A constant battle has been fought as the International Olympic Committee struggles to keep drug testing up-to-date and effective. We have come to associate drug use with a few famous fallen heroes, such as Ben Johnson, but few realize just how widespread drug use is in Olympic sport, and how small a percentage of offenders are ever detected. Recent studies show that increased testing procedures have done little to deter athletes from relying on drugs to aid performance and that drug use among Olympic athletes is actually on the rise.
Performance-enhancing drug use is not limited to the Olympic Games. There are few sports that have not been affected in some way by drug use, and the effect has usually been negative. Certain sports quickly come to mind when people think of drug use. People think of bodybuilders and weight lifters as obvious candidates for using steroids and other muscle or strength-building substances, but few would consider long distance runners or gymnasts as potential drug abusers. However, there are numerous substances currently available with potential benefits for athletes in all sports. .
The desired effects of illegal substances range from increasing muscle size and strength, to decreasing fatigue, providing quick temporary weight loss, inhibiting growth, and even simple pain relief. Most professional sports do not have rigorous testing procedures for performance enhancing drugs for the simple facts that there are too many drugs to test for, and the tests are deemed too easy to beat (Corelli, 1996). This presents the International Olympic Committee (IOC) with one of it's greatest challenges; trying to keep drug testing procedures at a par with the technology of today's pharmacists. Many ask what constitutes a performance-enhancing drug. An ergogenic or performance aid is defined as any substance or method used to enhance athletic performance (Tipton, 1997). Currently, the IOC has over two hundred substances on it's Prohibited Substance list, which are broken down into five main categories; Stimulants, Narcotics, Anabolic Agents, Diuretics, and Peptide and Glycoprotein hormones and analogues.
