THE HISTORY

Doping can be classified as the enhancement of the physical capabilities by use of artificial substances and methods. Within Greek society great athletes participated in sports not only to receive the social recognition that came with being an athlete. This was also a way to practice in preparation for battles during war. For the Greeks, physical sports such as the Pankration, wrestling and boxing became their way of life. The Greeks also used special diets and portions that would stimulate their bodies to increase their endurance, strength and stamina. Considering this idea one can conclude that Greeks have not only contributed to sports but also the early years of doping.

In the Early 1920’s, the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) became the first organization to band performance enhancing drugs and the advancements made in synthetic hormone forced the authorities to introduce drug testing. This led to the early attempts to enforce sanctions; however, due to the poor testing methods the laws were there but in reality had no real consequences.

In the 1960’s, advancements were made in the methods of testing, especially because there was a noticeable difference in the level of performance enhancement drug users and non-performance enhancing users. In 1968, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned the use of anabolic steroids and other stimulants; moreover, formal doping tests were also implemented.

In the 1980’s the IOC were faced with the new challenge of blood doping as a method of enhancing the body’s capabilities. This incident along with numerous other incidents of doping encouraged the united effort to create the World Anti Doping Agency. The World Anti Doping Agency backed by the sport-governing bodies were given the power to enforce all the WADA rules which should be published yearly including all prohibited substances and methods. Recently the World Anti Doping Agency has targeted the International Baseball Federation because of their lack of proper doping techniques. As a result, Baseball will not be included as a sport for the 2012 Olympics; however, the IBF has attempted to be reinstated in the 2016 Olympics.