history of doping He is almost as old as human competitiveness. Although it was first persecuted and sanctioned in the 1960s, hundreds and even thousands of years before that, athletes of the past had already resorted to certain tricks to improve your productivity.
From Roman gladiators to 19th century cyclists, the first Olympic athletes in ancient Greece and medieval knights, everyone knew of certain substances that allowed them to perform their tasks better. At the time, chemical doping was not frowned upon or punished. Of course, if someone had thought of resorting to black magic For any sporting task he was quickly disqualified.
It’s funny how things have changed in that department, but how little has changed in the crazy things we humans are capable of doing to get our way. Because sometimes, even knowing that certain substances they can be deadlythere were those who did not hesitate to take them to win. This is what we see throughout the history of doping, but also today.
The first cases in the history of doping
Perhaps the oldest examples of doping are recorded in Roman gladiators and the first Greek athletes.
Gladiators are known to have drunk herbal infusions that improved their performance in races. car racing. Greeksfor their part, they experimented with a wide variety of “magic potions”. Most of the ingredients of these drinks are currently unknown, as no records were kept. However, it is known that they often resorted to stimulants, such as some fungus. Come on, Olympic athletes took magic mushrooms. Today, that would be unthinkable.
In addition, it is known that some potions contained other opiates and substances extracted from animal testiclesIt can be seen as a very basic precursor to Red Bull.
The Tricks of Medieval Knights
medieval knights They also had their own forms of doping. But they did not use them in competitions like knights. At least, not only there. They resorted to it especially before battles. It is known that they once there are animal organs power-related, such as testicles. And also that they knew certain stimulants, whose names are not disclosed, which helped them to increase their effectiveness in the fight against the enemy.
Indians, Chinese and Incas
Other ancient cultures also had similar techniques for improving physical fitness. For example, ancient Chinese doctors are known to have recommended warriors to take the extract ephedra plantit’s called Ma Huangto improve its performance. This plant is still widely used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat coughs, nasal congestion or asthma, and to increase energy.
On the other hand, as early as 300 BC in India they ate animal testicles before battles. It seems that this form of doping was common in many cultures.
And we can’t talk about the history of doping without taking the Incas into account. There are records from that time that say that some warriors were able to travel 1,750 km from Cusco to Quito in 5 days under the influence of cocaine.
The latest history of doping
The story of doping is not over. Cases of the disease continue to be identified constantly, whether due to the use of steroids, insulin, blood transfusions or many other mechanisms.
Many athletes only receive sanctions, while others seriously endanger their health. Even fatal cases can occur. The first recorded death in the history of doping occurred in the 19th century. In 1886, an English cyclist Arthur Linton He was racing between Bordeaux and Paris when he reportedly took an overdose of a compound called trimethyl, which eventually led to his death. Other contemporary accounts say that the race ended and that he died of typhoid fever some time later. Deaths were not recorded as accurately at the time as they are today. But if he was not the first, it is possible that there were others around the same time.
Because even today we see some athletes, especially bodybuilders, risking their lives to improve their scores. If black magic is already crazy, the thought of dying for a medal does not seem like a more reasonable alternative.
Source: Hiper Textual
