|
NCAA tests imply steroids down, street drugs up
From staff reports
�2006 Bonesville.net
The NCAA Committee on Competitive
Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports has summarized on
ncaa.org some key highlights from a five-year report that
indicates positive drug tests for steroids in intercollegiate athletics have
dramatically decreased, though the total number of student-athletes tested
for steroids has increased.
"These results are
really encouraging and are the direct result of an on-going partnership
between the NCAA and member institutions to continue to strengthen drug
testing efforts by providing education and awareness programs,� said Jerry
Koloskie, incoming chair of the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and
Medical Aspects of Sports and senior associate athletics director at the
University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
�The education and
awareness programs warn student-athletes of the potential negative
consequences of using performance enhancing drugs and nutritional
supplements that may be contaminated," Koloskie said.
In year-round testing,
49 student-athletes tested positive for steroids in 2004-05 as compared to
90 student-athletes testing positive for steroids in 1998-99 and 92 positive
tests in 1999-2000. An all-time low of 46 student-athletes tested positive
for steroid use in the 2003-04 year-round testing program, in which 8,980
student-athletes were tested. A total of 10,094 student-athletes were tested
for steroids in the 2004-05 year-round testing program.
In postseason drug
testing, only two student-athletes tested positive for steroids in 2004-05.
An all-time high of eight tested positive for steroids in 1996-97, while
none tested positive for steroids in the postseason in 2003-04. A total of
1,516 student-athletes were tested for steroids in the 2004-05 championship
testing program.
The report showed that
positive results for stimulants have increased since 2001-02. Fourteen
student-athletes tested positive for stimulants in the postseason drug
testing program in 2004-05, as compared to 13 positives in 2003-04 and 10
positives in 2002-03 in the postseason. However, the study does not indicate
how many student-athletes are taking prescribed medication for legitimate
medical concerns, which may have an influence on the increase of stimulant
positives.
The 2004-05 season also
marked the first time that a student-athlete has tested positive for the
stimulant ephedrine as part of the year-round testing program. The NCAA
began testing for ephedrine in the year-round program in 2002 following the
death of several athletes in which ephedra was implicated. In 2004, ephedra
was removed from over-the-counter supplement products by the Federal Drug
Administration (FDA).
The report indicated a
rise in the number of positive results for street drugs in the 2004-05
postseason testing program. This includes two positive results for cocaine,
one of which also tested positive for THC. A total of 17 student-athletes
tested positive for street drugs in 2004-05 as compared to only 10 testing
positive in 2003-04.
In the year-round
testing program, the 2004-05 data includes �failure to show� numbers for the
first time. A total of 17 student-athletes failed to show for drug testing
in the year-round testing program. A failure to show represents
student-athletes who were selected for drug testing and failed to show for
the drug test. Under NCAA protocol, student-athletes who fail to show for a
drug test are declared ineligible and receive a one-year sanction from
competition. The CSMAS plans to monitor �failure to show� numbers in future
reports.
The NCAA conducts
postseason testing in all divisions, all sports, and year-round drug testing
of all its student-athletes in Divisions I and II. The Association also
began random summer drug testing for select sports in 2006. In addition to
the NCAA drug testing program, many NCAA colleges and universities and
athletics conferences also conduct their own drug testing programs. The NCAA
national office also provides educational materials to its member colleges
and universities to warn of the hazards of substance abuse. More information
about NCAA drug testing can be found at
www.ncaa.org/health-safety.
�2006 All rights rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. A release from the NCAA was used in compiling this report.
02/23/2007 01:22:58 PM |
