Doping in Sport - Coursework Example

Doping in Sport: Gene Doping al Affiliation Sports are an important part of the Switzerland culture. The Switzerland children are introduced to sports at a very tender age to enable them identify their talents and nurture it. However, cheating in sports is increasing becoming prevalent in the present day society. Unlike in the past where people used to compete based on talents and natural ability, currently more and more sportsmen and women are tempted to cheat in sports through doping. Although doping most athletes have often relied on steroid, growth hormones and other supplements to enhance their performance, a new performance enhancing technology called gene doping is about to emerge. This technology with involve the use of gene therapy to improve the performance of an athletes mind and body. Although the technology has not yet been used, controversies have already surrounded it in the sporting world. This document seeks to explore the developments in gene doping, its impacts on the sports and the ethical issues associated with this new technology. Doping in Sport: Gene Doping Introduction Sports are an important part of the Switzerland culture. The Switzerland children are introduced to sports at a very tender age to enable them identify their talents and nurture it. However, cheating in sports is increasing becoming prevalent in the present day society. Unlike in the past where people used to compete based on talents and natural ability, currently more and more sportsmen and women are tempted to cheat in sports through doping. Thieme and Hemmersbach (2009) define doping refers to the use of performance enhancing drugs or supplements. Gene doping, in particular, has become an issue of great concern in the sporting arena as many athletes today. However, doping is an illegal in the sporting field and any athlete found to have doped has the risk of facing a ban from the sport. This document seeks to explore the developments in gene doping, its impacts on the sports and the ethical issues associated with this new technology. Doping-Historical Context Sports are arguably the most popular activity in the world. All the countries in the world participate in sports in one way or the other. In fact, sports are one of the most important unifying cultures. Sports are an important activity for a variety of reasons. Firstly, people participate in sports as a form of physical exercise. Secondly, sports are used as socializing activities. Sports always have an important part in bringing people from different nations together, effectively promoting cultural interaction and peaceful coexistence. However, in recent time, sports have become a form of profession (Gerlinger, Petermann and Sauter, 2013). Currently, sport is arguably the best paying profession in the world. This has made sports very competitive as every athlete is doing everything to ensure a win. The stiff competition in sports has resulted in increased incidences of cheating by sportsmen and women. This is done by taking performance enhancing drugs famously known as doping. Doping is a Dutch word, which means vicious opium juice, which was a famous drug used by the ancient Greeks. Although doping has received much attention only in the last few decades, historians show that the history of doping dates back to the 776 during the original Olympic Games (Baron, Martin and Magd, 2007). At the time, doping was acceptable. However, because sports is a big money minting business, the sporting rules have changed over the years, which saw doping being outlawed to ensure fairness in competition. As such, doping is considered illegal, unethical and unacceptable since it gives the user undue advantage over the rest. Despite the ban on doping, Miah (2004) shows that many athletes still cheat through doping. Lance Armstrong is a classical example of the famous athlete that has been reduced from fame to rags after testing positive to outlawed performance enhancing drugs. Justin Gatlin of the United States and Asafa Powel of Jamaica and a couple of Kenyan athletes has been found to have used performance enhancing drug in the recent past resulting in their suspension from their respecting sporting fields. Gene Doping Although athletes for a long time have relied on certain performance enhancing drugs and supplements, a new performance enhancing technology called gene doping is fast taking shape in the athletics industry. Körner (2013) observes that many athletes are seeking gene doping as a means of enhancing their performance. Futurists predict that gene doping is likely to dominate the athletics field in the next coming years. They attribute the increase to the fact that gene doping will be undetectable. Although the degree of the effectiveness of gene doping as a performance enhancing technology remains unknown, researchers believe that the success of this doping technology would give athletes a chance to generate extra copies of genes that would enable them have a competitive advantage over others through increased muscle mass and endurance. Chemical Concept of Gene Doping Gene doping is a form of therapy, which involves the modification of the gene to enhance the performance of the mind and the body. In this therapy, certain genetic materials are introduced into the body cells of an athlete to replace the abnormal genes or to produce proteins that are beneficial (Science Life, 2010). For instance, in the event that a mutated gene makes the important proteins stop functioning effectively, gene therapy can be done in which a copy of a gene would be introduced to replace the once that are faulty to ensure proper functioning of the body proteins. Specialists in gene therapy state that genes that are introduced into the body directly do not execute any duty in the body. Instead, the actual work is done by a carrier called a vector, which is genetically modified to produce the gene. In some cases, scientists use certain viruses because of their ability to produce new genes through cell injection. However, because the viruses are capable of causing diseases, scientists ensure that they are modified first before being introduced to prevent chances of infecting an individual with diseases when used in humans. Some of the viruses that are commonly in use include retroviruses, which are capable of disintegrating to form a chromosome in the cell of the human. Adenovirus, however, are used to release their DNA into the nucleus of the human cell. Scientists reveal that the released DNA does not disintegrate into chromosome (figure 1) (Körner, 2013). Once the vector has been developed, it can then be injected directly into an athletes tissue of given intravenously. The injected vector is immediately taken into the athletes cells where it creates the effect of enhanced development of the mind and the body. Figure 1 Source: http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/handbook/therapy/procedures Benefits of Gene Doping The first main advantage associated with gene doping for athletes that is it enhances an athletes performance and at the same time not detectable using the current detection techniques (figure 2) (Savulescu, Meulen