Description
The use of illegal performance-enhancing drugs in elite sport, known as ‘doping’, is hidden in nature and increasingly widespread. Recent local and international doping scandals involving professional cyclists and football players have brought the issue of drugs in sport under greater scrutiny. Catching drug cheats is essential if sports are to be conducted fairly and if harmful health effects from drug abuse are to be avoided. A number of sports are plagued by suspicions that many top athletes resort to drug-taking to enhance their performance through the use of such substances as anabolic steroids, human growth hormone, erythropoietin (EPO), beta-blockers, stimulants and diuretics.
This book examines anti-doping regulation in Australia and globally, and presents a range of opinions on the ethics of drugs in sport. Elite sports people are always seeking a competitive edge, to break records and win, sometimes at an ethical cost. What substances and methods are considered doping, and how can regulation and testing ensure all athletes have a sporting chance? Should drug cheats continue to be punished for doping, or should doping be made legal?
Chapter 1: Performance-enhancing drugs and anti-doping
Chapter 2: Ethics of drugs in sports
Worksheets and activities; Fast facts; Glossary; Web links; Index
