The New York Times Editorial Staff - Doping: The Sports World in Crisis

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Blood doping involves removing athletes blood and increasing their oxygen levels by injecting it back into their bodies. This practice can result in heart failure and kidney failure.

Despite the dangers of these substances, athletes, coaches, sports organizations and others have made liberal use of them. The desire to win at all costs is potent motivation for such actions. Organizations such as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) work toward ensuring that sports worldwide are free of doping. In the United States, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) functions as the national anti-doping organization for the Olympics, Paralympics and other sports.

This collection of articles looks at the issue of doping in sports from different angles. Chapter 1 traces early problems with the doping of racing animals and in the Olympics and the move toward regulation of substances that enhance performance. Chapter 2 explores the issues encountered as antidoping laws were put into place as well as the effects of various performance-enhancing drugs. Chapter 3 focuses on doping fraud committed by individuals and organizations and on dissenting views about antidoping efforts. Chapter 4 looks at a number of high-profile doping scandals in cycling, baseball and the Olympics. Chapter 5 covers problems with doping regulations, from the possibility of competitors sabotaging athletes to issues with a lack of valid data and resistance of certain organizations to following antidoping standards. Chapter 6 involves advances in pharmacology, lawmaking about performance-enhancing drugs and continuing attempts to fool the antidoping systems.

The sports world continues to make headlines as individuals and organizations alike navigate competing pressures to succeed in high stakes events and to also follow antidoping regulations. With legal and ethical issues at play, the controversy of doping is multi-faceted and demands careful reporting.

Money played a big role in athletic competitions in the early 20th century, especially when it came to races by dogs and horses. Racing promoters didn't hesitate to use drugs to enhance the performance of racing animals, making it necessary to create laws to limit such fraudulent behavior. Olympic athletes, coaches and promoters often gave in to the temptation to use performance-enhancing drugs as well. The establishment of testing procedures took decades to implement, and even then they were not always effective.

BY THE NEW YORK TIMES | MARCH 29, 1936

Washington, march Americas reputed $500,000,000 race-horse business is under the close scrutiny of the Federal Government in connection with the nation-wide drive against the use of narcotics to stimulate or depress the running ability of the animals.

As the horses were about to go to the barriers in many Spring meets, Harry J. Anslinger, chief of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, announced that the State Racing Commissions would have one more opportunity to clean up their own back yards, but that if they failed, drastic Federal action would follow.

The tentative draft of a law already has been prepared by the Treasury to prohibit the interstate shipment of drugged horses for racing purposes and to deny track licenses to persons guilty of this practice.

The draft is regulatory in nature, based on the principle of the Securities Act, to prevent frauds against the public. The proposed law will be held in abeyance and will be introduced only if the State commissions fail to eliminate or properly regulate the hopping of horses.

Mr. Anslinger is determined to see that horse hopping is successfully outlawed. He said today that while the Narcotic Bureau does not have the agents actually to patrol the tracks, except in emergency cases, the Federal Government will prosecute under the Harrison Anti-Narcotic Law all cases of importance reported by the State commissions.