Written by Ariel Kohanteb

The World Anti-Doping Agency specializes in anti-doping efforts and has extensive knowledge and experience in detecting the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports. It collaborates with scientists, researchers, and sports organizations worldwide to develop effective strategies and testing protocols. WADA can work with sports organizations to implement educational programs aimed at athletes, coaches, and support staff about the dangers and consequences of using performance-enhancing drugs. WADA is a great option because of the connections they have in the sports world. They work with the Olympics as well. The first step is to put in numerous tests for athletes before they play in sports. Prevention of these athletes playing in the beginning is the best case scenario. Then WADA can work with the sports organizations in order to put in punishments for players. If players are found guilty then punishments should be put in place to further discourage the use. The biggest thing needed is cooperation from sports teams and organizations. All teams will need to follow the same guidelines in order for there to be transparency with everyone. In addition to WADA helping solve this problem, other people will need to be involved as well. The most important people to this solution are the local groups who are involved in sports. They need to help implement the following regulations. The three most effective ways to solve the problem is by preventing the use, then punishing against the use, and creating another way for people who do use performance-enhancing drugs to play sports. 

The best way possible to solve this issue is by creating ways to prevent people from using performance-enhancing drugs. This means spreading awareness on the use of performance-enhancing drugs and campaigning against it. Getting people to understand how bad it is for their health is a key step. The issue of performance-enhancing drugs can be compared to smoking in some ways. Of course we must solve the problem of getting smokers to quit, but preventing people from becoming smokers in the first place would be even greater for the future. “Mass media campaigns have a direct impact on the prevalence of smoking and are most effective when they are sustained and delivered as part of a comprehensive tobacco control programme. Most of the reduction is the result of established smokers quitting, but campaigns also reduce the proportion of children taking up smoking” (Jamrozik). Creating media advertisements can play a key role in the use of performance-enhancing drugs.  Most people may not understand how bad drugs are for their health which is why they keep using drugs. However, if they were informed on how terrible it is for their health there is a higher chance that they would not use performance-enhancing drugs. As one article writes “Despite anti-doping agencies’ warnings to elite athletes about supplement contamination risks, nonelite athletes are rarely educated about these risks” (Smith et al.). Although some people may know about the risks clearly not everyone is. If more people were informed about the risks then there will definitely be a drop in the use of performance-enhancing drugs. Another way to prevent the use of performance-enhancing drugs in competitive sports is by testing. Although there are occasional tests for performance-enhancing drugs currently, there is room for higher strictness.  A test is something that takes athletes just a couple minutes. If these tests were done one a week or even just once every other week it would help the cause. The test itself would help the cause. If athletes knew that they were being tested so often then it would not make sense for them to use the performance-enhancing drugs. These athletes would know that they would get caught. This will cause them to either drop the drugs or drop the sport they are playing. Which in our case is a win because we do not want athletes who are using drugs to play with all natural athletes. “WADA and other organizations have responded to this issue by requiring random, in- and out-of-competition testing of both blood and urine. Clearly, testing is an effective deterrent as is evidenced by the waning popularity of anabolic steroids. “The effectiveness of testing programs in the major professional sports and college level [athletics] has not eliminated [them], but probably has made widespread, heavy use of anabolic steroids much less common now than it was 20 years ago” (Kathy Weber). Testing can also become a key role in the prevention of performance-enhancing drugs use. 

