Skip to main content
NCBI home page
British Journal of Sports Medicine logoLink to British Journal of Sports Medicine
. 1997 Jun;31(2):126–128. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.31.2.126

Drug doping in senior Australian rules football: a survey for frequency.

K J Hardy 1, J J McNeil 1, A G Capes 1
PMCID: PMC1332610  PMID: 9192125

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To determine by survey whether the frequency of use of performance enhancing drugs (drug doping) is significant in elite players of Australian Rules football, and to compare this frequency with that in other competitions. METHODS: Randomised unannounced prospective urine testing during the period 1990-95 of players from the Australian Football League out of competition, in competition matches, and in finals matches; testing was performed according to Olympic International Committee protocols and standards. The players' identities and clubs were unknown during testing. RESULTS: Of 900 random urine tests, no positive results were obtained for anabolic steroids, diuretics, caffeine, or peptide hormones. Five positive results (0.6%) were obtained-for pseudoephedrine in two instances, and for probenecid, methoxyphenamine, and dextropropoxyphene in one instance each. Each were inadvertent medical doping and declared before testing. CONCLUSIONS: Drug doping is not a problem in the Australian Football League. This is probably because no doping method is considered to be of value to Australian Rules football, because an educational programme is run by football authorities, and because random during season and out of season testing for drugs occurs.

Full text

PDF
126

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Cowart V. S. Professional football player suspensions re-emphasize problems of steroid abuse. JAMA. 1989 Oct 6;262(13):1743–1743. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Delbeke F. T., Desmet N., Debackere M. The abuse of doping agents in competing body builders in Flanders (1988-1993). Int J Sports Med. 1995 Jan;16(1):66–70. doi: 10.1055/s-2007-972966. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Graham S., Kennedy M. Recent developments in the toxicology of anabolic steroids. Drug Saf. 1990 Nov-Dec;5(6):458–476. doi: 10.2165/00002018-199005060-00007. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Graham T. E., Spriet L. L. Performance and metabolic responses to a high caffeine dose during prolonged exercise. J Appl Physiol (1985) 1991 Dec;71(6):2292–2298. doi: 10.1152/jappl.1991.71.6.2292. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Lamb D. R. Anabolic steroids in athletics: how well do they work and how dangerous are they? Am J Sports Med. 1984 Jan-Feb;12(1):31–38. doi: 10.1177/036354658401200105. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Lombardo J. A. Drug control programmes. Br J Sports Med. 1996 Jun;30(2):82–83. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.30.2.82. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. MacAuley D. Drugs in sport. BMJ. 1996 Jul 27;313(7051):211–215. doi: 10.1136/bmj.313.7051.211. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Palatini P. Exercise haemodynamics in the normotensive and the hypertensive subject. Clin Sci (Lond) 1994 Sep;87(3):275–287. doi: 10.1042/cs0870275. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Rogol A. D., Yesalis C. E., 3rd Clinical review 31: Anabolic-androgenic steroids and athletes: what are the issues? J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1992 Mar;74(3):465–469. doi: 10.1210/jcem.74.3.1740476. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Scarpino V., Arrigo A., Benzi G., Garattini S., La Vecchia C., Bernardi L. R., Silvestrini G., Tuccimei G. Evaluation of prevalence of "doping" among Italian athletes. Lancet. 1990 Oct 27;336(8722):1048–1050. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(90)92502-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Schwellnus M. P., Lambert M. I., Todd M. P., Juritz J. M. Androgenic anabolic steroid use in matric pupils. A survey of prevalence of use in the western Cape. S Afr Med J. 1992 Sep;82(3):154–158. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Wiles J. D., Bird S. R., Hopkins J., Riley M. Effect of caffeinated coffee on running speed, respiratory factors, blood lactate and perceived exertion during 1500-m treadmill running. Br J Sports Med. 1992 Jun;26(2):116–120. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.26.2.116. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. van der Merwe P. J., Kruger H. S. Drugs in sport--results of the past 6 years of dope testing in South Africa. S Afr Med J. 1992 Sep;82(3):151–153. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Sports Medicine are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES