ABSTRACT
Increasingly, in the developed world it is a sedentary lifestyle that produces a staggering range of significant health risks, risks that loom large enough to have the potential to decrease the life expectancy of our children.1,2 In contrast, among a minority of athletes an exceptionally active, competitive lifestyle exposes them to a number of threats to health and well-being. It is important to understand the degree to which sport participation may pose problems to an athlete’s physical, emotional and social well-being: involvement in sport may lead to injury, illness and a variety of behavioral and psychological problems. The sport environment, both physical and social, may give rise to a range of problems that have long-term sequelae. In particular – and the focus of this discussion – the abuse of drugs and other prohibited methods for the purpose of enhancing performance threatens both the well-being of sport and the health of athletes. Sport officials, and sport medicine professionals in particular, must be sensitive to the array of problems and issues that may develop in the athletes for whom they care. All in sport have a responsibility to address the dangers posed by doping in a forceful but thoughtful manner.
