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1、Sports Doping: From the Laboratory to the Playing FieldFAITH LAPIDUS: This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. Im Faith Lapidus.BOB DOUGHTY: And Im Bob Doughty. Today, we tell about sports doping the use of drugs or other substances to improve athletic performance.(MUSIC)FAITH LAPIDUS: Sp
2、orts have long been part of popular culture. In the United States, some athletes are as famous as movie stars or rock musicians. Their lives are described not only in the news media, but in films and literature. Sports have found their way into everyday expressions. One example is: Its not whether y
3、ou win or lose, but how you play the game. That saying has been used for years to define honor in sports. But today, many people question the honor of some athletes.BOB DOUGHTY: Barry Bonds holds the Major League Baseball record for most homeruns in a single season. He also holds the record for the
4、most career homeruns. Last month, he went on trial in San Francisco, California. He was accused of lying to a federal grand jury about his reported use of performance-enhancing drugs. He has repeatedly denied knowingly taking such drugs.(MUSIC)FAITH LAPIDUS: When many Americans talk about sports dop
5、ing, they think of anabolic steroids. Most sports organizations have banned the non-medical use of anabolic steroids. But some athletes continue taking them. They believe steroids help them when competing.Steroids are used to increase muscle strength. Yet they also can damage the liver, increase cho
6、lesterol, and stop production of testosterone. And they can cause personality changes. Steroid users may become angry for no reason. Some become dependent on steroids and feel they cannot live without them. Users can become depressed and, in some cases, may even want to take their own life. Some men
7、 who use anabolic steroids develop breasts and their reproductive organs shrink. Some women develop a deeper voice and grow facial hair.BOB DOUGHTY: Testosterone is a steroid hormone. Hormones are chemicals that help keep the body working normally. The effects of testosterone can be seen in boys whe
8、n they become young men. They develop muscle power and become stronger. Testosterone is also important for other changes, like a deeper voice and the growth of hair.Both men and women produce testosterone, but men produce much more of it. But not all males produce the same amounts. Some naturally ha
9、ve higher levels than others. As men grow older, their testosterone levels drop.FAITH LAPIDUS: Some people take testosterone supplements for medical purposes. But some athletes use testosterone to strengthen their muscles and improve performance. Testosterone supplements are banned in many sports. R
10、esearchers who have studied testosterone generally agree that long-term use may increase athletic performance. But they disagree about the short-term value. Also, testosterone supplements have risks. Most doctors agree that taking large amounts of testosterone can cause an increased risk of heart di
11、sease or other health problems.(MUSIC)APGerman Olympic speedskating champion Claudia Pechstein competes in Erfurt, Germany, in February. She has returned to the sport after a two-year doping ban.BOB DOUGHTY: Discovery of banned drugs and drug use at a major sporting event led to creation of the Worl
12、d Anti-Doping Agency. In nineteen ninety-eight, French police carried out a raid and found banned substances at the Tour de France.After that, the International Olympic Committee led efforts to create an independent agency to set and enforce common anti-doping rules. WADA, as the agency is known, ha
13、s representatives of the Olympic movement and officials from around the world.FAITH LAPIDUS: Doping is the general term for the use of banned substances or activities to improve athletic performance. WADA says the term probably came from the Dutch word dop. It was the name for an alcoholic drink tha
14、t Zulu fighters used to improve their performance in battle.The agency says the word doping began to be used for athletes in the beginning of the twentieth century. At first, it meant the illegal drugging of racehorses.The agency notes that athletes have used substances for centuries to improve thei
15、r performance. Ancient Greeks used special foods and drinks. Nineteenth-century cyclists and others used alcohol, caffeine, cocaine - even strychnine, a strong poison. By the nineteen-twenties, sports organizations were attempting to stop the use of doping substances. But they lacked scientific ways
16、 to test for them.BOB DOUGHTY: One method of doping is called blood doping. It is the use of substances like hormones or even blood itself to increase production of red blood cells. That way, the blood moves more oxygen to the muscles, increasing their strength. One such hormone is EPO. It is said to be most-useful to athletes in endurance sports such as cycling and distance-running. Yet doctors say hormones used for blood doping thicken th
