In a month, the nations around the world will come together to participate in the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. While we always get a little excited for the Olympics, this year’s celebrations are mired in controversy. The threat of the Zika virus is serious enough to force athletes into sitting out what they’ve trained years for. Brazil’s budgetary issues have been highly criticized in the lead up to the ceremony, as officials cannot afford to perform sanitation on a majority of the water in the city. Political instability might be to blame for budgetary issues, as less than two years ago, it was revealed that mass corruption and collusion between corporations and politicians was taking place. The end result of the dominoes that fell was the impeachment of the president, and a looming cloud of doubt and fear lingering over the games. However, what may be one of the biggest concerns is how virtually every level of drug regulation has fallen short, and how doping and steroid use has permeated the most cherished event in athletics.
The process called “doping” isn’t as cut and dry as other drugs. Doping actually refers to a large amount of performance-enhancing drugs, or PEDs. PEDs can enhance physical and mental abilities, and have plenty of legitimate uses outside of sports; however, athletes and coaches have used the powerful side effects of these drugs to gain the upper hand in popular sports for decades. Performance-enhancing drugs come in a variety of forms, including anabolic steroids for muscle growth, stimulants for focus, painkillers, and nootropics that enhance cognitive ability. There are many different types of PEDs, but drugs that enhance mental or physical ability are the most commonly used.
Countries like Russia and Kenya have come under serious scrutiny in the weeks leading up to the Olympics. It was recently uncovered that Russian athletes in their track and field program were involved in a state-sponsored doping scandal, meaning that the government may be responsible for handing out PEDs to athletes. Even beyond the controversy that could be caused by the athlete’s performance, the implications of possibly forcing athletes to take these drugs and maybe even becoming addicted to steroids are damning for the government. Kenya too has come under suspicion, as it hasn’t funded its national testing of athletes prior to the Olympic games. While an all-out ban has been discussed for some athletes, the implications of unfunded drug testing and state-sponsored drug programs are frightening and will undoubtedly leave a widespread impact on the games this summer in Rio and beyond.
