Testing... Testing...
With the world's largest sporting event currently taking place in Rio, and all the controversy about performance-enhancing drugs that inevitably follows, we dug up a few interesting facts about doping and some surprising banned substances in sports.
- What, no coffee?! Caffeine was banned until 2004, due to it's ability to temporarily increase speed and stamina. However, since it was nearly impossible to distinguish casual use of caffeine from a doping attempt, the ban was lifted.
- Horses also go through drug testing for equestrian events! Capsaicin, the active chemical in hot chilies, can be found in horse topical creams to alleviate pain and/or increase their leg sensitivity, particularly when jumping fences. Because of this, capsaicin is a banned substance for these 4-legged athletic partners.
- Some athletes have resorted to blood doping by using blood transfusions to increase red blood cell count, thereby improving endurance.
Bonus fact!
Sports federations only started to test for
performance-enhancing drugs in the mid
1960s!
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