sports. A survey among athletes conducted in the United States showed how serious this problem is. To the question "Will you agree to take a drug that will make you an Olympic champion in three years, and an invalid in ten years?" 80 percent of the respondents answered positively. The IOC estimates that at least 1 in 10 athletes use doping, but there have been only about 50 positive results in the history of doping controls at the Olympic Games.

In the early 1990s, after the reunification of Germany, detailed plans for the use of doping in the training of world-class athletes were found in the archives of the secret services of the former GDR. According to them, more than 10,000 athletes received illegal drugs, and this was part of the government's program, which sought by all means to prove the advantage of the GDR over the FRG. An investigation was carried out, mass revelations followed, however, not one of the champions trained in the GDR was caught in a doping control.

According to international statistics, the use of doping is most typical for bodybuilding - about 90 percent of athletes take steroids. Next come cycling, swimming, cross-country skiing, weightlifting and athletics. Almost clean from doping are sports that require perfect coordination of movements - figure skating, synchronized swimming, fencing.

Many believe that sports competitions, including the Olympic Games, are increasingly turning into competitions for pharmacists: some are looking for ways to detect doping, others are competing in the creation of new drugs and the development of a scheme for their use, which allows them to get a high sports result and hide the means of achieving it. A number of sports achievements are associated with “successes in pharmacology”: for example, the jump in world records among heavyweight weightlifters in the 1970s is explained by the use of steroids, and a sharp improvement in long-distance running results in the 1990s is explained by the use of erythropoietin.

Doping causes great harm to the health of athletes, but the main problem is considered to be ethical: the use of doping kills the idea of fair competition that underlies sports and the Olympic movement. That is why doping is called the "plague of modern sports."

The issue of doping is one of the most curious in modern sport. Everyone wants to know if there is a magic pill that will help you become fast, strong or agile, but rather all together and repeatedly.

As an expert, we invited Andrey Litvinenko, a member of the medical staff of the Sochi 2014 Olympic team, a sports doctor. Most recently, Andrei, at a lecture at the I Love Running School of Proper Running, told for several hours in detail what doping is, how it works, what it gives and what it takes. And we carefully outlined the most important points.

What is doping?

Doping is a drug that can significantly improve athletic performance and is included in a special list of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). As a rule, their use is accompanied by unpleasant side effects and can cause serious harm to health. True, there are exceptions, such as harmless and non-impairing substances that mask potent drugs. Certain procedures, such as blood transfusions, are also prohibited.

Why and when did doping begin to be banned?

Additional recharging was used in ancient Greece - where athletes drank stimulating tinctures from raw mushrooms. At the end of the 19th century, when the Olympic Games were revived, participants experimented on themselves using various substances, including extremely poisonous ones like strychnine. The first officially recorded death from doping occurred in 1886 with cyclist Arthur Linton, world record holder and winner of major races.

The modern era of doping began in the 1930s, when German scientists created injectable testosterone. Initially, it was intended to increase the aggressiveness of the soldiers, but then it came in handy for athletes. Serious problems with doping began after the Second World War. In the 60s, several cyclists died, in whose blood traces of potent drugs were found. After that, doping began to fight. Initially not very successful: the first tests at the Olympics in Mexico City in 1968 revealed only one case of use.

But in the 1980s, the methods had already been worked out, after which major scandals rained down one after another. In 1999, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was created. Its main tasks are the development of a list of prohibited drugs and the coordination of doping tests, not only during competitions, but also between them. As the first punishment, a two-year disqualification is prescribed, as the second - for life. The list is growing every year, athletes have to carefully monitor the composition of all legal drugs used so that they do not accidentally contain prohibited additives. WADA employees are endowed with serious powers. For example, they may arrive unannounced at the athlete's home or training camp and demand immediate testing.

What are the types of doping, who uses them, what are the benefits and harms?

Stimulants. Increased performance. At the same time, they increase blood pressure, accelerate cardiac activity, and disrupt thermoregulation. Use is fraught with heat stroke, addiction, mental disorders.

Analgesics. Narcotic analgesics, morphine and its chemical analogues are prohibited. They affect the central nervous system, increase the pain threshold, as a result of which the athlete is not able to understand how serious his injury is, and can significantly aggravate it. They are quickly addictive and highly addictive. Non-steroidal analgesics are approved for use.

