When we talk about doping cases, we are irreparably led to remember the scandals involving contemporary athletes. In today's world, the improvement of training techniques has greatly reduced the difference between the athletes that make up a certain category. In addition, the development of chemistry allowed the manufacture of increasingly powerful drugs, capable of breaking brands previously considered insurmountable.
In fact, we cannot deny that synthetic drugs and competitiveness are crucial factors for let us understand how doping has become such a frequent and problematic issue in the world of sports. The justification of the results is not enough, we see that many athletes end up getting involved with other illicit substances in as the condition of an athlete offers him better financial conditions or the pressure of his routine leads him to this situation of exhaust.
However, those who believe that doping is an exclusive dilemma of modernity are wrong. In Ancient Greece, according to reports by writer Philostratus, athletes resorted to other resources that extrapolated the skills of the competitor. According to its text, produced approximately in 776 a. C., Greek athletes ingested teas composed of various herbs and ate mushrooms so that they would reach better marks during competitions.
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Thus, we realize that this type of attitude arising from the notion of competitiveness was already present among ancient peoples. In fact, until the first half of the 20th century, doping was openly practiced by athletes. In some cases, doses of stimulants were even applied during competition. After World War II, we see that substances used at the front (such as amphetamines and steroids) started to attend competitions.
Currently, regional, national and international federations are mobilizing so that illicit drugs are not used in competitive situations. For this reason, they usually collect blood and urine from athletes at regular intervals and in unscheduled visits. With the development of studies on doping, we see that the universe of illegal compounds has grown a lot and that athletes increasingly police themselves so that they are not harmed by such oversight.
By Rainer Sousa
Master in History
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
SOUSA, Rainer Gonçalves. "Doping in Ancient Greece"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/historiag/o-doping-na-grecia-antiga.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
