Think positive, Test negative. Review on Athletics

The first evidence of doping can be traced back to the third century BC at the ancient Olympic Games. Competitors were taking performance enhancing substances,like mushroom and plant extracts.

There was a great divide between the amateur and skilled sports person, but now the olympic (amateur) and the professional sport are closer than they have ever been. Gold today does not just mean fame and glory anymore it means money, and money means winning by whatever way you can, well to some it is anyway. Gone is the person who would engage in a sport or activity as a pastime rather than a profession.

Think positive, test negative is the new sporting motto because doping has become the most important issue in olympic history. The spirit of sport, (Olympics), which is the fair game of sporting excellence is how I would like to remember it.

Gold, Silver and Bronze although they are first,second and third are now the first to be awarded, as well as one randomly chosen from the runners up, with the dope test. Failing the dope test would be a two year minimum suspension from all competition this is a required sanction for a first offence.

You can use a prohibited substance,like painkillers, asthma and other common medicines, only after written approval from the IOC Medical Commission well in advance of the olympics.

Anabolic Steroids are the most popular ones we can identify with,these, when taken help build muscles and would normally be taken by sprinters and weightlifters.

Beta Blockers these are used to lower blood pressure so would be used by pistol shooting and maybe in archery or any other sport that need a steadier hand.

Diuretics are used to remove excess water from the body, these would be used by anyone in a sport where bodyweight is important for example, boxing.

Blood Doping. Hard one to test for up until this year. it involves the use of your own blood or someone elses,and used intravenously, to raise your red blood cells and oxygen carrying capacity.

Caffeine is also banned by the IOC, and when taken in certain doses, it can raise an athlete's metabolic level, body temperature, blood pressure and blood sugar level.

I really think that dope testing, as it is now, is strict enough but is it fair enough?The probability of anyone being banned from the Sydney Olympics are very low because of the International cooperation of all the 28 Summer Olympic sport federations working together and agreeing to do out of competition dope tests, and making sure that they were done well before the games in Sydney.

With the rich countries of this world taking top honours all the time, you would guess that it was the third world countries using the drugs to bring themselves to a more level plain. Its not though its the rich trying to stay on top by whatever means. Most of these drugs are harmful to the athlete's health and can cause short and long-term damage. Any dope knows that.