Drugs in Sport

What Drugs in Sport covers

Drugs in Sport is examined in Component 03, Socio-cultural issues in physical activity and sport. It covers legal supplements and illegal doping, why elite performers dope, consequences of doping for society, sport and performers and strategies against doping.

The 4 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

• Legal supplements and illegal dopingLegal supplements and illegal drugs, doping and banned methods, the WADA Prohibited List, blood doping, contaminated supplements, strict liability, ethics, and Therapeutic Use Exemptions.Open →
• Why elite performers dopeThe win-at-all-costs attitude, financial rewards, pressure from others, believing rivals dope, injury, thinking they will not be caught, age and career stage, coaches, state pressure and psychological demands.Open →
• Consequences of doping for society, sport and performersEffects on young people and public trust, costs to society, a sport's reputation and income, clean competitors, sporting sanctions, Lance Armstrong and Ben Johnson, and health, financial and personal consequences.Open →
• Strategies against dopingWADA and the World Anti-Doping Code, UK Anti-Doping, out-of-competition testing, the whereabouts system, the athlete biological passport, stored samples, education, longer bans, the law, funding and team sanctions.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take Drugs in Sport further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

• Legal supplement vs Illegal drug

  Legal supplement: a permitted substance taken to support training and recovery. Illegal drug: a substance on the banned list that breaks the anti-doping rules.

• In-competition testing vs Out-of-competition testing

  In-competition testing: sampling performers at the event where they compete. Out-of-competition testing: sampling performers without warning during training periods.

• Strict liability vs Therapeutic Use Exemption

  Strict liability: responsibility for any banned substance found in a sample. Therapeutic Use Exemption: advance permission to take a banned medicine for a genuine condition.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What is the difference between a legal supplement and an illegal drug in sport?

   Model answer

   A legal supplement is a substance a performer may take within the rules, such as creatine or caffeine. An illegal drug is a substance on the Prohibited List that is banned from use.

2. 2

   What is meant by doping in sport?

   Model answer

   Doping is the use of banned substances or banned methods to improve performance. Doping is a breach of the rules of sport and the World Anti-Doping Code.

3. 3

   Which organisation publishes the list of substances banned in sport?

   Model answer

   The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) publishes the Prohibited List. WADA updates the list every year.

4. 4

   Name two classes of drug that are banned in sport.

   Model answer

   Anabolic agents and peptide hormones such as EPO are banned. Stimulants and diuretics are also banned classes.

5. 5

   Why is blood doping classed as a banned method rather than a banned substance?

   Model answer

   Blood doping boosts red blood cells by infusing blood rather than by taking a drug. WADA bans methods of manipulation as well as substances.

6. 6

   Why can a legal supplement still lead to a doping offence?

   Model answer

   Supplements are not tightly regulated and can be contaminated with banned substances. Under strict liability, the performer is responsible for whatever is in their body.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

Drugs in Sport revision questions

What does Drugs in Sport cover in OCR A-Level Physical Education?

4 subtopics: legal supplements and illegal doping, why elite performers dope, consequences of doping for society, sport and performers and strategies against doping. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is Drugs in Sport organised?

By the OCR H555 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.