Association connected with surfing and recreational drugs is justified by current facts

Anabolic steroids are used by surfers too. Sport governing body claims that banned substances are a great problem in this sport. That’s why the Association of Surfing Professionals made a decision to implicate testing for anabolic steroids and other banned medicines that are used for performance-enhancing effects.
The Association of Surfing Professionals had certain discussions with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). They asked how they could introduce testing for banned medications into surfing. Since anti-doping program of the WADA is considered to be the best policy, the surfing organization intends to use this protocol. It goes without saying that this is the next victory of the WADA which promotes the possibility to manage anti-doping programs in sports.
It is known that surfing is a competitive sport. So, strength, speed and endurance are chief skills which induce winning. Thus, surfers could believe that usage of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs contributes in success greatly. It is also necessary to take in consideration that amount of money which is received by winners is large. Winners obtain no less than 100, 000 dollars. Desire to obtain money could lead surfers to decision to take anabolic steroids.
Nonetheless, it is said that intake of anabolic steroids and other medicines that increase performance is not widespread in surfing. A lot of individuals think that application of recreational drugs is more widespread among surfers than usage of steroids. Sport of 1970s and 1980s was oftan associated with marijuana and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Current facts justify this impression. The number of surfers who are caught taking marijuana, methamphetamine and cocaine is quite enhanced.
The professional surfer Andi Irons died in November 2010. A heart attack that he had was caused by drug abuse. It was defined that steroids hadn’t been involved in this case. Traces of methamphetamine, cocaine and methadone metabolites were found in his body.
Another surfer, Peter Davi, died in December 2007. High levels of meth were also found in his system.
As for Anthony Ruffo, another professional surfer, he was caught distributing meth.
Only Neco Padaratz, a professional surfer from Brazil, was caught administrating steroids. He received a one-year ban. This person tested positive for forbidden drugs in 2004. This person claimed that he had used these drugs to receive a complete recovery from back injuries. In spite of his defense, he was banned. He was the first individual who was caught taking steroids by the Association of Surfing Professionals. According to numerous sources, he remains to be the only surfer that has ever been caught by the ASP.
The ASP has already the initial budget for introduction of the WADA steroid program into surfing.
While it is unlikely that steroids represent a problem in surfing, the new drug-testing program can create a wrong public perception.