The usage of drugs to boost sporting performance by sportspersons
The usage of drugs to boost sporting performance by sportspersons is presently a global societal problem. Though athletics managers are putting efforts to depress the exercise, nevertheless, the prevalence seems to be growing promptly. However, this is contrary to the contextual of this study, which examined the understanding and usage of performance, improving substances amongst top Nigerian sportspersons. Additionally, this study scrutinized the impact of sequential age of a chosen sample of the top sportspersons and their corresponding kinds of sporting they participate in, and the use of performance-improving drugs. An aggregate of 220 sportspersons has arbitrarily experimented from 11 standard athletics in Nigeria, and a set of questionnaire established and authenticated for data collection throughout the study. The examination of this data was done by detailed measurements, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and t-test analysis. The outcomes indicated that all partakers have overheard about and saw every of the drug substances acknowledged in the research.
Similarly, there was an implication effect of the gender of participants and the kinds of athletics in drug usage practices. Participants in this research had used anabolic steroids, caffeine, ephedrine, and dianabol. Partakers in this research used these drugs to achieve past their capability, regulate heaviness, and to shine at races. Grounded on the outcomes, it was suggested that the Nigerian regime should board on a complete and operative enactment of precautionary drug informative programs for sportspersons and athletes’ funding staff.
Introduction
This study focuses on whichever compounds taken to intensify power, muscle strength, speediness, or fortitude or to alter body weightiness or conformation, meant to boost athletics performance, especially in vigorous sporting events. In Nigeria, the unrestricted buying of drugs by residents deprived of regard to oldness, gender, and spiritual constraints had stimulated the intake of psychoactive drug substances for societal reasons rather than for approved medicinal motives. This accounts for the increasing rate of usage of performance-enhancing drugs amongst adolescences who are potential athletes. Some athletes use drugs intending to enhance performance so that they accomplish their goals. This is spurred by their belief that using drugs is a short cut for them to rise to the top, to become athletic champions. However, these drugs are harmful and addictive, and the adverse effects outweigh the positive impact. Throughout the last 40 years, drug use is very detrimental to athletic performance because it ruins athlete character, poses health risks, and encourages unfairness in competition. Generally, the habit of athletes using performance-enhancing drugs is aimed at reaping the benefits awaited by the high performer after winning the competition. Again, the athletic competitions have become tougher, and rewards for winners are currently high. Thus athletes thrive on winning the race at all costs. This prompts the use of drugs to enhance their performance.
Literature Review
Substantial consideration of various studies was engrossed in the usage of drugs as a way of improving sporty performance by mutually inexpert and skilled sportspersons. Firstly, research has indicated that the absorption of amphetamines could advance swimming, running, weight throwing performance, retort time, and stability under some situations whereby baseball players, runners, swimmers, and weight throwers did well after administering amphetamines. Also, they develop mental attentiveness, thus contributing to effectiveness and aggression. Another study reported that the use of ephedrine raises blood pressure and heart rate throughout the exercise but did not advance muscle strength and endurance performance. However, researchers clarified that a combination of ephedrine and caffeine enhances performance since caffeine increases endurance in athletic activities. Also, caffeine being a psychological stimulant may lead to poor performance in events that require calmness, like target shooting, golf.
On the other hand, anabolic steroids are used with intention for gaining heaviness since athletes believe that it will advance muscle build and strength, hence athletic performance. It can be concluded that none of these drugs improve performance, but instead, they cause negative impacts like vomiting, hair damage, liver sickness, and demise triggered by blood and liver cancer. For instance, a Nigerian sportsperson was recounted deceased in a marathon due to the intake of performance-enhancing drugs.
Research method
This study encompasses a detailed survey investigation to obtain information from a sample of athletes who have ever represented Nigeria in global competition. The basis of these sportspersons is grounded on their skill and chance to have intermingled with foreign athletes who may have used drugs to boost athletic performance. A sample of 135 male and 85 female athletes for international sports events were assembled by their gender and given questionnaires to give demographic information and motives influencing drug usage in athletics. However, the surveys were given to state athletes in Lagos, Ibadan, and Ilorin during their exercise. The collected data was exposed to t-tests analysis and Analysis of Variance to obtain results.
Results
The information portrayed that there was an extensive fissure between hearing about or seeing a particular drug substance and primarily using it. Thus, many participants had heard about or seen the drugs, but a few had used them. Generally, it was found that participants were presently consuming ephedrine, caffeine, anabolic steroids, and dianabol. An Analysis of Variance, sports, and weight lifting was clustered as individual athletic, while boxing, table tennis, and badminton were assembled as double athletic. Likewise, team sporting comprises handball, football, volleyball, and hockey. This analysis exposed that partakers in team sporting used medications higher than those in twofold and individual athletic since they are more strenuous. To understand the motives for the use of performance-improving drugs, a t-test examination was done for both users and non-users, whereby data revealed that the principal motive was to advance self-confidence to shine competitions by performing past their capability.
Discussion
The amplified use of drugs among Nigerian athletes leads to a positive consequence. Most of the athletes regularly abuse performance-enhancing drugs such as anabolic steroids and stimulants counting caffeine. These drugs generally aid athletes to perform better as steroids aids in building muscles, henceforth enlightening the performance of the athletes. Additionally, stimulants raise athletes’ focus, endurance, and speed as well, and consequently, their use improves the athlete’s performance. This study attempted to determine the factors which are driving athletes to abuse drugs. The primary or critical factor which is contributing to the abuse of several drugs by the athletes is performance enhancement as drugs such as steroid aids in building muscles of the athletes hence permitting them to increase strength and speed which leads to procurement of high performance, sex performance, and sociological factors such as peer influence. More importantly, researchers have identified performance enhancement as the primary reason why athletes in Nigeria have been using numerous drugs. Innumerable studies designate that men athletes are more likely to use drugs deliberately to excel in their performance. Following this study, there are numerous reasons which may prompt an athlete to use performance-enhancing drugs. Consequently, the majority of the athletes were influenced by reasons such as social recognition and desire for performing beyond their ability.
Conclusion
The outcomes of this study portray that all the sampled athletes had heard about and perceived each of the drugs recognized. Additionally, male athletes who used these drugs were more than female athletes, and the use of drugs was prejudiced by the categories of sports events of the athletes. Having confirmed the use of performance-improving substances by Nigerian sportspersons, the National Sports Commission is required to strengthen efforts to test sportspersons for doping while preparing for national and global competitions. Firmer punishments and counseling sessions need to be levied to those that test positive for this barred stuff. However, it can be concluded that individual drugs have diverse effects on human psychological and social healthiness status, and are taken for specific purposes. Again, in Nigeria, male athletes are considered as mostly using performance-enhancing drugs than females.
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