It is a sad truth that the world of professional sports is not just a competition between sportsmen; it also involves pharmacological preparations. In fact when the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was formed in 1999 at the European Championship games, a lot of athletes were caught using steroids, stimulants, amphetamines, or cannabinoids. On Tuesday, Italian distance runner Roberto Barbi was added to the long list of athletes who are confirmed users of performance enhancing drugs. He incurred a lifetime ban given by the Italian Olympic Committee’s anti-doping court. Barbi tested positive for EPO and ephedrine just after the Mende half-marathon, held in France last July 20. This was the player’s third doping violation.

Prior to the lifetime ban, Barbi incurred a four-year ban during the World Championships in Edmonton in 2001 because of the use of EPO. After successfully appealing his case, the sentence was later reduced to 25 months. He first tested positive for ephedrine in 1996 which meted him a three-month ban from the sport.

Ephedrine is banned among sportsmen because it causes a dramatic increase in the activity of the central nervous system. It has a significant stimulatory effect in the cells. Furthermore, an increase in the metabolism of the athlete is observed since more free fatty acids are created from the breakdown of the triglycerides in the adipose tissue. Ephedrine also forces a perk up in the contraction of the skeletal muscle, which has a powerful very evident effect on one’s performance.

Most of the time, the pill is taken before each competition to effect improved athletic performance. This is why a lot of sports bans its use during the competition. Another similar method for doping is “blood doping”, where the substance is administered through a blood transfusion or the use of hormone erythropoietin. The use of any of these substances is considered unethical, and illegal, in the international sports community, especially in the International Olympic committee. If caught, sanctions include being banned from competing as well as being stripped of any medals won.

The reason behind the ban for these drugs and methods is due to the health risks these performance-enhancing drugs bring to the users. Though the side-effects of these drugs have been widely documented, still athletes use them in order to have better results during competition.

Nowadays, it is not just the athletes who are using performance enhancing drugs. Increasingly, animals have also been part of doping for better performance. These include participants of any competition you could ever imagine, such as horses and greyhounds. Race horses, as well as those in equestrian sports are also being doped.

Indeed, Barbi learned his lesson the hard way. It is hoped that his case will serve as a deterrent for other players so they can inhibit themselves from being caught up with drugs. This should be an object lesson for other active players, seeing that the authorities are dead serious in guarding the sports for the sake of fair competition.

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