Your opinion matters/Week #24/Topic of the week/

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Title: The Use of Chemical Compounds to Improve the Physical Performance in Athletes

Introduction

It is well known among coaches, athletes and sports scientists of all kind how they can increase and refine performance by finding out possible ways to gain a better edge in a lot of different sports disciplines. One of these areas of interest may be the certain chemicals which are still causing the hot debates round the sports: doping, you know. This essay also intends and provides a more detailed description of the use of these elements in the process of involving in sporting activities and, subsequently, also assesses the pro and cons of the same. It will also emphasize what should be avoided and talk about the tendencies of movement to enhance in the sphere of sport.

Chemical Substances in Sports: A Brief Overview

Chemical substances can be broadly classified into two categories: medical and non-medical. Pharmacological substance are substances that are used in the body through medications and hormones while non-pharmacological substances are substances which are used in the body but are not classified under drugs or hormones.

As old as sporting activities, administration of performance enhancing medicine has been around, and archaeological findings show that athletes during time past (ancient time) used stimulants like alcohol, hashish among others. However, the use of chemical substances in relation to performance remained unknown until the 20th century when scientist started to research on the impacts of chemical substances as being used by athletes.

The athletes use classes of chemicals such as stimulants, anabolic steroids, growth hormone, Erythropoietin and diuretics to increase their performance potential. These drugs greatly differ in the action method and the impact on the body’s functions they have.

Advantages and disadvantage of using chemical substances in sports performance.

Taking performance-enhancing substances has its pros and cons as I will state below. Some of the advantages include:

1. Increased Strength and Endurance: Some of the main advantages of the PES are based on the fact that substances improve the muscle capacities of the athletes, including strength and endurance. Since these substances enhance the production of energy and promote faster restoration of the working muscles after exerting efforts, the results of enhanced levels of performance are evident to the sportsmen.

2. Enhanced Recovery: One benefit of the use of performance enhancing substances is they may assist an athlete on post training or competition work. They can help athletes get back to training quickly because the substances presented help to lessen soreness and inflammation of the muscles.

3. Choosing Safe and Reliable Supplements:
   When it comes to the planning of using supplements that best thing which an athlete can do is ensuring that supplements are accredited by accredited organizations such as Informed-Sport or Informed-Choice. This is so because this will help in preventing the supplements from having tainted products and secondly it is because the supplements should be made in clean environment.

4. Improved Focus and Concentration: The drugs like stimulants which makes it easier for an athletes to concentrate especially when competing will also at the same enhance the man decision making and hence the performance of the person.

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There are however some disadvantages to using these chemicals in sports but need to take account of the various disadvantages. Some of the drawbacks include:

1. Health Risks: One of the biggest fans from the misuse of performance enhancing substances is the adverse effects caused while using it on athletes. These risks can include things such as nausea and dizziness, restless sleep, or throat irritation and can proceed as far as liver failure and heart attacks.

2. Cheating and Unequal Playing Field: It remains hard to argue that the controversy succeeded in raising the simplest issue that connects with the usage of performance-enhancing substances in sports: the principle of fairness. They were also used for example, when athletes used them to improve their performance against other competitors distorting the game and making the sport less credible.

3. Legal Consequences: Athletes who take banned substances are liable to suffer legal implications in this case being suspension, fines or even criminal charges depending on the type of substance present and the laws of the country in question.

Measures to Avoid/Risks and Safety Tips

It is subject of performance enhancing substance use carrying many dangers and everyone, be it on the athlete or the coach must use canning with caution when handling. Some of these include:

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1. Following Anti-Doping Rules: It is important for every sportsman to acquaint himself with the dope regulations of the sport regulating his or her sport. Such are related to routine tests when and if drugs are present in an athlete’s system and reporting use of performance enhancing substances.

1. Consulting with a Medical Professional: So any athlete contemplating using such a substance should first speak to their doctor, discuss the pros and cons, and ascertain if the substance is in fact suitable for that athlete.

Drugs and Sports: What’s Next?

As change is in the air with sports, banned substances will no doubt continue to be an issue. But, the major important quarter requires acknowledging an evident fact: scientific and technological progress will enable new record –breakers to enhance opportunities, legal and otherwise, for athletes to come up to ‘that extra yard’.

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In response, sports organization cannot afford to relax their guard and must evolve on both policy and testing front to combat the cheats. However, athletes and their coaches ought to voluntarily know the dangers other than these substances and be willing to compete with other teams where the substance use is not an option.

Conclusion

Due to this the use of chemicals in order to increase the physical performance in athletes as seen above has its positive and negative. That is why it is vital to stick to current anti-doping rules, pick safe and reliable supplements, and speak with a doctor before picking any of these substances. Consequently, the use or otherwise use of performance-enhancing substances will be determined by the available choices by the athletes, coaches and the sports organizations and the available scientific findings and innovations.

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