Heidi Krieger of East Germany reached the pinnacle of her career by winning the Gold medal with a putt of 21.1 meters at the European Championship at Stuttgart in 1986. She was one of the many child prodigies who were given the golden opportunity to pursue a career in athletics at the Berlin Dynamo Club. At the tender age of 13, she was introduced to a stringent training program along with some medical assistance to enhance her skills, more importantly the muscles to better her scores. Little did she or many others like her know that they were being given anabolic steroids which were sure to improve their sporting statistics but also destroy their lives in the process.
In East Germany over 10,000 athletes were given similar steroids over twenty years to ensure its claim as the sporting superpower in the World. In the 1972 Munich Olympics, a nation with a population of just 17 million had forced its way to the third spot behind Russia and USA. They even surpassed USA in the following Olympics, though at the cost of many lives. But for the government, the results justified the means, health of athletes be damned. Unfortunately, Heidi too became a victim of this unscrupulous trap. The result - Well, she is now known as Andreas Krieger. She opted for a sex-change operation to get out of the female body, which had become more of a façade. Over the course of her career she was injected with so many steroids that she lost almost everything feminine about her identity including the anatomy. A severe hormonal imbalance occurred and it became increasingly difficult for her to deal with the onslaught. Heidi also quit sports in 1990.
This is only one of the many sad stories of athletes who are caught in the web of doping. While Heidi was innocent and duped into the dark world, many willfully jump off the cliff without a parachute. The burning ambition to reach the top blurs their vision. And when someone happily puts his life on the line, it's rather naïve to believe that he would spare a thought about ethics and morals.
There are strict rules in place and even stricter ways of detecting malpractice, yet it hasn't stopped athletes from taking the plunge. For they know that the dual isn't between them and the authorities but between sciences- the science of detecting drug abuse against the science of masking its presence in the body.
But, can we allow such offences to go on forever and lose innocent lives in the process? Yes, the stakes are high and there's a temptation to be the best irrespective of the means but would the athletes cheat if they knew the consequences could be as radical as for Heidi Krieger? The reason an athlete craves for top honors is to find an identity, become a name to remember but if he loses that very identity in the bargain, will he take that risk? Wouldn't it be a good idea to bring athletes like Krieger on board to spread awareness?
The worst bit about doping is that it's not always about the athlete, for usually he's too young to comprehend the repercussions when his coach or a senior pro introduces him to it. The lack of knowledge is not an excuse but definitely a reason in many cases. It's imperative for the authorities to inform every single athlete of the effects of doping right at the beginning. It may not stop the practice completely but will definitely reduce the numbers.
The list of banned substances is not only exhaustive but also frequently changing with new drugs making an appearance every year. Hence it's imperative to spread awareness and educate athletes. How else would a player know that certain cough syrups and painkillers are on the banned list? Also, it's important to make the coaches accountable, for any drug abuse is impossible to go unnoticed by them. If educating is the first step towards taming this monster, accountability is the second step. A Dope Test, irrespective of its eventual outcome, inevitably spells trouble for sportspersons playing at any level. I remember feeling a bit edgy when the first time anti-doping officers were to visit a club I was playing for in Holland. All kinds of questions started doing the rounds - will they test everyone? Is it okay if I had alcohol last night? So on and so forth. Even though some smarter cricketers tried their hand at answering these rather tricky questions, they too were way off the mark. Nobody really knew what the procedure of a drug test was and what the banned substances were. In fact, that was the first time I'd heard about this mandatory test and its damaging repercussions. I was 23 then, having played a few seasons of first-class cricket in India. But, never had any authority or coach cared to share the importance of a Dope Test with any of us.
While the surprise visit by the officers did raise the alarm bells with regards to both the drug menace and my lack of knowledge on the issue, it was conveniently forgotten the moment I landed in India. Since cricket in Holland like England and Australia is funded by the government, it fell under the purview of WADA. But, that wasn't the case in India. Hence, once again and due to complete apathy, it wasn't considered important enough to educate our cricket clan. So ignorant we were on the subject, that one actually believed that alcohol was a banned substance, and that teetotallers had nothing to worry about.
These misconceptions were quashed when I played for India in 2003. But once again the session was conducted by the team physiotherapist and not by a team of doctors, which revolved around the right way of testing, players' rights during the test and above all informing or asking the physiotherapist before taking any medicine. Even though, the management did well in organising a session, it did little in providing an all-inclusive education on Doping. All it conveyed was a warning.
While I played for India, it was easy to consult the team physiotherapist every time I needed medication, but it became impossible to know if I was popping the right pills for common-cold and pain once I got out of the loop. I missed an organised body that would take the initiative to educate and guide vulnerable players like me, since the responsibility of ensuring that nothing that we put into our body violated the anti-doping rule rested upon us.
The issue has today become precarious with the fad of spending hours at the gym to develop well toned bodies with the help of some essential supplements. The trainers, as ignorant as their client, encourage them to take medicines for recovery, weight loss and to build muscle mass. Working out in the gym and consuming the required supplements help you achieve the goal of a perfect body but also put you at a risk of testing positive and bringing shame to the country. Even though Cricket, as compared to other sports, is skill specific and does not require a drug to enhance performance, at least not batting, a few rare cases in the past, especially from P@@@@@@@ did send shock waves through the Cricketing World. These guys have been serial offenders, and hence their case cannot be pardoned on the basis of ignorance. Even then, spreading more and more awareness is perhaps the only way to deal with the perils of Doping. In a timely move, BCCI has started a program to address this issue by putting together a team of doctors and experts who visit cricket associations throughout the country and address cricketers of all age-groups. They not only conduct a lengthy session but also give written information on the list of banned drugs. So, the player is only required to consult that little handbook before taking a medicine. And it's not just restricted to the players as even the coaches and trainers are included in these seminars.
The reason an athlete craves for top honors is to find an identity, become a name to reckon with, but if he loses that very identity in the bargain, to a shameful controversy, chances are he/she might think twice before risking it. It's this wisdom, if carefully imparted, which would bring a change in the present scenario. rana Angregi khatam ho gayee Par Desi abhee baki hai |
Andreas Krieger, who was former German shot putter Heidi Krieger VISIT RUKHSANA FM ONLINE RADIO
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