Ethical Issues in Contemporary Sport: Major PaperDrug Testing should be abolished for athletes in SportAustralian distance runner Ron Clarke argues that there are no drug screening tests available that can catch all those athletes that use performance enhancing drugs. This he concludes, means that the International Olympic Committee should get rid of all testing. This is an option, however, it is not one that is best suited as the solution. It is true they will never catch all athletes, however, if they were to get rid of drug testing this may in a way condone the use of performance enhancing drugs in the highest level of sports. Also, would this get rid of a form of protection for the athletes, if there was no deterrent from using drugs, athletes may take more drugs because it is legal, and lead to possible deaths. Finally, if drugs were made legal in sport, athletes again may consume more because there would be no punishment. The punishment serves as a deterrent for the athlete so they will not take drugs. Punishment for use of drugs is needed to govern the sports world and keep athletes in check.To begin, the drive to compete and to win is as old as humankind. Throughout history, athletes have sought foods and potions to transform their bodies into powerful, well tuned machine. Greek wrestlers ate huge quantities of meat to build muscle, and Norse warriors, the Berserkers, ate hallucinogenic mushrooms to gear up for battle. The first competitive athletes believed to be charged with doping (taking drugs and other nonfood substances to improve performance) were swimmers in Amsterdam in the 1860's. Doping with anything from strychnine and caffeine to cocaine and heroin. This spread to other sports over the next several decades (N IDA Anabolic Steroids A Threat to mankind and Body, (www.nida.nih.gov/ ). However long before this, athletes in Greece were corrupted by the commercialism and professionalism that they faced in their sports. Bribing and cheating were also common. and competitors were willing to lake anything that would increase their performance, such as extracts of mushrooms and plant seeds. Drug use, along with political interference, was one of the main reasons the Olympic games were dissolved during this period. As well, in Roman times spectator sports such as chariot races and gladiatorial competitions became very popular. The use of drugs during this period was also common. Chariot racers fed their horses mixtures to help them run faster, and gladiators took drugs to make their fights vigorous and bloody for the public. Along with the Industrial Revolution, the nature of sport also changed. The population became more urban based, and society established restricted, controlled games and activities reflected the new regulated society. There were new clubs formed, restrictions on the number of players, rules were developed, and modification to their equipment. During this time sport no longer was played in free time, it becam...
