NCJ Number
241578
Date Published
February 2013
Length
47 pages
Annotation
This report summarizes findings from the Australian Crime Commission's (ACC's) study of the extent of use of performance and image enhancing drugs (PIED's) in Australia's professional sports, which is intended to assist Australia's Government, regulatory bodies, and the sporting industry in addressing PIED issues in professional sports.
Abstract
The study concludes that despite being prohibited substances in professional sports codes, PIED peptides and hormones are being used by professional athletes in Australia, facilitated by sports scientists, high-performance coaches, and sports staff. The ACC has also identified the involvement of organized crime groups in the domestic distribution of PIEDs. The ACC further concludes that if left unchecked, organized criminals will likely increase their participation in the distribution of peptides and hormones in Australia. The report concludes that the ACC has demonstrated that the PIEDs market and related criminal activities threaten the integrity of sports in Australia and is evolving, with the potential to harm the broader community of amateur sports and the concepts of integrity and fairness it promotes. Due to the highly sophisticated nature of doping and the efforts to avoid its detection, specific skills and knowledge are required. Sports scientists and medical professionals are profiting from their design of sophisticated doping programs, as was demonstrated in the case of Lance Armstrong in U.S. sports. In turn, sports team coaches and staff pursue successful records that can increase their salary offers. The extent of integrity measures varies significantly among the PIED codes for various sports in Australia, which creates a vulnerability to abusive practices that tend to infect all sports. This report includes profiles of peptide and hormone consumers and their sources, as well as the tactics of organized crime in the distribution of PIEDs. Appended overview of peptides and other PIEDs, as well as a summary of the legal status and status in sports of peptides and hormones