History of steroid abuse in sports Research Paper

History of steroid abuse in sports - Research Paper Example es that are observed in boys during puberty were initially unexplained resulting in vigorous research by scientists to find out the major cause behind the changes. Testosterone was discovered to be the cause; consequently it was closely studied, isolated, and developed. The 1930s saw the laboratory manufacturing of AAS. Initially they were used to raise the aggression of Nazi soldiers and to enhance performance of elite athletes (Rogak 24). In major sporting events, the use of steroids was observed in the 1954 world weightlifting championships. Although the soviets had been dominant in the 1952 Olympic debut in weightlifting, their dominance was much more in 1954. They dominated in all categories scooping all the medals, something that got the attention of the American team doctor. He approached his soviet counterpart, who revealed to him that his team had been receiving testosterone injections, which marked the first documented use of anabolic steroids. However, unconfirmed reports indicate that the Germany Olympic team in 1936 had used testosterone to enhance their performance in the Berlin Olympics. Steroid use gained momentum with the German authorities administering steroids to the Olympic team of the 1960s so that the nation’s pride would receive major boost by winning more medals (Taylor 45). In the US sports, steroids were not common and in fact, in the whole world, steroids were not used to enhance performance in many sports. They were used only in the Olympics. However, the use of steroids in the Olympic made the International Olympic Council to ban their use. This ban was out of ethical and moral concerns rather than health or safety concerns. After their ban, the first athlete caught using the banned substance was an American swimmer in 1972. Prior to this, Arnold Schwarzenegger had won Mr. Olympia title reportedly aided by steroids. In the subsequent years, there emerged a kind of Cat and Mouse game between athletes and the International Olympic