Beta blockers. Reduce heart rate, soothe, reduce tremor. Increase fatigue and impair endurance. They are used in sports where precise coordination is needed and there is no serious physical activity, for example, in various types of shooting or diving.

Diuretics. Diuretic drugs are used to quickly cut weight to fit into the desired weight category. Bodybuilders use them to improve muscle relief. Also used before doping control to reduce the concentration in the urine of other prohibited drugs. They cause disturbances in water and electrolyte balance, a drop in blood pressure, a violation of the rhythm of the heart.

Erythropoietin. A peptide hormone infamous for many scandals in cyclic sports. Increases endurance by improving oxygen delivery to the muscles. Increases blood pressure, increases blood viscosity, which entails a lot of problems with the cardiovascular system - from blood vessel thrombosis to heart attacks.

A growth hormone. Another peptide hormone. It causes muscle growth, reduces body fat, accelerates wound healing, strengthens the immune system. Use is fraught with accelerated bone growth, increased growth in young people. Increases the level of glucose in the blood with all the ensuing unpleasant consequences.

Insulin. It is used in strength sports due to its pronounced anabolic and anti-catabolic effect. The main side effect is hypoglycemic coma, loss of consciousness due to a decrease in blood glucose concentration, requiring immediate intervention by outsiders.

Anabolic steroid. The most famous group of drugs, synthetic derivatives of the male sex hormone testosterone. They are used in a variety of sports, especially in strength. They have two inseparable effects: anabolic and androgenic. Of the positive effects: the growth of muscle mass up to 5-10 kilograms per month, an increase in strength, endurance, performance, strengthening of bone tissue, a decrease in fat reserves, an increase in libido. Negative "side effects" can be very diverse and very strong.

Sometimes they are common, sometimes they vary depending on the remedy. During the course of taking, the so-called "steroid rage" is observed, that is, increased irritability up to fights and murders. An acne rash appears on the body, the body retains fluid, so a person “on the course” can be recognized by the characteristic swelling. The level of cholesterol rises, which is fraught with atherosclerosis. Hypertrophy of the myocardium with subsequent development of ischemia. Some of the drugs cause liver damage, the other - gynecomastia, that is, the growth of the male breast in a female pattern. Women begin to develop according to the male type, their voice becomes coarser, facial features and figure change, hair grows on the body and face.

But this is all theory, but are there any practical examples?

Textbook - the story of the shot putter from the GDR, Heidi Krieger, who is now called Andreas. After many years of using hormonal drugs, including anabolic steroids, she actually lost her female sexual characteristics and was forced to undergo a sex change operation.

The doping scandal with Russian athletes has stimulated a discussion about one of the main problems in the world of sports.

Despite the best efforts of sports officials, medical professionals and the public, high performance sports remain a place where any means are used for the sake of results.

Virtually everyone recognizes that, in one form or another, all athletes use stimulants that allow them to overcome the natural physiological limitations of the average person. Such drugs can improve the body's endurance, increase the pain threshold, stimulate the growth of muscle mass, relieve psychological stress, reduce the recovery period after exercise, and much more.

Today we are witnessing an invisible race between doping technologies, which are primarily aimed at masking prohibited substances, and anti-doping authorities, which, in turn, are improving their own methods of detecting them, improving testing procedures for athletes, tightening disciplinary sanctions, and monitoring the innovations of doping laboratories.

As for erythropoietin, which was found in the samples of Russian athletes, it is believed that this is a fairly common stimulant and the anti-doping authorities have learned to recognize it quite effectively.

The incident with our athletes is especially unpleasant because it casts a shadow over the entire Russian team and exposes the athletes to excessive psychological pressure. And to avoid such a scandal for our team, the modernization of our own anti-doping monitoring system, for which huge amounts of money were allocated, should have helped.

If the athletes were “caught” by their own, then the matter would be quietly hushed up and an international scandal would have been avoided. And so we ourselves gave a trump card to our competitors in a fierce competition for medals.

In the history of sports, there have been many different, conditionally, natural and specially designed ways to achieve super results.

We will talk about the most famous types of doping in history and what qualities of athletes they brought to an incredible level. And we'll start with the ill-fated erythropoietin.

"Good old" POE

Erythropoietin is a hormone, a physiological stimulant of erythroporesis. It increases the production of red blood cells, which increases the content of hemoglobin and the oxygen capacity of the blood. As a result, many physical indicators of the body also increase.

