Gene+doping+a+risky+route+to+glory+for+athletes

Stabroek News February 5, 2010

Hours of intense practice can cause even some of the world’s top athletes to become incredibly sore. But without hours and hours of practice each day, athletes can not compete at a professional level. Many athletes have tried to use different methods to increase their talent without increasing their labor. Steroids and other performance enhancing drugs have been used to improve their talent. Now that steroids and other drugs are illegal, athletes have been trying to find new ways to boost their playing abilities. Gene doping has become the new threat to the athletic world.

Gene doping is the process in which you change your genes to enhance specific abilities. This would help athletes by increasing speed, muscle, and quick healing times. Although gene doping seems relatively harmless (except for harming the pure nature of fair competition) its effects can be deadly. Many people who have been guinea pigs for gene doping research have died. Dr. Ted Freidman stated that, “It would be very foolish for any athlete to allow it to be done to him or herself.” Risking your life to cheat is not worth it. Although gene doping has not become a problem yet, there is a great probability that athletes in the near future will be using helpful knowledge of genetics for twisted purposes.

Christina Guerra March 10, 2010