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Issues in Physical Activity and Sport: Drugs in Sport PART A: 1. Serbian former world No.12 tennis player Viktor Troicki is banned for 18 months for failing to provide test sample. Source: The Telegraph UK Date of Publication: 25th July, 2013 * Troicki’s claim that he had been given permission to skip the April 15 test because he was feeling unwell was rejected by the International Tennis Federation * Troicki managed to reach the third round of Wimbledon. He will be banned until 24th January, 2015, unless he appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. * He must also forfeit all of his prize money and rankings points earned at Monte Carlo, where the test took place. * The ITF reported: “Viktor Troicki has been found to have committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation under Article 2.3 of the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme (refusing or failing without compelling justification to submit to sample collection). * He was notified on 15th April, 2013 that he was requested to provide a urine sample and a blood sample. He provided the urine sample but not a blood sample. * Troicki asserted that he was feeling unwell and was under duress, as before the trial he had lost to Spain’s Tommy Robredo. The tribunal accepted this and he was given his 18-month ban as punishment. 2. Top 18 riders in the Tour de France have been caught using blood-boosting agent EPO. Lance Armstrong ‘not surprised’. Source: The Telegraph UK Date of Publication: 25th July, 2013 * The French Senate has released names of 18 riders who tested positive for EPO, including the top two: Italian Marco Pantani and German Jan Ullrich. 13 others were also named as having suspicious samples. * Armstrong stated: “My initial reaction is that I’m not surprised. Virtually all of us broke the rules, and lied about it.” * The results of the 1998 Tour de France tests revealed Armstrong also tested positive for EPO. He has been stripped of his seven Tour titles; however no action has been taken against Pantani or Ullrich. * "I will leave this up to other people and the passage of time to determine if the punishments doled out, or not, meet the crimes on any individual basis," added Armstrong, who reiterated his call for a truth and reconciliation commission to deal with doping. 3. Stuart O’Grady admits to doping. Source: The New Zealand Herald Date of Publication: 25th July, 2013 * Australian cycling great Stuart O'Grady has admitted to doping during the 1998 Tour de France. * According to the government report, O'Grady returned a "suspicious" doping test at the 1998 Tour de France. * O’Grady is listed as one of the many riders in the 1998 Tour de France who used EPO, labelling the competition of 1998 infamous. After the release of the report, O’Grady admitted to using EPO. * O’Grady stated: “Leading into the Tour I made a decision, I sourced it (EPO) myself. There was no one else involved; it didn't involve the team in any way. I just had to drive over the border and buy it at any pharmacy.” * He was among four Australians who rode in the infamous 1998 Tour, which will forever be remembered as a landmark in the sport's tarnished doping history. He was the only Australian named in the list of the 30 riders. * "That's the hardest thing to swallow out of all this - it was such a long time ago and one very bad judgement is going to taint a lot of things and people will have a lot of questions." 4. NRL expecting same treatment as AFL players in ASADA doping investigation. Source: ABC News Date of Publication: 22nd July. 2013 * News Limited claimed that less than two weeks after the Australian Crime Commission released its report into drugs in sport and organised crime on February 7, the AFL and ASADA struck a deal to give Bombers players ‘an immediate level of comfort’. * While ASADA's investigation into Essendon is being finalised, the probe into 30 current NRL players is expected to take much longer after all interviews were suspended in May. * The NRL said it had received reassurances from both the government and ASADA that rugby league players would receive equal treatment as those from Essendon. An NRL spokesman stated: "From the highest levels, we have been assured continually that all parties will be treated equally throughout the process.” 5. Warne sent home after drug test. Source: The Guardian Date of Publication: 11th February. 2003 * Shane Warne has been sent home from the World Cup after testing positive for diuretics - a drug often used to help weight loss or as a masking agent for other drugs. * Warne failed the test in January, however denied any wrong doing on his part. He stated: "I'm shocked and absolutely devastated because I didn't take performance enhancing drugs," he said. "I never have and don't condone them in any shape or form." * "I took a fluid reduction tablet ... which I did not know contained a prohibited substance," Warne insisted. "The tablet actually dehydrates you and gets rid of any excess fluid in the body." * "We support ASADA in its random testing. At the same time, we commend Shane for his open and co-operative approach." * If Warne is found guilty, he could face a maximum ban of two years. * Warne insisted that he had often undergone random drugs tests in Australia, adding: "My previous tests have always come back negative and so will any future ones." PART B: 1. Define the following and give an example of each: * Recreational drug use - Recreational drug use is the use of a drug with the intention of creating or enhancing recreational experience. These include drugs such as alcohol that is taken to trigger a happy state of mind. * Performance-enhancing drugs – Performance-enhancing drugs are substances used by athletes to improve their performances. An example of this is blood-boosters which increase the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood beyond its natural capacity and is commonly used in endurance sports such as cycling. * Medicinal drugs – Also known as pharmaceutical drugs, medicinal drugs are chemical substances intended for use in medical diagnosis, cure, treatment or prevention of diseases. An example of this is antidepressants, which help to alleviate the symptoms of depression. 