Therefore, erythropoietin is so popular in cyclic sports with endurance components - cycling, skiing, long-distance running.

This hormone has an interesting history. It was first identified in the 60s of the last century. In the late 80s, it was artificially synthesized, and in the early 90s, factory production began.

Erythropoietin is actively used in medicine, primarily in the fight against serious blood diseases, oncological diseases, and kidney failure. But, unfortunately, it is also used in sports. Of course, one cannot say that EPO is the last century.

Until now, it remains, in fact, the only way to dramatically increase blood aerobicity. Athletes can only experiment with the dosage, forms of the hormone.

I must say that this drug and its modifications are quite easily excreted from the body and caught on it, as a rule, by those who dosed it incorrectly or did not calculate the period of use, which, apparently, happened to Starykh and Yuryeva.

Sex is the most "healthy and natural" dope

In addition to chemical doping, which destroys the body, coaches and sports specialists are ready to use the characteristics of the human body. Active sex before a serious competition in women's sports also turns out to be a way to improve the result.

In the 60s of the XX century, experts noticed that during puberty, athletes are literally overwhelmed with energy and emotions. It turned out that falling in love allows the athlete to significantly increase their performance. And in the USSR, and then in the GDR, they decided to put this feeling at the service of big sport.

The girls, who used to be strictly looked after, got a little more freedom and began to run on dates more than once a month.

The results exceeded all expectations!

After some time, the presence of novels among young athletes became literally mandatory. To do this, they resorted to a wide variety of means: for example, they engaged in individual pandering or held joint gatherings of gymnasts and football players.

But the couple was not left unattended - very soon, experts discovered that love is love, but sex stimulates even better, because it positively affects the functioning of the pituitary gland, increases testosterone levels, and relaxes tense muscles ...

Swimmers and runners after a night of love covered the distance much faster, and synchronized skaters, figure skaters and gymnasts performed exercises more expressively.

When this fact was established, the coaches began to literally put out the light and put pressure on their wards in every possible way. And although the GDR and the USSR are long gone, their “formula for success” has not been forgotten: in 1997, the head coach of the English Olympic swimming team, Paul Hickson, was accused of corrupting 11 underage athletes - his pupils.

When Hickson was given the floor at the trial, he said that he only wanted victories for his girls. Strange, but for some reason the judges didn't get it.

Hormone bomb - pregnancy

Falling in love, of course, is a good thing, but the coaches wanted to find some kind of remedy that would serve not only as an incentive, but also as a powerful natural dope. And it was found.

It turned out that in the early stages of pregnancy, a substance called human chorionic gonadotropin is produced in the female body, which acts as a growth hormone, that is, it significantly improves the physical condition of a woman.

Moreover, during pregnancy, blood circulation increases, androgen and hormone levels increase, respiratory volume and pulmonary ventilation increase, and protein accumulates. All this surprisingly meets the needs of those sports, the achievements in which depend primarily on aerobic endurance - that is, running, swimming, flat skiing, rowing.

However, specialists in other sports disciplines also hastened to use the new method.

Gymnast Olga Karaseva, who won a gold medal in the team championship at the 1968 Olympics, later admitted that before the tournament, under pressure from her coach, she first became pregnant from her lover, and then had an abortion. Abortion is an important detail of the well-established mechanism of “legal doping”.

You can, of course, not terminate the pregnancy, but then you can immediately put, if not a cross, then an inkblot on your career. After all, after childbirth, you will have to recover, and competitors will not waste time. Therefore, compassionate coaches and government officials have always left their wards a choice. What are they, what kind of animals? If an athlete decided to give birth, then she could easily do it after the tournament. The main thing was to get pregnant three months before it started. Just by this time, a large supply of energy accumulates in the body - a woman becomes twice as hardy and stronger.

And you don’t have to worry about the loads: you just need to remove the exercises for the press and add them to your legs. An ordinary woman is unlikely to endure something like this, but for a professional athlete, daily training, strict adherence to the regimen, and diet are commonplace. Their pregnancy is even easier than untrained women. In general, it is a paradise for expectant mothers, and you can even get a gold medal.

Many girls put their unborn children on the altar of sports victories. The coaching attitude seemed natural to them: “pregnancy or exclusion from the team”

That is why even now in almost every major competition in the lists of participants you can find girls in an interesting position. German skeletonist Diana Sartor and Russian skier Larisa Kurkina participated in the Olympic Games in Turin, and Swedish Anna-Karin Olofsson participated in the 2008 Biathlon World Championship.

