Steroids in Sports

The practice of using herbs and foods for improving performance was prevalent in the original Olympic Games in ancient Greece. The story of modern steroids in sports is believed to have begun in 1950s; however some unofficial sources say that Germany's Olympic team had used oral testosterone preparations in Berlin Olympics in 1936. The first ever evident use of steroids in sports is known to be in the World Weightlifting Championship in 1954.

Making their debut in Helsinki Olympic in 1952, Soviets easily dominated in all major weight events in 1954. According to the sources, John Ziegler, team physician for the United States asked the Soviet team's doctor, the reason of Soviets powerful performance, after the medals were given out, and the soviet doctor replied that his team was getting testosterone shots.

It's said that when Dr.Ziegler returned from the World Weightlifting Championship, he started his research on testosterone, and consequently developed "Methandrostenolone" or Dianabol with the help of Ciba pharmaceutical company. It's believed to be one of the first anabolic steroids in sports history; it wasn't simply testosterone.

The East Germans are believed to have started using steroids in sports to win Olympic Gold Medals in the late 1960s. The East Germany's Chief Medical Officer submitted a report to the government recommending the administration of steroids to the entire East German athletes in 1968. This made the East Germans making mark in all major sports events.

Soon, Dianabol became one of the most sought after steroids in sports. It became indispensable part of athletes' dietary intake. It was often used by bodybuilders, weightlifters, football players, and Olympic athletes. Arnold Schwarzenegger is believed to have won his first of seven Mr. Olympia titles with the help of Dr. Zeigler's little blue Dianabol pills.

Since then, there have come up a number of steroids in sports usage. The anabolic steroids are one of the most powerful steroids in sports; they help rapid increase in strength and powerful. The International Amateur Athletic Federation, now the International Association of Athletics Federations, became the first international governing body to ban steroids in sports history. In 1966-67 FIFA, Union Cycliste Internationale (cycling), and International Olympic Committee banned the steroid in sports.

Anabolic Steroids were widely used in sports in 1980's- 90s. The Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson's victory in the 100 m at the 1988 Summer Olympics is one of the most famous instances of steroids in sports. Ben Johnson was stripped off his gold title when 'stanozolol' (anabolic steroid) was found in his urine, and Carl Lewis was promoted to the gold title. Later, Ben Johnson admitted that he had been using Dianabol, Cypionate, Furazabol, and human growth hormone.

The immense use of steroids in sports led to the creation of the World Anti-Doping Agency in 1999. The agency was created to curb the use of steroids in sports. The use of Steroids in sports in any form has been banned by many sports associations, such as National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), national Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), FIFA, ICC, and the Olympics. The International Olympics Committee has incorporated 17 steroids and related compounds in its banned list.

Yet, there are several agencies, such as Major League Baseball (MLB) that still haven't strict policies against steroids. There's still vast use of steroids in sports at lower levels. According to a survey, 2.7% sports persons form US high schools use steroids in sports. Steroids are widely used by noncompetitive bodybuilders and non-athletes for cosmetic reasons.