Interesting example
The altitude training causes the increase of the hematocrit value of the blood in a similar way as the intake of erytropoietin. The latter counts as doping, but not altitude training. This should give food for thought to the existing doping discussion.
The justification for banning the use of prohibited, performance-enhancing substances is primarily the health of the athletes. From an ethnic point of view, the focus is on equal opportunities and fairness. Both use and possession are considered punishment.
Specialists have a superior expertise and scientific authority over the athlete, so that the athlete’s personal responsibility can be excluded in principle. Doctors are forbidden to administer medication to people who are physically healthy, as side effects are to be expected. This is anchored in the ethnic guidelines for doctors in sports medicine.
The drug treatment of sick, uncompetitive athletes is of course not valid for doping. However, it is not in accordance with common sense for doctors to administer active substances to slightly ill athletes that are considered prohibited substances. There are lists of permissible drugs that prevent the danger of unintentional doping sin.
Doping can and will certainly be counteracted in the future, but as long as considerable sums of money are earned in and from high-performance sport, some athletes try every conceivable way to improve their performance. Due to the promotion of young talent and the role model function of competitive athletes, it is a sustainable task to make sport as clean and humane as possible at all levels and in all areas.
- Equal opportunities
- Sports physiological reasons
- Pedagogical reasons
The taking of doping is associated with a number of risks that an athlete is or may be confronted with.
Professional athletes earn their living with sporting performance. If athletes are convicted of the doping sin, they lose not only prestige, but also sponsorship contracts and prize money. The possibilities to earn money with sport are not possible during the period of suspension.
In most cases former doping sinners will not find decent sponsors in the future. A further risk is the long-term irreparable damage to the body through side effects. In order to improve performance, a higher dose is often used than when used appropriately. The competitive athlete accepts long-term physical damage after his career.
