TRENDS IN DRUG-ABUSE IN COMPETITIVE SPORTS, AND THE INTERNATIONAL ANTI-DOPING MOVEMENT

The results of our twelve years drug abuse survey in competitive sport s is discussed. The most typically abused drug among the Japanese gene ral public is methamphetamine, and the problem has been escalating dur ing the last few years especially among female adolescents. Throughout our survey period, the major dope agents abused by sportsmen have bee n ephedrines and injectable anabolic steroids. As detection of synthet ic anabolic steroid is relatively easy, doping with naturally-occurrin g steroids has become the major doping agent in sports. In some countr ies, a governmental or non-governmental co-ordination agency has been founded to promote, develop and co-ordinate the national anti-doping p rogram in sports, and out-of-competition testing (OOCT) is now frequen tly conducted by the agency independently from sports federation. It i s thought that it would be helpful for society to be ready for the gro wing problem of hormone abuse among the general public if the internat ional and-doping movement against doping in sport is taken into accoun t.