Gymnast Larisa Latynina did not win the Olympic Games alone, and Finn Liisa Veyalainen won the gold medal at the World Orienteering Championships just at the end of that very third month.

But luck does not favor everyone. For example, at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, the favorite of the competition, two-time Olympic champion in shooting, Marina Logvinenko, took only third place in one of the pistol exercises: due to terrible toxicosis, she was turned inside out endlessly.

Testosterone - doping for real Aryans

It is believed that the era of doping began in 1935 with the creation of injectable testosterone. Testosterone is a male hormone that is responsible for physical strength and endurance. It was prescribed by Nazi doctors to their soldiers to make them stronger and more aggressive. From the army, he quickly migrated to sports tracks.

He is associated with the resounding victory of the German team in the overall standings at the Berlin Olympics in 1936. In the 40s, athletes began to use steroids - roughly speaking, testosterone in a form that is easily absorbed by the body. Weightlifters and athletes of other power sports immediately got hooked on them: steroids perfectly stimulate the growth of muscle tissue and increase efficiency.

And in 1955, physiologist John Ziegler developed dianabol, a synthetic testosterone with enhanced anabolic properties, especially for the US weightlifting team. Its use increased protein synthesis and helped muscles recover faster after hard workouts. And it was relatively cheap, which led to its mass distribution. The coaches put whole salad bowls filled with dianabol on the tables, and the athletes ate it in handfuls, eating bread. Such a meal is called the "champion's breakfast".

It is interesting that women also did not refuse to “pump” with steroids, and representatives, more precisely, representatives of Germany, from its eastern part distinguished themselves in this. Their first triumph was at the swimming competitions at the 1976 Olympics, when masculine athletes from the GDR took almost the entire podium.

When journalists began to pay attention to their strange brutal figures and deep voices, the Germans answered that they had come to the competition not to sing songs. Four years later, in Moscow at the Olympics, the young, but very powerful representatives of the GDR smashed everyone. At that time, almost no one had any doubts about the reasons for such superiority, but it is clear that in the Soviet Union it was difficult to challenge the results of a friendly swimming team.

A few years later, some of the Olympic victors became men in the truest sense of the word, unable to overcome the hormonal transformation.

Athletes are vampires

In recent decades, so-called blood doping has become widespread in sports. It has been established that taking an athlete's own blood with its subsequent introduction into the body or an injection of donor blood after three to four weeks leads to an increase in maximum oxygen consumption (in other words, working capacity) by 8-10%.

An increase in hemoglobin levels and an improvement in oxygen transport under the influence of such blood doping contributes to a significant increase in endurance. The effectiveness of blood doping is especially high in cross-country skiing and long-distance running.

The success of US cyclists who received blood transfusions at the Los Angeles Olympics was largely due to the use of this method of stimulating endurance. At present, the method of using blood doping is quite well developed.

Experts believe that the use of donated blood is associated with a certain risk. Cases of infectious diseases are not excluded. These negative effects can be avoided by sampling, storage and subsequent administration of the athlete's own blood (autohemotransfusion), which is widely used in sports practice.

For a number of years, this method has been a practically legal means of improving the performance of athletes - and many sports victories and records have been the result of blood doping. Since the IOC's ban on blood doping in 1987, this problem has become particularly acute, since no reliable method has been developed to detect it.

Attempts to identify the use of blood doping by an excessively high level of hemoglobin were not successful, since high hemoglobin values may be due to the genetic characteristics of the athlete's body, training methods, and preparation in high altitude conditions. Some other proposed methods have not been found to be sufficiently effective. The situation is aggravated by the fact that hormonal agents officially approved in medicine, which increase hemoglobin and are used in the treatment of anemia, have become widespread in sports.

In particular, erythropoietin (EPO), with which we began our review, has become especially widespread as such a drug. For more than a decade (80-90s), erythropoietin has become an effective means of improving performance for many athletes. At that time, numerous records and bright victories at the Olympic Games and World Championships were obtained precisely through the use of EPO.

The recognition of erythropoietin as doping and the ban on its use in 2000 did not remove the problems - drugs of a similar effect appeared that were not prohibited by the IOC. In particular, EPO was replaced by a drug similar in nature of action and even more effective - darbepoetin, which appeared on the American market in 2001 and immediately entered the sport of high achievements.

