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NSWPDHPEQuick questions
Option: Improving Performance
Quick questions on Drugs in sport: performance-enhancing drugs and anti-doping: HSC PDHPE Improving Performance
14short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is anabolic-androgenic steroids?Show answer
Synthetic analogues of testosterone. Promote muscle growth, strength, and recovery. The most-known category.
What is ePO (erythropoietin)?Show answer
A hormone that stimulates red blood cell production. Synthetic EPO increases haematocrit, raising oxygen-carrying capacity.
What is human growth hormone (hGH)?Show answer
A peptide hormone that stimulates growth, muscle development, and recovery. Synthesised forms are used both medically (in growth hormone deficiency) and as PEDs.
What is peptides?Show answer
A broad category of short protein sequences with various effects. Some stimulate growth hormone release, others stimulate IGF-1, others affect specific tissues.
What is stimulants?Show answer
Drugs that increase alertness, energy, and reaction time. Includes amphetamines, methylphenidate, modafinil, and prescription stimulants used recreationally.
What is physical?Show answer
Covered per drug above. Generic patterns: cardiovascular stress, hormonal disruption, organ damage, dependence, increased injury risk in some cases (steroids can produce tendon weakness as muscle grows faster than connective tissue adapts).
What is wADA?Show answer
The World Anti-Doping Agency, established 1999. Issues the World Anti-Doping Code, the Prohibited List (updated annually), the Therapeutic Use Exemption framework, and accreditation standards for testing labs.
What is sport Integrity Australia (SIA)?Show answer
Established 2020 by merging ASADA (the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority), the National Integrity of Sport Unit, and Sport Integrity Hotline. SIA covers anti-doping, match-fixing, sport-related corruption, and athlete welfare.
What is testing?Show answer
Elite athletes provide whereabouts information so they can be located for unannounced testing.
What is education?Show answer
Sport Integrity Australia, AIS, and most major sports run mandatory anti-doping education for athletes, coaches, and support staff. School and junior athletes are increasingly targeted as PED awareness rises.
What is sanctions?Show answer
Standard ban for an Anti-Doping Rule Violation is 4 years for intentional violations. Lesser violations (negligence, contamination, specific substances) attract shorter bans. Second violations are typically lifetime.
What is effects?Show answer
Increased muscle mass, strength, recovery from training, aggressiveness.
What is side effects?Show answer
Cardiovascular damage (left ventricular hypertrophy, hypertension, increased cardiac event risk), liver damage (oral forms), hormonal disruption (testicular atrophy in men, masculinisation in women), psychological effects (mood swings, aggression, dependence).
What is use patterns?Show answer
Concentrated in strength and power sports historically. Significant use in recreational gym contexts in Australia (the AIHW estimates around 2-3% of Australian gym-goers have used anabolic steroids non-medically).