Mar 05 2009
The History of Steroid Use in the Olympics
Just before steroids were banned in the Olympics, East Germany (what was then the German Democratic Republic) began a program that synthesized new anabolic steroids for their athletes for use in international sports competitions. Their body of research on the use of steroids among athletes is the most extensive collection ever compiled to date. During that time, they consistently dominated the top ranks in various sports even if they were a relatively small country. They competed with the United States and the Soviet Union for total medals won in a variety of World Championships, including the Olympics. It was only in 1972 when a full-scale drug testing program in the Olympics was started.
By 1982, a test for detecting excessive levels of testosterone in the body was developed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), called the Testosterone/Epitestosterone ratio test. This test measured the levels of testosterone against the epitestosterone; if the testosterone level was found to be six times more than that of the epitestosterone level, it can be concluded that the excess testosterone was not produced naturally and that some form of testosterone was illicitly induced by the athlete. Normal testosterone levels cannot be more than six times the normal epitestosterone levels, which are found naturally in the body. If the testosterone level exceeds abnormally, it was not, in all probability, naturally occurring.
However, researchers and scientists from the German Democratic Republic was already one step ahead of the IOC. They were able to develop and test a form or testosterone on their athletes, which leaves the body quickly and restores the testosterone levels to normal. Their athletes were ready for testing within three days from their last steroid injection. A protocol was developed for their athletes to continue using steroids and stopping only just in time for passing the testosterone/epitestosterone ratio test. The German drug firm Jenapharm, who supplied the GDR government with steroids for administering to their athletes, also developed synthetic epitestosterone to bring back the ratio of the testosterone and epitestosterone to normal without having to stop the use of steroids. The GDR’s doping methods were so advanced that they remained undetected for years until late 1989.
Information that the GDR was concealing a systematic doping program sponsored by the government was leaked to the western media. By the early 1990’s, the East German athletes were finally caught and a huge scandal ensued. Since then, anabolic steroids gained a bad reputation in the sports world. At that time, they were also beginning to use steroids in the medical community for treating Cancer and AIDS patients. It was discovered that steroids helped in increasing lean body mass and improved the survival rates of patients since loss of lean body mass was associated with increased mortality rates.
Before 1988, steroids were used as uncontrolled prescription drugs and were classified as such by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). By 1988, the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act restricted the access of steroids and were made available only by prescription. At that time they were still not controlled substances. Today, steroids are labeled as a controlled substance and is banned for use in athletic purposes as sanctioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
[...] the certificate declaring her officially in the fourth position in the recently concluded Beijing Olympics. She said that she fought for it because she wished to reveal the truth - that she never came [...]
[...] After being banned from taking part in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Manipuri weightlifter Monika Devi was meted a two-year ban for doping when a WADA- accredited clinic in Tokyo, Japan, confirmed that her B sample had indeed tested positive for a banned substance. The Krishnamurthy Commission recommended that Devi’s ‘B’ sample be sent for testing to the Tokyo clinic in order to shed some light into the weightlifter’s doping episode. Earlier, the “A” sample from 28-year-old Devi was found to have “adverse analytical findings”, this cost her to lose her spot in the Beijing Olympics. [...]
[...] has never been since since Carl Lewis in the 1984 Olympic Games - winning all three events in one Olympic Game. Because of his remarkable perfomance, he fast became the media and crowd favorite, earning the [...]
[...] which were state-supported. This resulted to winning a lot of medals, during the winter and summer Olympic Games. They have continuously been taking these dopants but later realized that their bodies have been [...]
[...] may still take the risk of using prohibited substances to gain competitive advantage. In every Olympic competition, many athletes are still found violating the IOC rules particularly the list of banned substances. [...]