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Drugs
in Sports
" W ín at any
cost" - that's the
philosophy in many areas of
sports competition today.
But the phrase has acquired
a new, deadlier meaning
that goes beyond !he
traditional desire for victory.
More and more athletes,
both amateur arid
professional, feel they
cannot compete on a
world-class scale without the
aid of dangerous drugs.
No athletic pursuit is
unaffected. Anabolic
steroids, cocaine.
amphetamines-to date,
more !han 90 substances
have been banned by the
lnternational Amateur
Athletic Federation.
Certain athletes claim that
steroids, injected or taken
orally, build up muscle, give
strength and improve
performance. " Steroids work
and every athlete knows it,"
said Ken Passariello, 1981
Mr. Universe.
Trainers and some sports
physicians believe Human
Growth Hormone (HGH) is
even more effective than
steroids in enhancing muscle
power. lts clandestine use
is virtually impossible to
detect.
Other athletes snort
cocaine to mask fatigue and
give themselves the illusion
of improved performance
during a game.
February 1986
Athletes' use of drugs and
banned substances became
widely known after the 1983
Pan-American Games in
Venezuela, where use of
steroids and HGH rocked
the sports world,
According to estimates,
60 percent of British athletes
competing at international
levels use drugs. Early this
year, six of 10 Greek
athletes set to compete in
the 16th European lndoor
Athletics Championships in
Athens failed drug tests,
were expelled from
participation and could
tace
a permanent ban from
competition.
Though many substances
are prohibited from the
Olympics, Pan-American
Games and national
collegiate championships,
most substances are
permitted in general
competition .
Murder
in the U.S.
T
he Miami-Dade County,
Florida, area was
America's murder capital in
1984, according to statistics
from the Federal Bureau of
lnvestigation. The county's
To avoid detection by
sophisticated drug-testing
equipment. athletes mix their
performance-enhancing
concoctions with other drugs
that mask the concoctions in
urine tests.
The risks? In male users,
steroids and growth
hormones m(;ly cause kidney
and liver damage, heart
disease. shrínkíng of the
testicles, increased
aggressiveness, loss of
sexual desire and even
growth of breasts.
For women the side
effects, including growth of
facial and chest hair and
deepening of the voice, are
irreversible. "Women
essentially trade in their
femininity," said J. Michael
Walsh of the National
lnstitute on Drug Abuse in
Maryland.
John Anderson, head
trainer of !he Los Angeles
homicide rate, at 23.7 per
100,000 population, was
three times the national
average.
Miami and Dade County
police blame the area 's
surge of murders in the past
few years on drug trafficking
and on the concentration of
large numbers who left
Rams football team, told
The Plain Truth:
"Probably the biggest
reason steroids have been
used in the past is because
no one knew the side
effects. Now studies
definitely show their
detrimental effect on bodies,
and you'll see a lot of
athletes quit using them."
The chairman of Britain's
lnternational Athletes Club
says the decline in the
number of British shot–
putters over the past five
years may be because
youngsters fear they will
have to take drugs to
succeed.
Only the athlete knows
how much he or she will
foolishly risk when a few
inches of heíght or a few
pounds of muscle can mean
the difference between
international fame and
faílure. •
Cuban prisons in the 1980
Mariel Freedom Flotilla
boatlift.
Overall , U.S. crime was
down 2 percent in 1984. But
violent crime-including
murder, forcible rape,
robbery and aggravated
assault-increased 1
percent. •
Murders per 100,000 population in 1984
,.;
1
Los Angeles–
Long Beach,
California
16.2
-,:ast
St. Lou·
Belleville,
lllinois
19.2
New York,
New York