Drug testing in elite athletes - The Israeli perspective

Background: The use of performance-enhancing drugs by athletes, in particul ar anabolic steroids, is probably one of the major problems in sports today . During the early 1990s the Israeli Sports Federation and Olympic Committe e established the Israeli Sports Anti-Doping Committee. Objectives: To present a follow-up on tests for use of performance-enhancin g drugs among elite Israeli athletes from 1993 until the present. Methods: Since 1993, 273 drug tests (urine samples) were performed in elite Israeli athletes. These tests were done during major competitions, and at random during the regular training season without prior notice to the athle tes. The urine samples were sent for analysis to an of official drug labora tory of the Olympic Committee in Cologne, Germany. Results: Since 1993, seven (2.7%) male Israeli elite athletes (5 weight lif ters, a javelin thrower, and a sprinter) tested positive for performance-en hancing drugs - all of them for anabolic steroids, and two for diuretics as well. Discussion: These findings suggest that the phenomenon of performance-enhan cing drug use by elite athletes has also entered Israeli sports, and probab ly represent the tip of the iceberg among Israeli sportsmen. Therefore, mor e drug tests should be performed, especially at random without prior notice and during the regular season. Athletes in the most popular sports such as soccer and basketball should also be tested. The concern over the use of t hese agents is both medical and ethical.