How Can Anabolic Steroids Be Banned?

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADC) defines doping as the occurrence of one or more of the anti-doping rule violations set forth in Article 2.1 through Article 2.8 of the Code. It is each athlete’s personal responsibility to ensure that no prohibited substance enters his or her body. Athletes are responsible for any prohibited substance found to be present in their bodies. The use of drugs to enhance performance is considered unethical by most international sports organizations and especially the International Olympic Committee. The reasons for the banning of these particular drugs are mostly because health risks, fair advantages for all athletes, and for a “clean” image in sports for the public. An Anabolic steroid is the most popular banned
Ciba was a chemical company based in Basel, Switzerland. It has now merged with a German company called BASF. Anabolic steroids increase muscle mass and physical strength, and therefore is used in sports and bodybuilding to enhance strength and body structure. Olympic statistics show the weight of shot putters increased 14 percent between 1956 and 1972. Side effects in men show acne, impaired liver function, impotency, breast formation, increase in estrogen, erectile dysfunction, increased sex drive, and male pattern baldness. Side effects in women are hair loss, male pattern baldness, hypertrophy of the clitoris, increased sex drive, irregularities of the menstrual cycle, development of masculine facial traits, increased coarseness of the skin, and premature closure of the epiphysis. There are many cases in sports where steroids were used such as Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, Lance Armstrong, etc. “Since 1998 more than a third of the top finishers of the Tour de France have admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs in their careers or have been officially linked to doping" (According to The New York Times info graphic). There are some positives linked to