Introduction
The practice of doping has a long and infamous history in the sports world. Gladiators fortified themselves with stimulants before they battled each other in the Colosseum in ancient Rome (Rogak 1992). The first documented drug-related death in sports occurred in 1886, when a long-distance cyclist in Europe collapsed during a race after swallowing a "speedball," a mixture of cocaine and heroin intended to boost strength and endurance. Tom Hicks, the American who won the marathon at the Olympic Games in St. Louis in 1904, freely admitted to sipping brandy and tiny amounts of strychnine during the twenty-six-mile race to maintain his stamina. He collapsed shortly after finishing but survived (Dolan 1992).
In the twentieth century, doping increased as sports became more popular, competition became more intense, and medical science created more powerful substances. Anabolic steroids were first developed in the 1930s for medical use. These compounds, which may be either natural or synthetically produced by humans, are made up of body substances called hormones. They may be taken in pill, powder, or liquid form. Many athletes inject liquid steroids with syringes. Testosterone, the hormone that increases a user's male characteristics, promotes muscle growth by increasing the amount of protein delivered to muscle cells. This infusion of protein greatly aids the rebuilding and recovery process that follows a strenuous workout. It enables an athlete to regain strength quickly and tackle his or her next workout sooner and in much better condition. When the cycle is repeated many times, a steroid user can develop incredible levels of strength and endurance.
Anabolic steroids containing testosterone became the substance of choice for many athletes of both sexes, particularly those who participated in track and field and swimming, which require months of intense and exhausting training. Athletes in the Soviet Union and other communist nations used steroids with great frequency in the 1950s and 1960s................
