Weekly Online Lesson Online Lesson Archive Grade Level: 8-12 Subject: Sports/Medicine

The Drug Games

With official conclusion of the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, people around the world are wondering how the Sydney games will be remembered. International Olympic Committee president Juan Antonio Samaranch says these games have been "the best ever." But after much stricter enforcement of the Olympic no-doping policy, and more accurate and thorough drug testing that disqualified many athletes, the Sydney Olympics are in danger of being remembered as the Drug Games.

Forty-one would-be Olympians were caught cheating before they ever reached Sydney. Nine were thrown out after they got here. Eight were stripped of medals when drug tests showed positive. The most controversial case was that of Romanian gymnast Andreea Raducan who won the all-around gold medal. The 16-year-old was given cold medicine by her team doctor that, without her knowledge, contained a banned substance that almost certainly didn't enhance — and could have impeded — her performance.

The IOC, while admitting sympathy, said rules were rules. An appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport found in favor of the IOC, emphasizing that athletes are ultimately responsible for what goes into their body.

The focus of this week's lesson is not the question of whether athletic doping should be so strictly enforced, but about the substances themselves and why they are banned. You will learn the names of the drugs, why taking them constitutes cheating, and how they seriously threaten the life and health of the athletes.

Banned Substances

What substances are banned from Olympic competition and why are they banned? What exactly constitutes chemical cheating? What effects do banned substances have on athletic performance, and what are the dangerous side-effects of these drugs?

Begin your investigation of performance-enhancing drugs by visiting Banned Substances, an interactive site hosted by MSNBC. On the left you will see six types of banned substances or doping methods. Click each of these links and read about them. As you read, note the name of each drug mentioned (for use later on). For some topics there are multiple pages; click the arrow buttons at the lower right to advance the text.

What are anabolic agents and what do they do to the body? What are narcotic analgesics? Why do you suppose they are not banned in the NFL? What type of drug is caffeine, a substance found in coffee, tea, and many soft drinks?

Mayo Clinic

Now that you have an overview of substances banned for competitors, visit the web site of the Mayo Clinic's Medicine Center. Here you can get detailed information about prescription drugs of all kinds, including stimulants and anabolic steroids.

From the list of drugs you wrote as you were reviewing the Banned Substances site, choose at least ten substances and enter the name in the Medicine Center search box and click Search. For example, search for "nandrolone", a common anabolic agent. The search yields 29 results. Choose the first result: anabolic steroids (this page applies to nandrolone and three other similar medications). Read the Description, Proper Use, and Precautions or Side Effects. What is the proper use of this drug? What are the possible side effects, both serious and minor? Who should not take this drug?

Repeat this exercise for the other drugs on your list; find answers to the same questions.

Think Positive, Test Negative

Conclude this online lesson with a visit to the web site of the World Anti-Doping Agency or WADA. Through this autonomous agency, the Olympic Movement and the world's public authorities have intensified their efforts to keep drugs out of sport. There are several links you can explore to learn more about this agency, its mission, and its role in the Sydney Olympic Games. For now, click FAQ about Doping. This section explains why the IOC and other sports agencies are so concerned about the problem of athletes using drugs or other artificial means of enhancing performance.

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