Evaluate the risks and ethical issues related to the use of drugs to improve performance. (12 marks)
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Evaluation Statement
- Performance-enhancing drug use presents significant risks and serious ethical concerns. Although some argue these concerns are overstated, the risks and ethical issues outweigh any performance benefits.
Health and Safety Risks
- Anabolic steroids cause liver damage, cardiovascular disease and hormonal disruptions that can persist beyond athletic careers.
- EPO increases blood viscosity, creating a high risk of stroke and heart attack, particularly during intense competition.
- Stimulants can produce cardiac arrhythmias and overheating, which can result in sudden death during performance.
- Many consequences emerge years after use ceases. For example, steroid use in adolescents can cause premature growth plate closure, permanently stunting height.
- Female athletes can experience masculinisation effects such as voice deepening and increased body hair, some of which are irreversible.
- Mental health impacts include depression, aggression and dependency, affecting quality of life beyond sport.
Ethical and Fair Play Issues
- Drug use provides unfair advantages over clean athletes, devaluing achievement earned through training and talent.
- When drug use is widespread, clean athletes may feel pressured to use drugs to remain competitive, putting their own health at risk.
- Elite athletes are role models, and their drug use sends a dangerous message to young participants who may copy these practices.
- This normalises cheating and damages public trust in sport.
Counter-Arguments
- Some argue that drug use should be permitted because testing does not catch every user, so allowing medically supervised use would make competition fairer and reduce the risks of unsupervised use.
- Others point out that the ethical line is unclear. For example, altitude tents are legal, yet they raise red blood cell levels in a similar way to EPO, which is banned.
- However, permitting drug use would increase the pressure on clean athletes to use drugs, and high doses would remain harmful even under supervision.
- The comparison with altitude training is also limited, because natural adaptations are restricted by the body, while drugs can push red blood cell levels to dangerous extremes.
Final Evaluation
- Weighing these factors shows that performance-enhancing drugs present unacceptable risks and serious ethical violations.
- While arguments for supervised use and the blurred line with legal methods raise valid questions, they do not outweigh the health dangers and the pressure placed on clean athletes.
- Overall, drug use remains fundamentally incompatible with fair and ethical athletic participation.
Show Worked Solution
Evaluation Statement
- Performance-enhancing drug use presents significant risks and serious ethical concerns. Although some argue these concerns are overstated, the risks and ethical issues outweigh any performance benefits.
Health and Safety Risks
- Anabolic steroids cause liver damage, cardiovascular disease and hormonal disruptions that can persist beyond athletic careers.
- EPO increases blood viscosity, creating a high risk of stroke and heart attack, particularly during intense competition.
- Stimulants can produce cardiac arrhythmias and overheating, which can result in sudden death during performance.
- Many consequences emerge years after use ceases. For example, steroid use in adolescents can cause premature growth plate closure, permanently stunting height.
- Female athletes can experience masculinisation effects such as voice deepening and increased body hair, some of which are irreversible.
- Mental health impacts include depression, aggression and dependency, affecting quality of life beyond sport.
Ethical and Fair Play Issues
- Drug use provides unfair advantages over clean athletes, devaluing achievement earned through training and talent.
- When drug use is widespread, clean athletes may feel pressured to use drugs to remain competitive, putting their own health at risk.
- Elite athletes are role models, and their drug use sends a dangerous message to young participants who may copy these practices.
- This normalises cheating and damages public trust in sport.
Counter-Arguments
- Some argue that drug use should be permitted because testing does not catch every user, so allowing medically supervised use would make competition fairer and reduce the risks of unsupervised use.
- Others point out that the ethical line is unclear. For example, altitude tents are legal, yet they raise red blood cell levels in a similar way to EPO, which is banned.
- However, permitting drug use would increase the pressure on clean athletes to use drugs, and high doses would remain harmful even under supervision.
- The comparison with altitude training is also limited, because natural adaptations are restricted by the body, while drugs can push red blood cell levels to dangerous extremes.
Final Evaluation
- Weighing these factors shows that performance-enhancing drugs present unacceptable risks and serious ethical violations.
- While arguments for supervised use and the blurred line with legal methods raise valid questions, they do not outweigh the health dangers and the pressure placed on clean athletes.
- Overall, drug use remains fundamentally incompatible with fair and ethical athletic participation.