Group+Discussion

__Drugs and Athletes in the Olympics __

Hello everyone, __What is your opinion so far on the subject of drugs and athletes in the olympics?__ -I think that the use of any type of drug during and in preparation of the Olympics should definitely be banned, however, it does seem extreme that it involves ANY type of drug-medication. For example, in my article (found on Liz's Page), it mentions how a Russian ice-hockey player, Svetlana Terenteva, would have been disqualified had she used the drug Rhinofluimucil... for her head cold. Extreme measures and precautions need to be taken so all Olympic athletes are at equal levels of competition, but when you stop to think about it, it seems a bit extreme. I am not saying that I don't agree that athletes should not use drugs while participating in the Olympics, however, that to not use ANY sort of drug for health-related problems would be extremely difficult. -Liz

I believe that if an athlete is serious about proving himself/herself they would not think twice about using stereos or other performance enhancing drugs. So this is how I would want to see all games played, with no unfair advantages other than skill. But that is where I think the rules should end. If a drug or medication does not help a player in any way shape or form the athlete should not be penalized. So in other words I agree with liz. -Victoria

I believe the use of anabolic steroids to be a major problem and drain of the world of athletics. It costs sports organizations money to test for the use of steroids, as well as the process that follow. It uses unnecessary time and money that has given countries and certain sports bad reputations. Similar to what my group members have agreed on; when an athlete take steroids they are doing an injustice to their sport, fellow athletes and themselves. By doing steroids they create unnatural standards that other atletes are pressured to reach with out the illegal use of drugs. Furthermore often these athletes unjustly receive the status / metals that without drugs they would not have received. Thus certain athletes and their countries receive status form the public on false pretenses. Athletes that are morally accountable to themselves would not feel right or comfortable about them selves if they were given a title they did not rightfully earn. Therefore, one who truly respects them selves as a real athlete and respects the sport in which they compete will not take steroids; unnaturally enhance there performance and in return distort the standards of the competition. Thus Steroid use is a drain on athletic morals, funds, reputations and is negative in all professional aspects. -Marissa

Athletes that use any sort of drug that improves their performance should be disqualified, or their medals taken away because it’s completely unfair to the other competitors that don’t use these drugs.

Take for example in the article “10 Drug Scandals” (found on Melissa's page) where the Japanese swimmers were given drugs from doctors that were banned and they suddenly became competition. Personally I think that all sports should have strict mandatory drug screening for everyone! Especially for the Olympics because the best of the world are competing against one another and there should be a level playing field. And honestly do these people think they will not get caught? And maybe not because there is only random drug screening in completive sports.

For athletes that use medication that easies pain for injury I think that some rules need to be bent. For example, in the 2010 Winter Olympics a cross country skier went off course and broke ribs and spring her hand; doctors were not able to even bandage her from her wounds. I think that is a little extreme with not able to use pain medication for broken ribs, but I give it to her, she got back up and won bronze for her county.

To conclude my discussion, I think that mandatory drug screening should be done and the people who are caught using should be banned from competing completely or for a long period of time. Think of it this way, athletes will keep on cheating until they get caught, but if you weed out all the cheaters by placing in strict guidelines regarding drug use everyone will be intimidated to use because they know the consequences for their actions.

Melissa Gignac

The disqualification of Olympic athletes in lou of pharmaceutical drug use is most definitely a controversial topic. I find it questionable why the use of non performance inhancing drugs would be grounds for reprimand. In similar circumstances at the Paralympics, officials have difficulties with determining theriputic drug use from abuse. If Paralympians must abide by the same rules and penalties associated with the drug use in the Olympics, should they not be subject to investigation and consequence involved with non performance inhancing drugs? My article found on "Kristine'z page" is a perfect example of the struggles involved with drug use among Olympic competitors. It is apparent that the drive to win is so extraordinary that it is exemplified throughout all areas of the World Games including the Paralympics.

As for performance inhancing drugs such as steriods or other forms of doping, I find it shamefull and disapointing that icons in the position of world representation would even consider sinking to the uttmost depths of athletic misconduct. Steriod and hormone use is widley recognized as highly inappropriate and frowned apon in all forms of professinal sports; let alone the Oylmpics. To see such innfluencial athletes emerse themselfs in such an unsavorey world is truley a shame and there is no doubt in my mind that the consequences imposed on the individuals who choose to participate in these inhancments are just and fair.

-Kristine

As a person that plays sports all the time i think that there are a lot of good reasons to not allow drugs in sports. Sports are all about fair play and trying to be your best, as soon as you add drugs like HGH you are giving players an advantage that is almost not possible to overcome with the training people do today. Overall i think that there is no room in sports for performing drugs, at any level.

