What Is Doping?
Sports have a significant role in the lives of the athlete. The indulgence is for the purpose of being active as well as for entertainment. For professionals, sports are a matter of their esteem. Since financial perks are also attached to the win, the urge to be on top has led many sportsmen to take up the means by which they can increase their endurance.
The abuse of drugs for endurance and better performance is called doping. Apart from the debate of fair play, the fatalities in athletes owing to drug abuse are also seen. The testing is done by athletic drug testing.
Athletic Drug Testing - This is done to detect the banned drug in competing athletes. The testing is done in blood samples or urine samples. The detection of any substance in samples may result in disqualification, sanctions, and permanent removal from the international list.
Which Kinds of Drugs Are Banned by the Anti-doping Agency?
The abuse of drugs in sports is checked by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Some common drugs that are banned are
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Anabolic Steroids.
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Stimulants.
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Human growth hormone.
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Diuretics.
These drugs have serious life-threatening side effects. The use of these drugs may enhance performance in the short term, but it compromises fair play, and above all, the long-term effects are fatal. The anti-doping agency has formulated a list of banned drugs which is based on the concept of fair play, the spirit of sport, and the health risks involved. Based on this, the drugs banned can be categorized into
1. The Drugs That Are Banned In and Out of Competition:
These drugs are banned altogether by the agency while in competition or otherwise too.
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Non-Approved Substances: These are drugs banned by the authoritative body to be used for therapeutic use.
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Anabolic Agents- These are androgenic steroids that are banned all the time, like Nandrolone, Danazol, 1-Testosterone, and many more in this list.
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Peptide Hormone, Growth Factors - These are growth-enhancing drugs /supplements. Darbepoetin, Hypoxia-inducible factor activating agents like cobalt, GATA inhibitors, and Innate repair receptor agonists are a few examples of this category of drugs that are abused. Peptide hormones are Buserelin, Gonadorelin, and Corticorelin. Growth hormones can be of two subtypes: growth hormone releasing factors and growth factor modulators.
These growth hormones affect muscles, tendons, ligament regeneration, and every utilization. They have short-term benefits but are notorious if used long-term.
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Beta 2 Antagonist - All selective beta two antagonists are prohibited. They include drugs like Formetorol, Oladetorol, and Salbutamol.
Since salbutamol is used in therapeutic use, too, there is a criterion for it. It is not an abuse if inhaled salbutamol is a maximum of 1600 micrograms over 24 hours.
Hormone and Metabolic Inhibitors - They include:
a) Aromatase inhibitors like Anastrazole, Letrozole.
b) Estrogenic Substances like Raloxifine, Torimefine, and Fulvestrant.
c) Agents preventing activitin receptors.
d) Metabolic modulators like insulin and insulin mimetics.
- Diuretics and Masking Agents - They are banned due to their masking ability to hide other prohibited substances. Also, they help in rapid weight loss, which is for endurance in athletes.
2. Drugs Are Prohibited in Competition:
These are the drugs that are banned in competition, which includes the time period from before midnight on the day the competition is to be held to the end of the competition. These drugs mainly include
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Stimulants: Exceptions in this group include Clonidine and Caffeine. Also, when the concentration of Caffeine in the prime is less than five gms micrograms per liter, it is an exception. Epinephrine, too, is not prohibited in local administration.
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Narcotics -This includes all optical isomers like Buprenorphine, Fentanyl, and Hydromorphone.
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Cannabinoids - All synthetic and natural forms like marijuana and cannabis. Exceptions are cannabidiol. Athletes should be aware that some CBD products, which are used to treat inflammation, pain, and anxiety, can show positive test results.
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Glucocorticoids - These are prohibited when administered in the body via injectable or oral route. They include Beclomethasone, Betamethasone, Dexamethasone, Cortisone, Deflazacort.
3. Banned in Particular Sports:
This category consists of beta blockers that are prohibited in the compilation of particular sports. The sports in which these drugs are banned are Golf, Darts, Archery, Billards, Shooting, Skiing or snow skating, and underwater sports.
All beta-blockers like Atenolol, Acebutolol, Timolol, Sotalol, Metoprolol, Pindolol, Labetalol, Nadolol, and Propranolol are prohibited in competition in the above-listed sports.
Conclusion:
The concept of doing so is still to be researched in collaboration on international levels. The sportsmen still appear positive for doping. Universal rules and regulations for all sports must be applied. On the other hand, the list of prohibited drugs needs to be updated regularly, and exemptions for therapeutic drugs should be regularly checked.