Another way to solve the problem of performance-enhancing drugs use is to punish players who do use them. If players are found out to have used performance-enhancing drugs a punishment will strongly discourage them to use it again. If a player knows they will not be able to play for a specific amount of games or they will fined a great sum, it will discourage their thoughts to use performance-enhancing drugs. For example the MLB has rules in place against performance-enhancing drugs. “Major League Baseball took a huge step forward in 2005 when it implemented a new system of punishments for those who are caught using performance-enhancing drugs. Fifty games for first-time offenders. One hundred games for second-time offenders. Permanent ban for three-time offenders. Three strikes and you’re out.” (RYMER). Enforcing stringent penalties for athletes caught using performance-enhancing drugs is a must have to combat doping in sports. For example, in Major League Baseball (MLB), first-time offenders face a 50-game suspension, followed by a 100-game suspension for a second violation, and a lifetime ban for a third offense. These consequences send a clear message that doping is unacceptable and discourage athletes from considering performance-enhancing drugs use. By implementing such strict measures, sports leagues can maintain fairness in competition and safeguard the well-being of athletes. By holding players accountable for their actions through strict punishments, sports organizations promote integrity and fair play. These penalties not only discourage individual athletes from using performance-enhancing drugs but also uphold the trust and credibility of the sport in the eyes of fans and supporters. Additionally, putting significant fines or suspensions serves as a reminder of the serious consequences associated with performance-enhancing drugs use, encouraging athletes to prioritize clean and ethical competition. 

Lastly, another way to solve this problem is by creating another way for performance-enhancing drugs athletes to play. If these athletes will not stop the use no matter what, then the only solution is to create competitive leagues where performance-enhancing drugs are allowed. A specific league of the same sport is a great way to get rid of the athletes from competing with natural athletes. Although it is not a prime solution, it may be the only solution left if athletes will not understand the risks of performance-enhancing drugs.  Creating separate leagues where athletes can use performance-enhancing drugs presents a controversial yet potentially useful solution to the issue of doping in sports. By creating these specialized leagues, it can provide an outlet for athletes who continue to use performance-enhancing drugs despite strict regulations in normal competitions. This segregation ensures a fair playing field for clean athletes who choose not to enhance their performance artificially. However, this approach raises significant ethical concerns regarding the normalization and endorsement of drug use in sports. It also fails to address the real cause of using performance-enhancing drugs and may ruin the culture of performance-enhancing drugs in athletics. The long-term health risks of long performance-enhancing drugs use cannot be ignored, it poses serious risks to the proper health of athletes involved. While the idea of separate leagues may seem doable, it ultimately is just a shortcut to the larger issues at hand and may not provide the right solution to the problem of drug use in sports. Although this is still a possible option, solving the problem of performance-enhancing drugs should be done in a much more ethical way. 

In conclusion, the problem of using performance-enhancing drugs in sports is a big challenge that needs a lot of different solutions. Groups like the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) are working hard to stop athletes from using performance-enhancing drugs by teaching them about the dangers and doing tests to catch them. Another option is by punishing players in order to set a standard on the use of these drugs. Creating separate leagues for athletes who use performance-enhancing drugs sounds like a possible solution, but it’s not the ethical solution and might not solve the real problem. So, it’s important for everyone involved in sports to work together to make sure athletes play fair and stay healthy. One should remember that taking shortcuts and cheating never leads to true success. Instead, by playing fair and working hard, athletes can be proud of what they achieve and inspire others to do the same. So, let’s focus on doing things the right way and making sports a place where everyone can compete honestly and have fun.

Works Cited

Jamrozik, Konrad. “ABC of smoking cessation: Population strategies to prevent smoking.” NCBI, 27 March 2004, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC381333/. Accessed 6 March 2024.

RYMER, ZACHARY D. “MLB’s First PED Punishment Must Be Full-Season Ban to Stop the Madness.” Bleacher Report, 12 August 2016, https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1300428-mlbs-first-ped-punishment-must-be-full-season-ban-to-stop-the-madness. Accessed 6 March 2024.

Kathy Weber, Kathy. “Education Integral to Prevention of Performance-Enhancing Substance Use.” Healio, 17 Apr. 2015, http://www.healio.com/news/orthopedics/20150417/j205_3504_01_news_print_1. 

Smith, Tobie, et al. “Performance-Enhancing Drug Use in Recreational Athletes.” American Family Physician, American Academy of Family Physicians, 15 Feb. 2021, http://www.aafp.org/pubs/afp/issues/2021/0215/p203.html.