Anti-doping chief denounces use of steroids in athletics

World Anti-Doping Agency chair Richard Pound denounced the use of steroids in a lecture last night, arguing that the pervasiveness of the drug creates a dilemma for athletes who wish to stay clean but also hope to remain competitive.

"It's important for you to know that there are people that are trying to make sure that you don't have to get caught in that ethical dilemma," Pound told an audience in Dodds Auditorium.

Pound, a member of the International Olympic Committee, said he first witnessed steroid abuse as an Olympic swimmer in 1960. Drug use was particularly rampant, he said, among cyclists and track and field athletes. Since that time, he has become actively involved in the international regulation of athletic doping and has seen firsthand the transformation of attitudes towards steroid abuse.

Pound said that researchers first began to test the effects of steroids in the late 1950s and early 1960s, finding health risks that reduced the excitement about utilizing supplements in athletic training.

"There was little widespread knowledge of [steroid abuse] ... and [curbing interest in these drugs] was an uneven struggle for years," he said. "Over time the testing got better, but implementation tended to be spotty and was not pursued with great enthusiasm."

While researchers were warning of the health risks associated with steroid misuse, however, governments encouraged further abuse by bulking up native competitors in an attempt to beat foreign competition, Pound said. Recent legislation has condemned such practices, and cooperation among international athletic organizations and governments has limited the use of supplements.

Pound maintained that the blame for steroid use does not lie solely with the doping athletes themselves.

"One important thing to remember is that doping is very, very seldom accidental. By and large, doping is planned, designed, administered and assisted by professionals with the expressed intention of performance enhancement," he said.

He also argued that legalization of the drugs would only exacerbate the problem.

"I think that if you make it legal, the risk is that you will be increasing uncontrolled use of the substance," he said.

One student in attendance, Adam Ernst '10, said he came away impressed with Pound's message.

"He had a good grasp for the history of steroid abuse," Ernst said. "It's fascinating to think that someone who was actually in the Olympics has such an important leadership role in solving this problem."