ABSTRACT
From ancient Greece to modern-day Athens, every sportsman and woman has sought an edge over their rivals. Whether through the use of better training, improved technology or performance-enhancing substances, every competitor in the sporting arena has wanted victory. Never mind the old maxim that ‘it’s the taking part not the winning that matters’. The difference between fame and obscurity is what separates gold medallists from the also-rans. Drugs can often make the difference. The truth belies the myth peddled by sport’s great romantics that knowledge of drug-taking among sport’s elite began with Ben Johnson’s expulsion from the Seoul Olympics in 1988. While he may have been the first true superstar to be banned for failing a dope test, he wasn’t the first to be caught ‘cheating’.
