Doping: faster, higher, more honest?

Doping scandals involving Champions slowly transformed into something commonplace. And, although most of doping history, it is today more than ever like a sport than human competition with man, but on competition between technologies doping and anti-doping agencies.

The boundaries of human physical abilities, according to scientists, are almost exhausted. Human capacity is limited and in part to adapt to the ever-increasing training and competition loads. Therefore, modern athletes break records more and more difficult. However, the intense rivalry in the tournament makes do in order to win everything possible and impossible. In addition, professional sport has long been transformed into a business with big money - and to make them, it is necessary to win.

It is here that there is doping. Natural and synthetic, and even drugs that help the athlete improve the body's work and achieve outstanding results by increasing endurance, stimulate the nervous system, increase the pain threshold, etc. More often than not, the dope used in cyclic forms such as cross-country skiing, cycling, marathon running or rowing, as well as light and heavy athletics.

From time immemorial
The word "doping" comes from the English "dope", that is - "drugging". In the XIX century "doping" is a mixture of drug opium destined for racehorses. In turn, «dope», according to the most common version, the name comes from the stimulating drink that is used during religious rituals of the peoples of South-Eastern Africa.

Various stimulants - prototypes of doping - in the world have started to use for a long time - to improve the combat capability of soldiers. They were used and the participants of the first Olympic Games in ancient Greece. In particular, they believed that sesame seeds increase the endurance race.

In modern history, the first doping was widespread at the races. It happened at the beginning of the XX century, when Britain and the US horses have become massively to inject stimulants. Then these substances have been actively used by persons. In this particular the fight against doping at first was not conducted. She initiated the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after a series of incidents that show how harmful many drugs can affect health. So, at the Olympic Games in 1952 serious medical aid was required to consume doping skaters. Four years later, a similar incident occurred with cyclists. And in 1960 at the Games in Rome during the competition died Danish cyclist Kurt Jensen. The first doping samples were taken at the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 1964. Since 1966 the International Federation of cycling and football began to make doping tests at the world championships. And finally, in 1967, the IOC released the first list of prohibited substances. Now this list is updated annually - about 200 positions.

Types of doping
Many illegal doping products can be purchased in regular pharmacies, because they are drugs. Take dope usually either tablets or via injection.

The most common doping are following types of drugs:

Stimulants
These include, for example, amphetamine, ephedrine, Phenotropil. Stimulants can be used in all kinds of sports as stimulate the activity of the central nervous system, reduce fatigue, and increase stamina.

Pain relievers (analgesics)
Competitors are allowed to take ordinary painkillers. But some prefer them steroidal analgesics, which increase the pain threshold, relieve pain from injuries and help reduce the recovery period.

Anabolic steroids
Preparations on the basis of male sex hormone testosterone, responsible for physical strength and stamina, - one of the most popular means of doping. Attempts to raise the level of this hormone were undertaken by the ancient Greek athletes, who for this purpose ate lamb testicles crushed.

In 1935 he invented the injection of testosterone, which began to prescribe the Nazi soldiers to make them stronger and more aggressive. In 1955, specifically for the US national team in weightlifting developed "Breakfast of Champions" - the drug dianabol that athletes consumed in large quantities by simply seizing bread.

Anabolic took many athletes, despite the fact that testosterone has stepped up the development of male sexual characteristics in addition to other effects. Steroids are generally used in weightlifting and other strength sports, in some kinds of athletics, as well as swimming and skiing.

Peptide hormones
Growth hormone and erythropoietin. Last increases the hemoglobin content in the blood, allowing it to carry more oxygen. The result is improved endurance and other physical indicators. Apply these drugs, usually in cyclic forms such as cycling, skating, cross country skiing and biathlon, swimming, long-distance running.

Diuretics
Furosemide or acetazolamide. They can help improve the appearance of the gymnasts, skaters and other athletes, and quickly reduce body weight in those species where there are weight categories (such as weightlifting or wrestling). Finally, they help rid the body of the other dopes.

Beta-2-agonists
This drugs that slow heart rate (HR) and calming the tremor. They also promote muscle recovery. They are used in those forms, particularly where concentration and tranquility needed, such as in diving and shooting.

In some cases, athletes still legally allowed to use these drugs - when it is medically necessary. If you apply the rationale that specific medication only necessary to restore the health of the athlete may allow its reception. It is not surprising that, for example, among the skiers and biathletes sometimes there are asthmatics.

