“The sad thing about doping is how much it obscures our appreciation of greatness” — Malcolm Gladwell
In the realm of competitive sports, the pursuit of victory often tempts athletes to seek shortcuts through performance-enhancing substances. However, the essence of sportsmanship lies in the purity of the competition, where talent, dedication, and hard work reign supreme. Embracing clean sports not only preserves the integrity of athletics but also ensures a level playing field for all participants.
Nigerians were left in disbelief when it was announced that Tobi Amusan, a world-record hurdler, faced an anti-doping rules violation for missing three drug tests within a year. Following an investigation, she was cleared of all charges, allowing her to compete in the World Athletics Championships in Budapest.
However, reports from the International Testing Agency (ITA) on July 28th revealed that Cynthia Ogunsemilore, Nigeria’s women’s boxing representative at the Olympics, had been suspended for failing a doping test. This suspension barred her from participating in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Cynthia Ogunsemilore via The Sun
Every year since 2004, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has annually updated the World Anti-Doping Code, which includes a list of prohibited substances and related documents that outline the official international anti-doping standards. But despite the explicit expression of regulations, athletes still fall short.
In 2020, the number of anti-doping rule violations worldwide totalled 910, which marked an improvement compared to the year before. Meanwhile, the anti-doping rule violations reported worldwide showed that 66% resulted in sanctions, with athletics and cycling recording the most violations worldwide in 2020. Athletes caught doping face disqualification, loss of medals, and damage to their reputation and career.
What do athletes take?
Depending on the sport and the physical attributes it requires, athletes often turn to drugs for one or more of the following benefits: recovering from an injury, increasing body recovery capacity after training, increasing muscle mass and strength, decreasing fat tissue, and increasing endurance. Here are some doping substances:
Stimulants like cocaine, ecstasy, nicotine, and caffeine may be used by athletes to reduce fatigue and increase their alertness. Health risks include panic attacks, heart problems, addiction, and violent behaviour.
Anabolic steroids increase muscle size and strength. Women may get a deep voice, hair growth on the face, stomach, and upper back, and a changed menstrual cycle. While men may also see breast growth, shrinking testicles, reduced sperm production, and erectile dysfunction (impotence).
Human growth hormones and peptide hormones include human growth hormone (HGH), insulin etc. Health risks include hypertension (high blood pressure), heart attacks, thyroid problems, severe headaches, acromegaly (overgrown head, hands and feet), and diabetes.
Blood doping and EPO increases the number of red blood cells and can improve endurance. Health risks include blood clots, heart attack, stroke, and pulmonary embolism.
Beta-blockers slow the heart rate, reducing blood pressure, anxiety to help athletes who need a steady hand, such as in archery, shooting, darts and golf. Health risks include reduced blood flow to your hands and feet, dizziness, fatigue (tiredness), dry mouth, and drowsiness.
Image via Nursing CE Central
Diuretics promote the loss of water from the body to reduce weight or to flush other drugs out of the body. Health risks include dehydration, dizziness, muscle cramps, joint conditions, and increased blood sugar.
Although anti-doping controls are becoming more rigorous, doping and, very importantly, masking doping methods are also advancing, and they are usually one step ahead of doping detection techniques.
Athletes who have been sanctioned for doping
Doping, or the use of performance-enhancing substances, has long been a controversial issue in athletics. From high-profile scandals to stringent anti-doping measures, the issue continues to challenge the essence of sportsmanship and ethical competition. There is no denying that Nigerian athletes are blazing the trail on global sport scenes, but in recent years, some of them have been caught up in the doping controversy.
Blessing Okagbare
Okagbare via Getty Images
Nigerian sprinter Blessing Okagbare received a ten-year ban for being part of an “organised doping regimen” ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. The former World Championship silver medallist was suspended before she was due to run in the semi-finals of the 100 metres at the Olympics.
Okagbare tested positive for blood booster EPO in Nigeria, in addition to another failed test for human growth hormone in Slovakia. The AIU imposed a ban of five years on her for the use of multiple prohibited substances. Her suspension was doubled for her refusal to cooperate with the investigation.
Divine Oduduru
Oduduru via MoreBranches
Oduduru is a Nigerian sprinter who competed in the Tokyo Olympics. He was banned for six years for committing two doping violations. He was found to possess and attempt to use prohibited substances such as human growth hormone, insulin growth factor, and erythropoietin.