The massive use of darbepoetin at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City led to a series of scandals and disqualifications. It should be noted that erythropoietin and darbepoetin, as synthetic drugs that stimulate an increase in the oxygen capacity of the blood, are more dangerous for the health of athletes compared to a completely physiological autohemotransfusion procedure. In this case, as in many others, it is easy to see the opposite effect of the desired effect of the ban: chemical preparations with a similar effect, but dangerous to health, have become widely used.

Everything in the endless insane race continues to develop in a spiral - more "natural" ways to achieve super results are prohibited, artificial analogues are replacing them. As soon as doping detection techniques are developed, new drugs are created that "mask" the use of stimulants. And so without end.

True, recently they have been talking about a new generation of doping, which can break the entire existing system of “struggle and unity of opposites”, that is, the war between athletes and anti-doping services. We are talking about genetic doping. If in the near future scientists learn to manipulate the genes responsible for certain athletic abilities, it will become almost impossible to identify dishonest athletes. Although how to know. After all, some time ago it seemed that the valiant guardians of doping purity were rapidly losing ground and were not able to play on equal terms with the most powerful pharmaceutical industry, which is behind the sport of great achievements.

But now some parity has been restored. And if so, it cannot be ruled out that the anti-doping war will continue in the future and success here cannot be guaranteed to anyone.

Tags:

Many celebrities have lost their medals and titles as soon as it turned out that their body contains foreign substances. Until now, there are many questions and doubts among leading experts about whether doping can be used. To answer this question, you should find out what it is and what it is used for.

Doping - what is it?

Doping is the use of illegal substances of natural or synthetic origin, which allow you to achieve the best results in sports. Taking drugs contributes to a temporary increase in the activity of the endocrine and nervous systems, increases muscle mass due to protein synthesis. Such drugs are listed in a special list of the World Anti-Doping Agency. Their use leads to unwanted side effects and harms human health.

How does doping work?

Anabolic steroid hormones are the most popular type. Such doping drugs contain testosterone, which is produced by male reproductive cells. With the help of anabolics, there is an increase in physical strength, muscle volume and endurance. After certain power limits have been reached with the help of drugs, they raise the capabilities of the human body to a new level with renewed vigor.

Doping in sports - pros and cons

For an athlete, the result is important, which he can achieve with the help of hard training. Therefore, all possible means are often used to achieve high results. It would be a mistake to hypocritically declare the desire to preserve the health of athletes. And only sports doping allows the athlete to maintain the body's performance during enormous physical exertion.

Expert opinions about whether doping can be used have diverged. Scholars who have argued for say that:

Permission to use doping will make sports safer, and there will be a drive to develop safer and more effective drugs.
The legalization of doping will help prevent drug overdoses and harm to athletes.

Scholars who have opposed say that:

Permitting doping can lead to clean athletes also taking it, and the integrity of the sport can be destroyed.
Athletes who take doping put themselves at great risk: cardiovascular disease, drug addiction, serious liver damage, sex changes, aggression.
Doping makes the sport unattractive, it will no longer be different from any other commercial activity.
The use of doping leads to unfair sport, violates the very concept of equality between athletes, and success in this case is achieved not through hard training, but through the body's chemical reaction to the substance.

Types of doping

There are the following types of doping in sports:

Stimulants. Contribute to increased efficiency, blood pressure, cardiac activity, violate thermoregulation.
Analgesics. They have an effect on the central nervous system, increase, and the athlete in case of injury is not able to understand its severity, which leads to even greater damage.
Beta blockers. They help to reduce the frequency of heart contractions, have a calming effect, improve coordination, and are used where serious physical activity is not needed.
Diuretics. Help to quickly lose weight. Such drugs are taken in order to improve and before doping control, in order to quickly remove illegal drugs from the body.
Erythropoietin promotes endurance.
A growth hormone promotes accelerated growth of muscle mass, reduction of body fat, accelerated wound healing, strengthening of immunity.
Insulin. Used in strength sports.
Anabolic steroid. They help to increase muscle mass up to ten kilograms per month, increase strength, endurance, performance, and reduce body fat.
Gene doping. This is the transfer of foreign genetic material or cells into the athlete's body. Many times stronger than all other drugs that once existed.