Drugs that are health related are something that everyone will take at some point in their life, those drugs are being over controlled in my eyes, these drugs could be in your system for days and no longer having any affect on your body but will still get your metal taken away. This is too extreme, for example Nyquil is a ban substance, this is an over the counter cold treatment. Nyquil will not help you play better think faster or jump higher but because there is one ingredient in Nyquil that the control board does not like it’s a ban substance. Some people are just squeezing that rule book for everything its worth and its just a little excessive in my eyes. -Dan

__What do you think about how the media reports on our topic?__

I think that the news mainly reports about athletes using drugs and how they have ruined their standing in the world. I don’t think that what the athletes in question did was right but the media could do pieces about why took the drugs. What lead them to it and why would be interesting to hear. But all I have read is how it has effect it had on us not them. In the article I found the main point was how hard Alexandr Vinokourov worked to have it all go down the drain when two types of blood where found in his system. There could have been other angles taken from his mistake but I only found one. It was of how he desecrated his country and disappointed his fans. -Victoria

The media shows this topic as a very bad thing, which it is, people are shown in the worst light possible and it seems to me that the media no matter who it is tries to send them down in a burning pile of crap. No matter the crime the pros that get caught get the full wraith of the media and even if the player is wrongly accused the media cuts deep. I wish the media was left out of it until there were facts and no speculation. -Dan

The media only reports the juiciest stories and when these large events are taking place and that have the best of the world athletes competing against one another and then there is a scandal! WOW! The media is there like a fly on shit. If these athletes did not want this type of attention or the criticism then they should not have done these drugs; knowing that there is a chance to get caught.

Melissa

Like usual the media distorts and manipulates the information given to the public. As they often use sources that are not fully reliable and do not uncover / report the full story with all sides included to the people. All of the major scandals revealed in the article that Melissa provided on her wiki gives an example of media reporting. In the situation of the Germans the media could have simply been reporting on the factual information that they had good athlete records and therefore had a good reputation at the time. Or the reporters may have discovered aspects of the drug use given to the German athletes and not reported it in fear or have been bribed not to share the info. Furthermore, the way in which the media presents the info. has an effect on how it will be seen/ perceived by the people. For example, a news report was giving the achievement history of the U.S, Canada and China in the Olympic games. The report includes all the achievements for each country, but only includes the many failures in the U.S due to steroid use in Olympic athletes. Thus, this way the info. is presented leads the public to believe that the U.S is a more negative participant in the Olympics due to its steroid use. Therefore the media can distort reports on this topic by not reporting the info accurate, not reporting uncovered info., or by distorting the info. given to the public. In general the info, in the media cannot be fully trusted, and needs to be further investigated if it is to be relied on. -Marissa

Speculation of drug use within professional sports is a media "jackpot" .The media thrives on contraversal topics and the use of proformance inhaning drug in elite level sports is a contraversal as it comes. It should comes as no suprise to people that the press would indulge in ANY reports of sterios or drug use being that this would be a big event among athletes. Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco. Names made big by baseball, but made famouse by the media and drug use. Ultimatly the media veiws these stories like a proverbial "jackpot". There for we will not see the media "backing off" from these stories of drug use among athletes, anytime soon. -Kristine

__There was a Canadian snowboarder that had his gold metal taken away for the use of weed, is this a good reason to lose a metal?__ No. weed does nothing at all to make you a better snowboarder, you get no stronger, sharper or think anymore clear. weed is not a proformance inhancing drug, well unles there is a huge candy bar at the end of the run but it for sure does not make you any better at sports. Also weed stays in your system for about 30 days so he may not have even been using the drug during the games. this is one of the problems with drug testing. -Dan

I don't beleive that the use of marijuana is a good reason to take away a metal. It does not help you preformance and some athletes use it as a pain killer. in the paralympics they maybe using the weed so they can funtion on a day to day basics. -Victoria

Unless weed has been proven to cause unnatural performance enhancement, which to my knowledge it has not, it should not be a valid reason to have a title taken away form an athlete. Weed could actually have an impairing effect on the athlete as it puts tar in the lungs and has other negative effects. Thus the athlete maybe putting him/herself at a disadvantage. Although the act of the snowboarder smoking weed is frowned upon for being a poor role model and doing something illegal, it does not give him an advantage over the other competitors in his field and so he won by his own abilities and deserves the medal. We want our athletes to set a good example for society, but at the same time if their medal is taken away for smoking weed it goes against society's moral of fairness, for the reasons above, that we wish to uphold. -Marissa