Tosin Adeloye
Adeloye via CNN
Adeloye, a former African junior 400m champion tested positive for the anabolic steroid, Methenolone, at the National Sports Festival in Lagos in December 2012, at the age of 16. She was subsequently banned from participating in any athletics event for two years ending on 6 January 2015.
Tosin failed another drug test in 2016, and was given eight years away from any athletics tournament.
Vivian Chukwuemeka
Vivian Chukwuemeka via Getty Images
Before her lifetime ban, Chukwuemeka was to shot put what Blessing Okagbare was to the sprints. She was miles ahead of her contemporaries, especially on the home front, holding Nigerian and African records in the event. Her 18.43 seconds mark, set almost 20 years ago, has not been matched by anyone on the continent.
It appears her exceptional performances may have been achieved with some performance-enhancing drugs. Although she fought fiercely against a two-year ban after failing a drug test at the 2009 Nigerian Championship, there was no coming back for the towering thrower when she failed a second drug test shortly before the Olympic Games in London. She was given a lifetime ban from competition.
How are doping tests conducted?
The procedure for conducting doping tests, set by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), requires athletes to be tested in and out of competition.
Athlete notification for testing
Athletes can be tested 365 days a year at any time and any location without advance notice. An assigned Doping Control Officer (DCO) usually locates the athletes and informs them about the requirement to provide a sample, including their rights and responsibilities. Athletes are also required to sign a form to acknowledge and accept the notification.
Sample selection
Blood and urine samples are used for drug testing athletes. For urine sample collection, the DCO makes sure they can see the urine coming out of the athlete’s body clearly and it is collected in a tamper-proof bottle.
For blood testing, athletes follow similar procedures, but a healthcare professional typically collects the sample under the supervision of the DCO. The wet blood is collected in vials, stored, and transported for analysis at 2-12° C.
Declaration and certification
The athletes are also required to inform the DCO about medications or supplements they have taken within the last seven days.
Transfer of the samples to the lab
Once the samples and accompanying documents are presented to the Doping Control Station, each custody transfer is documented until the samples arrive at the laboratory.
Lab testing
Urine samples are subjected to lab analysis using a range of tests. Each analytical test is appropriate to the respective prohibited substance, whether testing in-competition or out-of-competition.
A blood analysis detects any blood manipulation through transfusion and identifies biomarkers for the human growth hormone. It also quantifies endogenous blood parameters like reticulocytes, haemoglobin, and hematocrit.
Routine monitoring of such blood parameters also detects indirect doping practices.
Reporting the results
The lab analysis results are reported to the respective anti-doping organisation. The athlete can participate in the competition if the analysis does not detect any prohibited substances.
If the test results are positive for any prohibited substance, the athletes violate the Analytical Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV), and the anti-doping organisation must notify them. Depending on the ADRV, WADA may disqualify the athletes or set a period of ineligibility to compete.
The athletes may also request another analysis to be conducted in their presence accompanied by their representative for transparency.
The future of doping
Interestingly, some experts recommend the legalisation of doping in sports. They believe the fight against doping is misguided, and that athletes should be allowed to use drugs. They argue that since athletes use drugs to boost their sports skills, gaining an edge over others, if all athletes dope, no one has an unfair advantage because everyone can improve their performance.
Furthermore, they believe that providing all athletes with equal access to resources and subjecting them to medical supervision could enhance the overall performance standard. Despite the argument for the legalisation of doping in sports to create a level playing field, it is crucial to uphold the integrity of sports by maintaining a strict stance against doping.
Allowing doping would not only compromise the health and well-being of athletes but also tarnish the fundamental principles of fair competition and sportsmanship. To minimise the phenomenon of doping, information and prevention programs, starting with athletes at a young age and involving other stakeholders (e.g. the athletes’ doctors, coaches or family), are necessary to establish and maintain correct attitudes and behaviours.
WADA via Paris Olympics
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) plays a crucial role in combating doping by establishing and enforcing anti-doping policies and regulations worldwide. However, sports organisations, athletes, and fans need to work together to uphold the values of clean and fair competition in sports.
By prohibiting doping, sports can continue to serve as a platform where true talent, dedication, and hard work are celebrated, ensuring that victories are earned through sheer merit and not artificial enhancements.
