It has always been a challenge to the anti-doping authorities and as well as the Olympic Committee on how they would catch all cheating athletes. In every competition, an athlete’s objective is to excel and prove to other competitors that they are the best in their field of sports. However, in attaining this goal, some athletes use illegal means to enhance their performance. Sometimes trainers and coaches are also involved in doping their athletes. There were even reported cases of systematic doping where all athletes of a participating country underwent extreme training regimen with the help of banned substances.

The test for performance enhancing drugs was first used in the 1968 Olympics Games in Mexico City. International sports federations and participating nations have different drug testing requirements and procedures at that time. In 1999, the World Anti-Doping Agency was created which served as the standards setting organization for all international sports and the Olympic Games. WADA created the World Anti-Doping Code that lists the various prohibited drugs and methods. However, WADA encounters difficulty in keeping at pace with doping athletes. New designer steroids and other performance boosters were always introduced in international sports competition like the Olympics which helps the athletes get away with WADA’s doping tests.

WADA has a long list of prohibited substances. Examples of these are anabolic steroids, human growth hormones, and drugs that blocks, modulate or enhance natural hormones in the body. It also includes diuretics (which can be used to mask the use of steroids), stimulants, cannabinoids, beta blockers, narcotics, and glucocorticosteroids. More advanced method of doping were also prohibited by WADA which include blood boosting drugs that helps increase the oxygen intake of athletes and gene doping to alter gene expression in the athlete’s body.

The Winter Olympics in Canada boasts of its state-of-the-art drug testing laboratory. According to anti-doping scientists, it is the collaboration of different anti-doping agencies and uses the best equipments aimed to detect prohibited substances such as anabolic steroids and human growth hormones. However, the former BALCO founder who was famous for his undetectable designer steroids like THG or The Clear, still have some apprehension. “It still seems possible that there are designer steroids being used by Olympic caliber athletes and they are not testing positive,” said Victor Conte, BALCO founder.

Christiane Ayotte, the head of the anti-doping laboratory in Vancouver Winter Games, said that they are ready for new ways of doping used by some athletes including the use of anti-anemia drugs, micro-dosing, biological passports and new versions of testosterone. “I can tell you we are ready for some new things,” said Ayotte. They believe they can detect cheating athletes since they already have ample information and equipments to detect these drugs.

In an interview with the Canadian Press, Ayotte discussed some of the doping methods used. He said that micro dosing is gaining popularity but it is not yet clear whether it will give the athlete an increase in performance. “They take now, we know, micro dosages and they do it more frequently but at lowest concentration. And then they can mask it,” Ayotte said. He also said that the test for human growth hormone is not yet refined by the anti-doping lab but it was rarely used with other drugs. “It has to be kept in mind that GH alone has never been a very good doping agent,” Ayotte said.

When asked about the remarks of Victor Conte about the possibility of not detecting all doping athletes, Ayotte said that they are more ready now compare with the previous Olympics but agreed on the possibility. “I hate to give Victor Conte credit for anything but he was right. There are times in the season when you won’t get caught. We have to be more intelligent about our testing,” Ayotte added.

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