Drugs in sport

[Grahameeboy]

There's a big difference.

No amount of glasses will give you better than the best vision you can have as a normal person.

Drugs however (especially steroids) can make the body perform better than a normal (sports)person.

I agree, however, an athlete's performance declines.....same as a snooker player, their eyesight declines, this is obviously an essential function for playing snooker. They cannot judge so well so get glasses to see better and start winning again....so what is the difference between an athlete who has a permanent problem and takes drugs to solve the problem and a snooker player who gets glasses to solve his problem.

[Hitcher]

so what is the difference between an athlete who has a permanent problem and takes drugs to solve the problem and a snooker player who gets glasses to solve his problem.

Indeed. The next big thing for people to contemplate is the advances made in prosthetic limbs. I predict that within five years the performances from amputees -- particularly in running events -- will exceed those from the "normally abled", and they will want to be able to compete in "real" track and field events (including the Olympics), rather than being relegated to "special" events.

If this first hurdle is cleared (figuratively), will the normally-abled, in pursuit of competitive advantage, then consider amputation and prostheses so that they can leg it on a more even footing?

[Grahameeboy]

Indeed. The next big thing for people to contemplate is the advances made in prosthetic limbs. I predict that within five years the performances from amputees -- particularly in running events -- will exceed those from the "normally abled", and they will want to be able to compete in "real" track and field events (including the Olympics), rather than being relegated to "special" events.

If this first hurdle is cleared (figuratively), will the normally-abled, in pursuit of competitive advantage, then consider amputation and prostheses so that they can leg it on a more even footing?

I like that.......but you are right........I mean a guy with say a prosthetic lower leg in theory uses less oxygen to move the legs......

Maybe the officials will only allow mineral oils rather than synthetic oil to lubricate the parts to legislate for the equivalent of 'Doping'.

Plus these days with the development of prosthetics, is a person with a prosthetic limb actually 'unabled'. I would say "No"

[Pancakes]

There's already more than one person with two prosthetic legs that can run faster than leg-legs, doesn't look like a leg tho'. Is like two curved carbon leaf-springs and the guy has both stumps cut off at the same place, just below the knee so having the joint still there and symmetrical would help. Still not much consolation for having no legs.

[BarBender]

Rhetoric. Unfortunately they are not. If these drugs did not work, people would not use them...

Agreed.
It aint cheating if you've got 9/10 people lined up on the starting line and:
- two are blood packing
- two have got a masking agent
- three are on EPO
- one is possibly an experimental gene splice and
- the last one is the Kiwi who turned up clean as a whistle on a B standard qualifying result.
No point in flexing 'natural' non-drug use crusading muscles in that race.

Performance enhancing drugs work.
And we're wrong if we think its purely a personal decision. Governments, international and national sporting bodies push it and they in turn recruit coaches who have PE degrees with chemistry majors.

[Grahameeboy]

There's already more than one person with two prosthetic legs that can run faster than leg-legs, doesn't look like a leg tho'. Is like two curved carbon leaf-springs and the guy has both stumps cut off at the same place, just below the knee so having the joint still there and symmetrical would help. Still not much consolation for having no legs.

A leg has 2 main bones so the prosthetic legs are not a lot different really.

Well if this guy you mention is faster than legs legs then what consolation does he need. He can walk, run etc just like us so if I was in his 'legs' I would not be too bothered.......better consolation than having the old papiamashe legs....

[Pancakes]

A leg has 2 main bones so the prosthetic legs are not a lot different really.

Well if this guy you mention is faster than legs legs then what consolation does he need. He can walk, run etc just like us so if I was in his 'legs' I would not be too bothered.......better consolation than having the old papiamashe legs....

They were made for running, he had real looking ones for day to day use. I'd miss my legs I recon.

[Grahameeboy]

They were made for running, he had real looking ones for day to day use. I'd miss my legs I recon.

I would miss mine but as long as I could walk I would not complain.

[limbimtimwim]

I would miss mine but as long as I could walk I would not complain.

Changing gears would require re-learning however.

[Grahameeboy]

Changing gears would require re-learning however.

Nah I would have Sturney Archer gears...................much easier.

[steveb64]

A rude, stoned guy is a drugged abuser, in sport, a drug abuser is either a cyclist or and olympic champ in track that isn't ethiopian that got caught...

In my day, a drug abuser was the prick that hogged the joint...

Brings back hazy memories (from years back) of post-Manfield piss-up at the pub down the road - about 80% of the F1 (that's what it was called back then) field RIDERS were all lined up for a toke (in shed out back). Included some pretty well known names...

AFAIK there were even a few who'd light up BEFORE they went out racing. Didn't seem to cause any problems... They just went a bit slower. Mostly.

[Timber020]

Drug bans started because it was bad form to have olympic athletes dying in the middle of the event infront of thousands of people. To legalise any sort of performance drug use would be just insane, although the cheats will always be there at least it gives kids the impression that they can succeed through hard work and commitment.