The IOC instituted its first compulsory doping controls at the Winter Olympic Games in Grenoble, France in 1968 and again at the Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City in the same year. From this point on, the laws on performance enhancing drugs continued to become stricter. Not only was a separate agency formed to battle doping in sports (World Anti-Doping Agency: 1999), but now most professional sports governing associations have strict laws and consequences on the use of banned substances on violating participants. .
Types of Banned Performance Enhancing Drugs:.
The list of drugs banned from the Olympics is determined by the World Anti-Doping Agency, to deal with the increasing problem of doping in the sports world. The banned substances and techniques fall into the following categories:.
• Androgens.
Synthetic substances like Anabolic steroids that increase testosterone and epitestosterone levels, thereby improving muscle strength and endurance.
• Blood Doping.
Is the injection of red blood cells, related blood products that contain red blood cells, or artificial oxygen containers into the blood stream. This results in unnatural levels of red blood cells improves oxygen transport and athletic endurance.
• Peptide Hormones.
Similar to anabolic steroids these concentrations of hormones are injected into the athletes blood stream to increase levels of naturally occurring growth and sexual hormones. This results in size, strength, and endurance gains.
• Stimulants.
Stimulants directly affect the central nervous system, increasing blood flow and heart rate. These substances are taken in an attempt to increase, focus, attention and endurance.
• Diuretics.
Diuretics, which increase the production of urine, are chemical compounds which interfere with drug tests, are banned for two reasons. First, they decrease water retention and thus decreasing an athlete's weight, an important consideration in many speed sports, they increase the speed of an athlete.
