Why ban performance-enhancing drugs?
Andrew Vierra-Former NCAA Athlete and Current Graduate Student in Philosophy at Georgia State University Studying Ethics
Athletics is under fire after a major blood-test leak revealed another doping crisis. The leak divulged that a third of Olympic medals won in endurance events from 2001-2012 were won by athletes who may have been doping, and with the Athletic World Championship in Beijing happening this month, many are concerned that not enough is being done to ensure that the championships will be fair.
Former Olympic pole vault champion Sergey Bubka, now IAAF vice-president, recently attempted to assure those concerned, stating "We will not stop the fight. We know that in the 21st century doping is the biggest danger and there will be zero tolerance. If we need to strengthen our rules and regulations we will do it." And indeed, the IAAF continues to demonstrate their commitment to ensuring fair play. They spend over two million dollars annually to prevent cheating. But with these huge monetary costs, one might wonder, is it really worth continuing the witch hunt? I believe it is worth considering the other option. …show more content…
Those who argue against legalizing performance-enhancing drugs often appeal to health concerns. Many of these drugs have negative long-term health consequences, and if they are unregulated, athletes may feel coerced into using them in order to compete at a high level.
This argument has it merits. But it ignores the negative health consequences athletes face simply by committing to their sport and the dangers of forcing drug use
Andrew Vierra-Former NCAA Athlete and Current Graduate Student in Philosophy at Georgia State University Studying Ethics
Athletics is under fire after a major blood-test leak revealed another doping crisis. The leak divulged that a third of Olympic medals won in endurance events from 2001-2012 were won by athletes who may have been doping, and with the Athletic World Championship in Beijing happening this month, many are concerned that not enough is being done to ensure that the championships will be fair.
Former Olympic pole vault champion Sergey Bubka, now IAAF vice-president, recently attempted to assure those concerned, stating "We will not stop the fight. We know that in the 21st century doping is the biggest danger and there will be zero tolerance. If we need to strengthen our rules and regulations we will do it." And indeed, the IAAF continues to demonstrate their commitment to ensuring fair play. They spend over two million dollars annually to prevent cheating. But with these huge monetary costs, one might wonder, is it really worth continuing the witch hunt? I believe it is worth considering the other option. …show more content…
Those who argue against legalizing performance-enhancing drugs often appeal to health concerns. Many of these drugs have negative long-term health consequences, and if they are unregulated, athletes may feel coerced into using them in order to compete at a high level.
This argument has it merits. But it ignores the negative health consequences athletes face simply by committing to their sport and the dangers of forcing drug use