The question of whether top-level sports are possible without the use of pharmacological drugs has been worrying both professionals and amateurs for more than a decade. The stories of champions who decided to tell the truth about their path to victory reveal the unsightly reality of modern sports.
Cuprins
From Sesame Seeds to Government Programs
The history of the use of various substances to improve athletic performance goes back to ancient times. Back in ancient Greece, long-distance runners believed that sesame seeds gave them extra strength. The ancient Egyptians even used an exotic mixture of the crushed hind hoof of an Abyssinian donkey, boiled in oil with rose petals.
But the real era of pharma in sports began in the 20th century. In the middle of the century, American physician John Ziegler invented the first anabolic steroid, Dianabol, which later became known as Methandienone. This drug has been used by a huge number of athletes, including Arnold Schwarzenegger himself, who openly admitted to using it.
The Deadly Price of Victories
The turning point in the history of sports pharmacology was 1967. Famous British cyclist Tommy Simpson died on one of the stages of the Tour de France. Before his death, he confessed that he uses amphetamines and cognac to improve his performance. This tragedy forced the International Olympic Committee to establish for the first time a medical commission to combat doping.
But the most shocking confessions came from East Germany. In the 70s, the GDR national team showed phenomenal results at international competitions. At the 1976 Montreal Olympics, they won second place in the unofficial medal standings, receiving twice as many gold medals as four years earlier.
It later became clear that the state doping system was behind these successes. Future champions were given steroids from the age of 12, and many athletes did not even know about it. They thought they were taking vitamins or preventive medications for injuries.
“Goldman’s Dilemma”: Willingness to Die for Victory
In 1992, doctor Robert Goldman conducted a shocking survey among 198 champion athletes. The question was straightforward: “Do you agree to take doping if it guarantees you any victories in your sport, but at the same time leads to death in 5 years?”
The result amazed everyone: 52% of the respondents responded positively. This willingness to sacrifice their lives for the sake of sporting achievements has shown how deeply pharma has penetrated into the consciousness of modern athletes.
Meldonium Revelations
One of the most high-profile scandals of recent years has been the story of meldonium. The drug Mildronate, the active ingredient of which is meldonium, was extremely popular among Russian athletes. Athletes were given it for faster recovery from stress.
When in 2016, WADA transferred meldonium to the doping category, a scandal broke out. The most famous case was the case of Maria Sharapova, who admitted that she had been using the drug for 10 years, allegedly for therapeutic purposes.
Analyzing the situation in the regions, it is worth noting that pharma Uzbekistan also faced similar problems. Many athletes from post-Soviet countries, including those who trained in centers like Tashkent Farm, have been involved in doping scandals.
Asthmatics are Champions and Therapeutic Exceptions
A special place in modern sports is occupied by the so-called therapeutic exceptions. The most striking example is Norwegian skiers, up to 70% of whom officially suffer from asthma and have permission to use appropriate medications.
Studies have shown that anti-asthmatic drugs can increase performance and improve results by 2-3% with loads lasting from 60 to 90 minutes. This is a serious advantage, especially in those sports where victory and defeat are separated by fractions of a second.
Among Russian athletes, the therapeutic exceptions were used by the gold and bronze medalists of the Sochi Marathon, skiers Alexander Legkov and Ilya Chernousov.
Stellar Confessions
In 2016, the hacker group Fancy Bears published lists of athletes who had permission to use banned substances. This list includes stars of the first magnitude: tennis player Serena Williams, gymnast Simone Biles, tennis player Rafael Nadal.
The data on Williams was particularly striking: she was allowed to use oxycodone, hydromorphone, prednisone, prednisone and methylprednisolone. The first two drugs are powerful painkillers with opioids, the rest are glucocorticosteroids that affect the hormonal background.
Williams later confessed: “I wouldn’t have been able to play at Roland Garros if I hadn’t received a therapeutic exemption because I was incredibly ill that year. I have always been an honest athlete and was proud of it. I don’t want to have to tell my daughter that her mom is a liar.”
In the context of fair competition, it’s important to note that many fans are looking for honest sports betting platforms. For example, https://winwinbangladesh1.com provides transparent conditions for those who want to bet on sports events, following the principles of fair play.
