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  • Essay / Reasons for Banning Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Sports

    People interested in sports are familiar with the problems associated with the use of performance-enhancing drugs and the severity with which they are treated. Drug tests are required for professional athletes to prove their innocence and unannounced tests are sometimes required for the purposes of restriction. In addition, disqualification from medals was one of the strict consequences of stopping drug use. Despite these kinds of strict restrictions, there are still users. Additionally, there are voices questioning whether drug prohibition is justified and why it is such a big problem. To make things clear, the use of doping substances should be banned in sport. Three main reasons justify this ban. They advocate for health issues related to the use of performance-enhancing drugs, fairness and equal opportunity for the athlete and prevent adolescents from using these drugs. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get an Original EssayTo start with the details, there are reasons why athletes use performance-enhancing drugs. According to Domhnall MacAuley, one of the reasons some athletes use drugs is to get the maximum benefit possible. This would be due to their desire to seek fame, money and profession in the sports they currently play. Another reason would be the pressure put on athletes. But these reasons would not justify drug use. Health problems due to drug use would be the number one reason why drug use should be banned. Health and fitness management is one of the fundamental principles of sport that athletes must care about to achieve better performance. It would not be the right decision to risk your health as an athlete, not to mention that drug use can carry certain health risks. An example of a drug with health risks would be gene doping. According to Christof Breitsameter, this doping modifies DNA expression in a way that would improve performance. A specific example of a specific type of gene doping would be myostatin. The purpose of this drug is to improve performance but it carries very dangerous risks. According to Iran J Public Health, the use of this medication may cause some increase in risks, such as excess muscle volume. These types of oversized muscles can increase the risk of heart attack. There are also cases of performance-enhancing drugs being used for medical conditions. According to the UNSW, HGH (Human Growth Hormone) is a medication used for rapid recovery in athletes. Even if drug use is not performance-enhancing and focuses on medical issues, that would not justify drug use. According to the Mayo Clinic, HGH also poses health risks, such as increased risk of cancer and diabetes. These health concerns towards drug users would clearly explain the prohibition of these drugs. The second reason would be due to fairness towards each athlete. Thanks to Pierre de Coubertin's belief in the spirit of fair play, fairness became an essential aspect of all sports. The use of performance-enhancing drugs would violate these aspects of fairness. This is believed to be due to the benefits that only some athletes gain from drug use. A famous example of this type of injustice would be Ben's drug use.