The problem of doping in modern sport.

Doping is a problem that at all times, ever since the first sporting contests appeared, has attracted not only professional athletes but amateurs too, as well as their coaches. The Incas chewed coca leaves, the ancient Scandinavians drank a mushroom brew that drove warriors into a rage, raising their pain threshold and endurance. The first Olympians used opium to boost their tone and get themselves in the mood for athletic might.

The only question is how to properly organize the process of detection and the process of punishment, to stop the "targeted" persecution and to apply penalties equally to everyone (regardless of country, nation or race). As for the athletes themselves, however lofty their ambitions, they shouldn't forget about all the side effects and negative consequences of using these substances. Victories are all well and good, but nothing can replace sound health and a long life.

And ordinary sports fans, before saying unflattering things about athletes and their doping problems, should first get a proper grasp of the problem, understanding its essence and its real aspects. And one of the main issues will be not turning doping research into a politically colored problem, imposing bans where it's convenient. Not using them as an expression of hostility toward one country or another. Not staging showcase tests, groundlessly and dishonestly!