Doping is the process by which banned athletic performance-enhancing drugs are used by competitors in the hope of boosting their performance. In simple words, it is a form of cheating. If an athlete is caught engaging in this strictly prohibited process, they can be disqualified and sometimes, even detained in prisons for as long as 4 years.
This illicit drug poses a plethora of health problems- from severe headaches to heart attacks, blood clots and even kidney failure. Forget being banned from a sport for a few years: this practice can also result in the end of the sporting career of an individual because of severe health issues.
Ben Johnson tested positive for use of the banned anabolic steroid stanozolol during the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. He was stripped of his gold medal, which was unrightfully earned by him for his 100m dash. It was given to American Carl Lewis instead. Chinese swimmer, Sun Yang got caught using these drugs in 2020 & Russian bobsledder, Nadezhda Sergeeva was disqualified from the winter Olympics in 2018 for indulging in doping.
Many athletes still manage to get away with the use of these drugs. They don’t understand that they are cheating not just themselves, but even their own bodies. Every single day, new drugs are being developed. New forms of dopes are brought to existence. Even though sports industries have implemented the strictest of policies, some people manage to get away. But at the end of the day it is their body that is being affected, right? We can’t stop them after a point, can we? It is dangerously illicit and harmful, if only they’d understand.