The Dark Side of the Nike Oregon Project
One of the most shocking stories of recent years has been the exposure of the Nike Oregon Project. This project was created in the USA to improve the results of American track and field athletes under the guidance of coach Alberto Salazar. His players really started to show outstanding results, but the price of this success turned out to be terrifying.
In 2019, track and field athlete Mary Kane, who was the best young athlete in the United States before joining Salazar, told the truth about the coach’s methods. Salazar persistently demanded that she lose weight and offered birth control pills and diuretics, substances banned in athletics. Constant screams due to weight created such stress that the girl had not had her period for three years.
An investigation by the US Anti-Doping Agency revealed that Salazar and Dr. Jeffrey Brown used prohibited methods, falsified the results of doping control and distributed drugs that increase testosterone levels. Both received four-year suspensions.
The Empire of Dr. Fuentes
Another high-profile story is related to the Spanish doctor Euphemiano Fuentes, who has long been considered one of the most respected experts in the field of sports medicine. Dozens of top cyclists used his services.
It all started in 2004, when cyclist Jesus Manzano talked about the systematic use of erythropoietin and growth hormone in the Kelme team. The doctors managed to do this in such a way that by the time of the doping control, the athlete turned out to be “clean.”
Operation Puerto led to the arrest of five people, including Fuentes himself. During the searches, thousands of doses of anabolic steroids, 220 bags of blood for transfusion and special equipment were found. Encrypted lists with the names of athletes were found.
Cycling stars were among the injured: Jan Ulrich (results annulled from 2005 to 2007), Ivan Basso (two years of disqualification), Alejandro Valverde (two years of disqualification). The scandal led to a massive outflow of sponsors from cycling.
But the most interesting thing is that Fuentes has repeatedly stated that he has worked not only with cyclists, but also with football players from top Spanish clubs. He hinted that if he spoke, the Spanish national team could be stripped of the 2010 World Champions title. The French edition of Le Monde claimed to have information about Fuentes’ cooperation with Real Madrid and Barcelona, but the case did not develop.
The Russian Doping Scandal: From Sochi to Suspension
After the Sochi 2014 Olympics, the biggest doping scandal of the century broke out. Russia was accused of a state-sponsored doping program and sample substitution. The main witness was Grigory Rodchenkov, the former head of the Moscow laboratory.
Rodchenkov said that he personally developed three mixtures of illegal drugs that he mixed into alcohol for athletes – whiskey for men and martinis for women. He claimed that intelligence officers had substituted athletes’ doping tests.
The result was disastrous: the IOC stripped the Russian national team of its flag and anthem, and the Russians competed as neutral athletes at the Olympics in Pyeongchang and Tokyo. The Olympic Race Walking Training Center in Saransk was disqualified for massive violations, including manipulation of blood and forgery of biological passports.
Is it Possible to Win Without Pharma?
Anna Anceliovich, head of the sports practice of the Clover Consult Law Group, who previously worked at RUSADA, gives a disappointing answer.: “Sports have reached such a level that keeping fit with only natural products has become impossible.”
According to her, the bar has been raised so high in strength sports that you can’t do without sports nutrition and restorative drugs. The problem is that the sports nutrition market is poorly regulated, there are a lot of counterfeiting and unscrupulous manufacturers.
“You can hardly run well on rustic eggs and milk now,” admits Anceliovich. – Although, of course, there are unique people who are capable of this.”
The situation is complicated by the fact that training centers, including such as Pobeda Tashkent, are forced to balance between the requirements of the result and compliance with anti-doping rules. Athletes and coaches are constantly looking for legal ways to improve their performance.
Instead of a Conclusion
The stories of champions show that modern top-level sports are almost impossible without the use of various drugs. The only question is where the line between permissible and forbidden lies.
While sports organizations are tightening anti-doping rules, and scientists are developing new methods for detecting banned substances, athletes and their teams continue to look for legal ways to gain an advantage. Pharma remains an integral part of professional sports, and it seems impossible to completely exclude it from the competitive process.
Romanian 
English