Why is drug testing important for athletes?
3 min read
Asked by: Duke Fiedler
Drug testing promotes equity in sport and helps to deter drug cheats from using banned substances. It promotes athlete health and safety while attempting to maintain fair play. However, drug testing does not always catch athletes, and is often having to develop new testing methods for the new drugs being released.
Why do athletes get tested?
The biggest reason to test student athletes for drug use is to prevent the use of steroids, hormones, and other performance-enhancing drugs, all of which are forms of cheating.
Why do athletes choose to take drugs?
Athletic life may lead to drug abuse for a number of reasons, including for performance enhancement, to self-treat otherwise untreated mental illness, and to deal with stressors, such as pressure to perform, injuries, physical pain, and retirement from sport.
What happens if an athlete fails a drug test?
Failing a test for an NCAA-banned drug means the student-athlete cannot take part in any regular-season or postseason competition, unless a medical exception is granted.
How does drug testing promote fair play?
Drug testing techniques were introduced in sports to promote fair play. It ensures that no athlete enjoys an unfair advantage over other participants who are trying to win the game without implementing unfair tactics.
Why professional athletes should not be drug tested?
If there aren’t regular drug tests the drug use would spread to everyone. This would cause the sport to become way more violent. Drug abuse occurs in many sports. Also, athletes turn to substances to deal with many stressors, including pressure to perform, and bad physical pain.
When did drug testing start in sports?
Modern day drug testing was first introduced in the 1968 Olympic Games. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) was established in 1999 to promote, coordinate and monitor the fight against doping in sports.
What are the effects of using drugs in sports?
Adverse effects related to human growth hormone range in severity and may include:
- Joint pain.
- Muscle weakness.
- Fluid retention.
- Diabetes.
- Vision problems.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome.
- Impaired glucose regulation.
- Enlarged heart (cardiomegaly)
What are the pros and cons of drug testing?
The Pros of Workplace Drug Testing
- It promotes safety.
- It reduces company liability.
- It keeps employees accountable.
- It saves the company money.
- It’s an additional expense.
- It violates employee privacy.
Why drugs should be allowed in sports?
By allowing everyone to take performance enhancing drugs, we level the playing field. We remove the effects of genetic inequality. Far from being unfair, allowing performance enhancement promotes equality.
Do athletes have to take drug tests?
Student athletes in both college and high school have to endure long practices and training sessions, while also continuing to perform well in school. Student athletes also have to take part in random drug testing.
What are the pros and cons of drug testing in sport?
Drug testing promotes equity in sport and helps to deter drug cheats from using banned substances. It promotes athlete health and safety while attempting to maintain fair play. However, drug testing does not always catch athletes, and is often having to develop new testing methods for the new drugs being released.
Should high school athletes get drug tested?
Urine drug testing is the industry standard and recommended over hair or saliva testing which may not be defendable in court. Drug testing programs can be mandatory, as with interscholastic student athletes, voluntary as part of a student assistance program, or based on reasonable suspicion only.
