Pre-reading questions:
- If you’re an athlete, how far would you go in order to win a competition? Please explain your answer.
- If you’re in a competition, would you rather lose and learn or cheat and win? Please explain your answer.
According to UK Anti-Doping (Ukad), the national body responsible for protecting clean sport, there are currently 52 athletes and coaches serving bans. 12% are professional sports men or women; 62% are amateurs, 21% are semi-professional, and 5% are coaches. Out of 186 sanctions handed out across 22 separate sports by Ukad since it formed in 2009, 46% have been rugby union or league players – mainly at amateur and semi-professional levels.
There are clearly a group of individuals seeking to enhance their performance by taking prohibited substances, and then, there are others who were taking these substances because they have a body image problem. Younger people are the main users of anabolic steroids in amateur sport, according to the poll for BBC Sport. Thus, they push people into exercise because they want to promote the health benefits. They forget that people in most exercise settings might consider using substances. They don’t care about health but more about their performance and how they look to other people.
Vocabulary:
bans – to stop the public distribution
sanctions – the act of final authorization
union – an organization; a group
semi-professional – an athlete playing for pay on a part-time basis
steroid – used as treatment for inflammatory conditions
Comprehension Questions:
- Who is the main source of information on this article?
- Who is responsible for protecting clean sport?
- Who are the people in serving bans?
- How many sanctions handed out across 22 separate sports?
- The UK Anti-Doping was formed in what year?
Express Your Opinion:
- What do you think is the worst effect of drugs in the world of sports? Please explain your answer.
- What can you say about the widespread use of drugs on amateur level athletes? Please explain your answer.
- Who do you think should be liable for this dilemma? Please explain your answer.
- What do you think is the most appropriate punishment for them? Please explain your answer.
- What can you contribute to our young athletes in order to succeed? Please explain your answer.