The prevalence of the use of performance-enhancing drugs, such as anabolic steroids has raised public concerns. While this trend might have far-reaching implications like disqualification from professional sport on an international level and severe medical conditions later on, the solution may lie in increasing public awareness and broadening international cooperation.
Doping has a substantial effect on athletes’ performance, making them stronger and more productive. It allows them to achieve what used to be difficult for them easily, as performance-enhancing drugs contain substances like anabolic steroids. This factor encourages sportspeople to add such drugs to their diet, with some doing it deliberately and others unknowingly. There is reluctance to disclose the use of doping by athletes as this could lead to disqualification from professional sports. Many footballers from my country can be a perfect case in point. Recently, FIFA, an international football association, revealed that many Uzbek football players were caught doping unintentionally through contaminated dietary supplements, and as a result most of them were disqualified from football.
In addition to that, doping can cause several health problems, threatening athletes’ lives. One common medical issue is associated with kidney and liver damage, two pivotal organs of the human body that process food and vitamins and spread throughout the body. Those who use drugs in their training in order to improve their performance might become vulnerable to diseases because of low levels of insulin which is responsible for the distribution of vitamins in our bodies. Thus, doping is detrimental in the long term, negatively influencing people’s health.
One effective measure is spreading information about the risks associated with doping to inform the public. Many athletes take steroids unknowingly. The media should highlight cases where side effects of performance-enhancing drugs are shown. Once public awareness increases, governments and organizations should work hand in hand to enhance the effectiveness of their efforts, as combating this issue alone might be challenging. Moreover, legal punishments should be stricter for offenders so that people may witness obvious consequences. Similarly, fiscal policy should be more strictly enforced on such products, making them less affordable and attractive to buy. The situation can be improved by applying abovementioned approaches effectively.
In conclusion, while the rise in the use of drugs that help athletes enhance their performance could be attributed to the desire to win easily, implications pose threats to sportspeople’s career and health. A multifaceted approach can be taken to improve the situation like informing public about the risks and working collaboratively.