Doping for athletes

Doping in sports dates back to the times of the USSR. In those days, doctors created all kinds of drugs to improve the physical endurance of athletes. Gradually formed a list of popular medicines:

Erythropoietin is a banned doping for athletes.
Anabolic steroids in the form of testosterone, stanozolol, nandrolone, methenolone.
Blood transfusion - autohemotransfusion and blood transfusion.
Stimulants in the form of cocaine, ephedrine, ecstasy, amphetamines.

Dope for the brain

Doping for chess players is represented by drugs that improve brain function, mental activity, these are simulators and nootropics, the former have a powerful, but short-term effect, the latter have a cumulative effect, suitable for long-term stimulation. In the first and second cases, the drugs contribute to:

stimulation of blood flow in the brain;
improving the quality of nutrition of brain cells;
elimination of oxygen starvation;
improvement of cognitive abilities;
improvement of memory, attention.

Dope for endurance

Chemical or natural doping helps to achieve your goals. Chemical doping for running is used in the form of analeptics, growth hormones, diuretics and anabolics. Natural components are represented by beets, mollusks, leuzea, St. John's wort. Each of the above helps:

improving endurance and performance;
getting rid of fatigue;
increase in tone;
stimulation of muscle tissue growth;
excretion of fluid.

Doping for muscle building

Doping drugs help build muscle mass, they improve strength and burn subcutaneous fat. Pharmacy doping in bodybuilding is represented by the following drugs:

Hypoxen, increases endurance by 15%, removes shortness of breath, improves the utilization of oxygen in the blood, has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, it is a kind of dope for the heart.
Pentoxifylline, lowers blood viscosity, dilates blood vessels. Contraindicated in cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure. The drug is produced by prescription.
Lemongrass improves the tone of the central nervous system, improves digestion and sleep quality.
Potassium orotate is involved in the creation of protein molecules, helps build muscle.

Dope for strength

One of the important factors in achieving high sports results is physical strength. For this, athletes use auxiliary drugs:

Actoprotector, increases resistance, has a positive effect on the nervous system, cardio-respiratory system and muscle tissue.
Amino acids help in protein synthesis.
branch chain amino acids. The action of doping is manifested in an increase in energy by 10%, the restoration of glycogen in the muscles.
L-carnitine increases endurance, relieves fatigue, pain, burns excess fat.
Methionine, produces, does not allow the body to dehydrate.

How harmful is doping?

Doping also affects the psychological sphere, causing aggression, a thirst for victory and achieving goals. But due to the fact that anabolic agents are derivatives of male hormones, they suppress the work of the endocrine system of the male genital area, which leads to:

reduction of the testicles, their hormonal activity;
decrease in fertility to complete infertility;
deposition of fat cells, in places that are characteristic of the female body;
breast enlargement.

In women, hair loss occurs on the head according to the male pattern and hair growth, hair appears on the face, chest, abdomen, the voice becomes rough, low, the menstrual cycle occurs, the uterus atrophies, the secretion of the sebaceous glands and reproductive function increase. The harm of doping in men and women is manifested in an increase in cholesterol levels, the appearance of atherosclerosis, the development of ischemia, and liver damage.

How to dope?

If you want to dope at home at no extra cost, you can use the following recipes:

Energy drink. It tones and stimulates. Brew three tea bags in 200 ml of water with boiling water. After ten minutes, pour the solution into a plastic half-liter bottle, fill the rest with cold water. Add 20 tablets of ascorbic acid, shake, place in the freezer. During each workout, take a drink in small portions.
Caffeine free drink. Take a bottle, pour half a liter of mineral water into it, dissolve a few tablespoons of honey in it, add the juice of one lemon, 0.15-0.30 g, 10-20 drops of adaptogen alcohol tincture. Such a drink will fill you with energy, additionally stimulates and motivates.

Doping - interesting facts

For the first time it became known about doping during the Olympic Games in 1960. The use of illicit drugs is considered the most important problem of modern sports and many interesting facts are associated with it:

During archery competitions, athletes take the same drugs that surgeons use during operations to keep their hands from trembling.
In doping control, a pregnancy test is considered a prerequisite for female athletes, as scientists have learned that such a situation can increase some physical capabilities.
In the 1990s of the last century, scientists took blood from athletes, froze it, and then poured it on the eve of the competition. This helped to improve blood circulation, increase endurance. At the same time, no one could find traces of illegal drugs.
At the end of the twentieth century, it was proved that almost all athletes from the category of weightlifting won thanks to the use of doping drugs.