Meldonium for Sale
Meldonium - a tool that supports the energy metabolism of the heart and other organs, improves cerebral blood flow. It was invented in the 70's of last century Ivars Kalvins, professor at the Institute of Organic Synthesis of Latvia. Meldonium buy used in the treatment of coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular events, in patients with chronic heart failure, as well as reduced performance, mental and physical stress, and so on.

The drug was listed as banned by WADA in September 2015. Anti-Doping Service felt that the reception Meldonium improves athletic performance, endurance, improves recovery and protects against stress and stimulates the nervous system of athletes. The official ban on its use as a doping substance effective from 1 January 2016. Buy Meldonium part of the "Mildronate" drug, as a rule, is used by sportsmen. According to some reports, the drug was used mainly from the CIS countries and Eastern Europe.

This explains the fact that after the ban meldonium was found in a doping test many Russian athletes, including not only a tennis player Maria Sharapova, but the skater Ekaterina Bobrova, cyclist Eduard Vorganov, short trekisty Semen Yelistratov and Ekaterina Konstantinova, skater Paul Pavel Kulizhnikov, swimmer Yulia Efimova, volleyball player Alexander Markin, biathlete Eduard Latypov, athlete Nadezhda Kotljarova and some Greco-Roman style. M0inistr sport Vitaly Mutko expressed the opinion that the number of athletes caught on meldonium in the near future will grow even. While in his hand caught about 120 athletes, 27 of them - the Russians.

Harmful
The ban on doping dictated not only by a thirst for justice - that all athletes in competitions on an equal footing - but also the harmful effects of drugs. Since the appointment is not for the treatment they produce a lot of side effects. In addition, the negative impact of these funds is often amplified in conditions of increased physical activity. Thus, the use of performance-enhancing drugs can cause metabolic disorders and hormonal disorders, problems with blood circulation and bone structure, cardio-vascular diseases, loss of consciousness, mental illness, drug and drug addictions, alcoholism, failure of internal organs, deaths.

Control the use of doping in sport has been the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and National Anti-Doping Agency. During doping control in athletes taking tests (samples) of blood and urine, which are then examined in the laboratory. Samples were divided into two equal parts - A and B. A sample of the check immediately. If there are traces of prohibited substances or products of their transformation, then reveal the sample B. If there are also these substances, then appropriate sanctions applied to athletes. During the competition doping control is required to pass all the winners, as well as some athletes lot, not prize winners.

In most sports and most of doping sanctions include a two-year disqualification of the athlete for a first offense, a four - for reuse, and then and lifelong exclusion from the competition. In addition, if a positive doping test taken during the competition, the results and award the athlete they are canceled.

Now, by the way, there was a practice of long-term storage of doping tests - with the aim of at least the appearance of a new generation of banned drugs and methods of their determination, have the opportunity to re-examine. So it happens that the sanctions applied to athletes retroactively depriving awards won a few years ago.

On the question of ethics and humanity
In addition to the tablet-injectable forms of doping, there are several. For example, autohemotransfusion - the so-called blood doping when an athlete is transfused with his own blood. This procedure, such as erythropoietin and increases the level of hemoglobin and facilitates the transfer of oxygen and consequently - increase endurance. The ban on it was introduced in 1987.

There are other dope, which formally prohibit not. But there is a question of ethics of their application. For example, it is believed that sex before competition helps to improve outcomes for women. So one time strongly encouraged the athletes to have affairs. Specially sometimes conducted joint collections of women's and men's teams. One of the most egregious incident occurred in 1997, when Paul Hickson, British Olympic team coach in swimming, was brought to trial on charges of corruption of minors athletes. In his defense, he said that he wished victories to their pupils.

It was also found that the physiological changes that occur in the female body during early pregnancy, contribute to the growth of the results in a sport requiring stamina. This explains the cases of recurrent pregnancies and subsequent abortions frequent among athletes. Loud victory, being pregnant, for example, scored a Soviet gymnast Olga Karasev and Larissa Latynina. In an interesting position to act at competitions or even won their world champion in orienteering from Finland Liisa Veyyalaynen, skeletonistka Diana Sartor of Germany, Swedish biathlete Anna Carin Olofsson and others.

Also today, more and more we hear about genetic doping, although cases of its application has not yet been recorded. Specialists have one hope: Because of the complexity and cost it will be able to use a few. Because of the side effects of doping can only guess.