2. Analyse how drug use can have a negative effect on: * The Player – Many athletes, or just sports players in general, feel it is necessary to take drugs in order to be successful. However, there are many negative effects of drug use for athletes. Firstly, it can affect the player’s health, in a manner of long-term effects. It can also affect the player’s performance, as drugs can be unexpected and can alter thoughts and actions on the field. Also, if a player gets caught, there are serious consequences for drug use. Not to mention, they’ll gain a stain on their reputation for life. * The Family – Athletes may not realise it, but when they abuse drugs, it doesn’t only affect themselves, but the people surrounding them as well, such as their family. The player’s drug use may have influential tendencies. It would increase the likelihood of young family members developing drug problems as well. Also, it could cause a great dysfunction in the family, as the player’s family members might feel disappointed or ashamed of the player and would sever their ties with them. This could cause a heavy burden on both the family and the player. * The Club/ Team – Fans are a significant aspect of the sporting world. Without them, there is no sport. So when one player who has thousands of fans is caught using drugs, it affects their fans as much as it does them. Athletes are seen as icons and role models, especially to the younger fans, who could easily be influenced to mimic the player’s actions. For the older fans, they would feel disappointment and loss towards the situation. For the player’s team, it would be even worse. For a player to get caught using drugs, it would leave a large mark on the team’s reputation. They would be labelled negatively in their area of sport. 3. Analyse how drug use can have a positive effect on: * The Player – Although drug use is typically a negative aspect of port, sometimes it can have positive effects. For example, if a player were injured during a game and found out that it would take a long period of time to recover properly and resume playing, they would be devastated. However, there are some drugs available that can help speed up the recovery process and help give the athlete a mild enhancement during the early stages of getting back into the game. This would not be considered unfair, as the athlete is not trying to be better than anyone else or trying to enhance their performance but only trying to push themselves until they can resume at their normal pace. * The Family – If a player is only using the drug to help recover from a recent injury or to resume playing after their injury has healed, it might be considered somewhat acceptable. If the player’s family knows this, they might understand and support the player. They can also help to ensure the player doesn’t continue using the drug after they have properly healed and have continued at their normal pace. Rather than shunning the player, they could help by supporting the player through the recovery process and then slowly discontinuing their use of the drug. In this way, there is no unfair advantage and the player can continue to participate normally. * The Club/ Team – Similarly to the situation with the family, if the player’s team knows and understands the circumstances, they could also be there to support the player through the process and help them stop using the drug afterwards. However, as they are all athletes, they could help the player get back into shape through recommended strategies such as particular workouts or certain healthy diets. PART C: The relationship between sponsors and athletes can be defined as mutual. As most people know, a sponsor sponsors an athlete in order to gain publicity and an athlete needs a sponsor in order to gain money. This money can be used towards training, equipment, etc. However, this relationship is more complex than just that and is of a high importance that should not be underestimated. Sponsors have a tendency to generally sponsor athletes that have made their mark in sporting history. Those who have put their face out there and are renowned form around the world. In this way, the sponsor is more likely to obtain publicity from that athlete than one who is of a lower profile. The fans of the athlete will be more likely to actually buy from the sponsors if the athlete is someone they know, or better yet, someone they are a fan of. However, this relationship goes both ways. When a company sponsors an athlete, they pay the athlete to advertise their name, sometimes with funds, resources or services. Usually this is done by wearing the name on the uniform or appearing in an advertisement endorsing one of the company’s products. By sponsoring the athlete, the company is entitled to some form of rights or associations with the athlete that may be used to help the business commercially. Not only does the company or organisation gain publicity from this agreement; they also receive other benefits. The relationship helps build the company’s reputation within the community, generates goodwill and can be considered as a cost-effective alternative to traditional advertising. So even with sponsors supporting an athlete, why are they still tempted to use doping as a means to achieve high results in their chosen sport' Well, this can be related back to sponsorship. On a global scale, athletes are already using doping in order to enhance their performances in their sports and further their reputations. However, in this case, athletes are using doping in order to maintain the agreement with the sponsor. If an athlete’s performance starts to drop or there are other competitors who are ahead of them in the competition, the athlete starts to consider using drugs to enhance their performance. This is because companies don’t want to sponsor athletes who aren’t succeeding in their chosen sport. They want to sponsor athletes who are high profile. Thus, when an athlete feels he can do better, he turns to drugs to better himself. This is to maintain the sponsorship agreement with the organisation. For instance, Usain Bolt, the world’s fastest man, signed a deal with the sports brand Puma. Usain is a very high profile athlete and Puma is a worldwide organisation. However, there has been no evidence of Usain Bolt involved in any doping scandals. There are many theories revolving around the matter stating that he probably is but he has not been caught using any illicit drugs so far. If he were caught though, the deal with Puma would probably be cut, as sponsoring an athlete who has used doping as a means of being better would stain their reputation. So as we can see, sponsorship plays a major role in the sporting world, for without one, the other can’t survive. The agreement is one of a mutual sense and both sides help one another so that they both benefit from the deal. We can also observe the relation between sponsorship and doping, as athletes wish to perform better so that they might sign with more renowned corporations. Furthermore, sponsorship is essential in sport and doping seems to be an inevitable and relatable aspect of the two.