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in the Women's 75+kg weightlifting event, she tested positive for the banned steroid ethandrostenalone during an IWF pre-competition test. She was disqualified and banned from competing in the 2004 Olympic Games.

Uzbekistan's Olga Shchukina was disqualified after having finished 19th (last place) in her qualifying group in the women's shot put. Shchukina tested positive in an out-of-competition screening August 14, 2004 for the steroid clenbuterol. According to news reports, Shchukina claimed she ingested the substance inadvertently in a cough syrup. Since the IOC has a "strict liability" rule, which holds athletes responsible for any banned substance found in their system, she was nevertheless found guilty of a doping offense.

The oath taken by athletes at the beginning of each Olympic Games is as follows, "In the name of all competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them, in the true spirit of sportsmanship, for the glory of sport and the honor of our teams."

Drug use by competitors in the Olympic Games, as in any sport, should unquestionably be illegal. It is medically unacceptable because of the potential side effects and it is ethically unacceptable because it contravenes the spirit of sport and the concept of fair play. Specifically it is not fair for one individual to gain and advantage over another by means which are secretive and dangerous and give advantage to the extent that other competitors would have to accept the same unreasonable risks in order to be competitive.

Using drugs for performance enhancement sends the wrong message, that there are shortcuts to accomplishment and that performance is more important than character.



References
CBS Sports: The Inside Dope (2005) Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/sports/indep th/drugs/ 7 October 2005.

On This Day: 1988 From Victory to Scandal (2005) Retrieved from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisda y/hi/witness/september/24/news id_3114000/3114220.stm
Slam Olympics Scandal Archive (2005) Retrieved from http://www.canoe.ca/SlamOlympi cScandalArchive/home.html 8 October 2005.

Steinert, David. The History of World War II Medicine (2002) Retrieved from http://home.att.net/~steinert/ wwii.htm 6 October 2005.

The Olympic Movement: Olympic Issue; Drugs. Retrieved from
http://www.olympics.org.uk/oly mpicmovement/olympicissuesdrug s.asp 8 October 2005.

Learn more about this author, Larry Lounsbury.
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