and Kahane, 2011). Accordingly, this would imply that athletes would not have to worry about testing positive. Currently, as much as many athletes would want to enhance their performance, the greatest fear is that they might test positive for the drugs and supplements that they use. Currently, most athletes use steroids, growth hormones, and some supplements to enhance their performance (Collins, 2009). However, the greatest danger is that these performance enhancing drugs are detectable. As earlier stated, there are quite a number of high profile athletes who have either been banned from sports or suspended for having cheated through doping. Lance Armstrong, who was an Olympic and Toure De France champion, was banned from the cycling competition after testing positive for banned substance. In the sprinting field, Asafa Powel, Justin Gatlin and a couple of other athletes have also tested positive of doping a move that has seen them being suspended for breach of the athletics law. Recently, a couple of Kenyan marathoners have been suspended from participating in athletics for testing positive for doping substances. Among them include Kenya Jeptoo, the recent Chicago and Boston marathon champion, and Mathew Kipsorio among others. From the examples provided, it becomes clear that doping has serious consequences that athletes would not want to face. For instance, it became clear that an athlete who tests positive to doping not only lose their titles and face suspension from the sport, but also suffer reputation damage. However, gene doping would be advantageous to the athletes in the sense that it would enhance performance but would remain undetectable using the current available technologies (Gerlinger, Petermann and Sauter, 2013). As such, athletes would not have to worry about the risk of being detected as has been the case with the current doping drugs that athletes use to enhance their performance. Secondly, gene doping is advantageous to the athletes and the society at large because the gene therapy is safer and more practical than the current doping drugs (Schneider, 2006). Currently, many athletes are hurting themselves by using steroids and growth hormones that put their health at risk. For instance, most of the available performance enhancing drugs that are available in the market put users at risk of developing serious health complications, such as heart diseases, stroke, and cancer among others. By contrast, gene doping is much safer and practical (Porterfield, 2008). Furthermore, any risks that could be associated with the procedure could be researched, tested, and rectified in the event that the anti-doping laws are amended to allow doing so. Furthermore, research on gene doping is good because it enhances peoples knowledge on the issue and provides information that may help in the future. Additionally, gene doping is advantageous in the sense that the development result in the expansion of the world of sports. As technologies continue to develop, it has become necessary that the sporting world embrace new techniques of training and to make the sport more competitive (Gerlinger, Petermann and Sauter, 2013). Accordingly, some sports experts believe that gene doping could help enhance the level of competitiveness in the sporting world. For instance, it is believed that the acceptance of the gene doping for athletes could help minimize the stress and pressure that athletes feel prior to a competition. Above all, embracing gene doping could see more records being broken in the coming years. Ethics, Social and Legal Issues Associated With Gene Doping A lot of concerns have emerged with regards to the use of gene doping by athletes in sports. The concerns range from ethics to legal issues. Ethically, some people have argued that gene doping is unethical and bad for the sporting activity because its usage will give some athletes undue advantage and create an imbalance in competition in the event that it is legalized (Schneider, 2006). Accordingly, this would be bad for the sports in the sense that it will mean that people would not compete based on their natural potential, but on how well an athlete uses the drugs. Those who maintain this ethical argument cite Lance Armstrong, who won seven Toure De France titles before the test reviled that he had been using performance enhancing drugs, which gave him undue advantage over others. Secondly, the use of gene doping has been criticized because it would corrupt the sporting world. This is because permitting gene doping in the sporting world would mean accepting blatant cheating, which is unethical (Science Life, 2010). Additionally, legalizing gene doping could have serious consequences in the sporting world since it would promote overindulgence of athletes in drug usage, which will not only corrupt the sporting world but also have serious negative consequences for the society at large. Additionally, there is growing concern that gene doping could have serious health consequences for users, including cancer, heart diseases, and damage to body muscles, thus ought not to be permitted. Conclusion Doping has been a serious issue in the sporting world for centuries now. Although initially doping was allowed in sport, it was banned later on because it gives athletes who use performance enhancing drugs undue advantage over opponents. Although athletes have for a long time depended on drugs such as steroids and growth hormones, gene doping is a new technology that is fast taking shape in the sporting arena. It is believed that the use of gene doping will significantly increase the performance of athletes mind and body. However, the use of technology has been criticized because it would create uneven playing fields for athletes, which is unethical. References Baron, D. A., Martin, D. M., & Magd, S. A. (2007). Doping in sports and its spread to at-risk populations: an international review. World Psychiatry, 6(2): 118–123. Collins, M. (2009). Genetics and sports. London: Karger Medical and Scientific Publishers. Gerlinger, K., Petermann, T., & Sauter, A. (2013). Gene doping: Scientific basis - Gateways – monitoring. New York, NY: BoD – Books on Demand. Körner, S. (2013). Gene doping, internet and polycontexturality: Elite sports of the next society. Retrieved from http://cgd.swissre.com/global_dialogue/topics/Human_enhancement/Gene_doping_internet_and_polycontexturality_Elite_sports_of_the_next_society.html Miah, A. (2004). Genetically modified athletes: Biomedical ethics, gene doping and sport. Mason, OH: Routledge. Porterfield, J. (2008). Doping: Athletes and drugs: Easyread super large 18pt edition. New York, NY: ReadHowYouWant.com. Schneider, A. J. (2006). Gene doping in sports: The science and ethics of genetically modified athletes. London: Academic Press. Science Life. (2010). The dangerous edge of gene doping. Retrieved from http://sciencelife.uchospitals.edu/2010/03/02/the-dangerous-edge-of-gene-doping/ Savulescu, J., Meulen, R., & Kahane, G. (2011). Enhancing human capacities. Upper saddle River, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Thieme, D., & Hemmersbach, P. (2009). Doping in sports. Oxford, OX: Springer Science & Business Media. Read More