Ethics

In the sports world, the desire to win and to emerge as a spectacular performer is always a major motivation with all participants. As such, sportspersons seek to gain competitive advantage over their contenders. This has led to the use of performance enhancing drugs from as far as the history of sporting is known. This paper looks into the history of performance enhancement drugs focusing on the developments in this ethical issue in sports. At the same time, the paper explores the major players including the physicians, the sportspersons and anti-doping agencies in the issue of performance enhancement drugs.

History of performance enhancement drugs
The use of performance enhancers dates back to the ancient times and as far as sporting started. The drugs were more common in athletics. More than three centuries ago, donkeys were given concoctions made from ass hooves that were believed to enhance their performance. To gain a competitive edge in Olympics, athletes would resort to consuming sesame seeds as well as mushrooms with hallucinogenic effects. The popular magic mushrooms and cocoa leaves were popular among fighters.

During these early years of sporting, the use of these enhancers was evoking much ethical debate especially in late 19th century. The use of enhancers had also extended into other sports like swimming and cycling. At this time, the term doping became popularly used to refer to the use of drug enhancers. Complications resulting from use of the enhancers, which were mainly homemade, were common even resulting to death. Throughout the 20th century, cases of doping were very common in almost every sport and there were rising anti-doping campaigns and disqualifications upon discovery of doping. Doping also became more common among teenagers contrary to the higher prevalence in older persons. Performance enhancement drugs have come to be classified as anabolic steroids, stimulants or diuretics.

Ethical issues pertaining to doping have increased of late as sporting in all fields have gained popularity and interest. Not only is the focus on the end users of the drugs but also on physicians who are particularly involved in prescribing and researching on the same. According to Striegel et al (2005), the World Anti-Doping Code 2003 puts it that physicians are now considered as persons who can facilitate doping. This implies that physicians can face charges if they prescribe among the prohibited lists of drugs to sportspersons. The debate has also been elevated by the amendments of the 2004 Prohibited List which describes the drugs that are considered as performance enhancers. As such, sportspersons have to be very conscious while using these drugs, making clear boundaries between therapeutic purposes and performance enhancement motives.

The regulations laid by the World Anti-Doping Code have led to more controversies particularly in implementation of the regulations. This has brought in opponents of the code citing it as a liability to the sportsperson who shoulder the responsibility of being positive of performance enhancers. This is regardless of whether they had the intention of doping or not.

Conclusion
Use of performance enhancement substances is an old practice in sports stemming from the desire to have a competitive advantage. Doping has increased over the years with discovery of enhancement drugs such as anabolic steroids, stimulants and diuretics. The World Anti-Doping Agency has thereby intervened with regulations defining who participates in doping and which drugs are restricted in sports. Eventually, controversies have not ceased around this ethical issue and may not cease any soon.