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  • Essay / Advantages and disadvantages of using doping as a pharmaceutical enhancement in sport

    Table of contentsPharmaceutical enhancementA case supporting the legalization of doping in elite sportConclusionPharmaceutical enhancement in sport is a widely discussed topic with arguments for and against. Pharmaceutical enhancement is a specific form of enhancement in sport and one that I will limit myself to due to space constraints. This article will examine the effects of pharmaceutical enhancement on athletic performance and the perception of improving athletes. I will argue that pharmaceutical enhancement undermines sport as a test of natural ability. By enhancing their performance beyond the genetic potential they were born with, athletes undermine the challenge sports present to us and violate the “spirit of sport.” Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayPharmaceutical EnhancementPharmaceutical enhancement in sports dates back as far as the ancient Greeks, where they consumed animal organs with the aim of gaining a physical advantage. Recent high-profile cases, such as the Lance Armstrong doping scandal, have sparked debates about doping. The creation of the World Anti-Doping Agency in 1999 led to the establishment of a list of banned performance-enhancing substances. If any of these substances are found in an athlete's anti-doping samples, the athlete will have committed an anti-doping rule violation and will be subject to disciplinary action. Substances are placed on this list because WADA considers them to produce “performance-enhancing effects.” WADA believes that the use of banned substances to enhance performance violates the “spirit of sport”. They assert that an important part of this spirit is the quest for excellence that is achieved by honing a person's natural talents. Many people support WADA's ban on performance-enhancing drugs, although some people think the ban should be lifted. Savulescu is one of them, and I will now discuss his views on the subject. A case supporting the legalization of doping in elite sport Savulescu's article argues that performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) should be allowed in sport. Its aim is to show that biological enhancement does not undermine sport as a test of natural ability, nor does it violate the "spirit of sport". Savulescu emphasizes that "the use of PEDs should not turn a race into a 'drug race,' any more than different training methods would turn it into a 'training race' or a 'drug race.' 'money'". This is consistent with the idea that “the same biomechanical processes targeted by doping substances and methods are targeted by training”. Training is by definition a means of improving a person's performance. If pharmaceutical enhancement undermines natural abilities, it seems Savulescu believes training does as well. He adds to this point by showing how an athlete can increase their red blood cell count in three different ways. Two methods, altitude training and hypoxic chambers, are legal but the use of EPO is prohibited. There is no difference in results between the methods, but the pharmaceutical enhancement method is prohibited. Furthermore, he also states that “money buys success”. At the Athens Olympics, the gold medals won by Australia "cost $32 million each" thanks to funding of $547 million. It aims to »..