The desire to compete – and win – is as old as history itself. Since the beginning of sports, athletes have sought foods and potions to transform their bodies into winning machines. As early as 776 BCE, during the very first Olympic Games, there are records of attempts to increase testosterone levels (“Steroid Abuse in Sport”). Ancient Greek wrestlers ate large quantities of meat to gain muscle mass, and Norse “Berserker” warriors took hallucinogenic mushrooms before combat. The first competitive athletes accused of doping, however, were swimmers in Amsterdam in the 1860s. Doping of all kinds, from caffeine to cocaine to anabolics, quickly spread to other sports (" Anabolic steroids, a brief history). Artificial testosterone was first synthesized in 1935 and was intended to replace the hormone for patients unable to produce enough of it. testosterone. The first documented case of steroid abuse in sports was at the 1954 World Weightlifting Championships. The Soviets easily dominated all of their weight classes, so Dr. John Ziegler of the U.S. team questioned the doctor Soviet about steroids. The Soviet doctor was not afraid to admit that his athletes had been given testosterone injections, and because no regulations were in place to address the problem, they were not penalized for their actions. So, Dr. Ziegler set out to create an oral derivative of testosterone, superior to the Soviet injectable version, and his efforts led to the creation of Dianabol in 1958, the most widely consumed anabolic drug of all time. (“Steroid Abuse in Sports”, “Steroid Timeline”). Steroids flourished in the Olympics in the 1960s and early 1970s. Finally, in 1975, the International Olympic Committee banned steroids. However, that hasn't stopped the athletes....... middle of paper .......html>."Anti-doping initiatives." Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, 2010. Web. March 4, 2010. “Steroid Abuse in Sports.” Association Against Steroid Abuse. Internet. March 4, 2010. “Steroid Timeline.” Steroids in baseball. Ed. Allan Doherty. 2009. Internet. March 3, 2010. “Steroid Use in Olympic Sports.” E-SportAZone. September 19, 2009. Web. March 4, 2010. “Steroid Use Among Youth.” Childproof. 2010. Internet. March 3. 2010. .