Group items tagged

Beijing Olympics

China's environmental

Choked Waters

The stakes in Athens are fierce. The difference between an Olympic gold or silver medal could be a one hundredth of a second on the track or in the pool; an inch on the pole vault or shot put.

The athletes who make the Olympic cut are blessed with the right combination of physical and psychological traits, including an intense competitive drive and an unrelenting determination to be the best. This is the stuff of champions.

Steroids are not just for elite athletes--they can be used by anyone who wants to change his or her body image. The Centers for Disease Control's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance report shows more than a million youth taking steroids, and the numbers have been rising every year.

Kookaburras (genus Dacelo) (or Cookaburras)

terrestrial kingfishers native to Australia and New Guinea

Kookaburras are best known for their unmistakable call, which is uncannily like loud, echoing human laughter — good-natured, if rather hysterical, merriment in the case of the well-known Laughing Kookaburra (Dacelo novaeguineae); and maniacal cackling in the case of the slightly smaller Blue-winged Kookaburra (D. leachii)

Every two years as the Olympic Games begin, we hear about athletes using or at least being tested for performance-enhancing drugs. Every time the Tour de France rolls around, there's talk of possible doping. Sometimes, competitors raise the question when one athlete does particularly well. Other times, tests catch athletes with drugs in their systems. The practice of using artificial substances or methods to enhance athletic performance is called doping. Doping has become such a great concern that the United States formed an Anti-Doping Agency.

Why Some Athletes Use DrugsAthletes face enormous pressure to excel in competition. They also know that winning can reap them more than a gold medal. A star athlete can earn a lot of money and a lot of fame, and athletes only have a short time to do their best work. Athletes know that training is the best path to victory, but they also get the message that some drugs and other practices can boost their efforts and give them a shortcut, even as they risk their health and their athletic careers.

As far back as ancient Greece, athletes have often been willing to take any preparation that would improve their performance. But it appears that drug use increased in the 1960s. One well-publicized incident happened at the Seoul Olympics in 1988 when sprinter Ben Johnson tested positive for anabolic steroids and was stripped of his gold medal. Athletes may also misuse drugs to relax, cope with stress or boost their own confidence. Athletes may have several reasons for using performance-enhancing drugs. An athlete may want to: Build mass and strength of muscles and/or bones Increase delivery of oxygen to exercising tissues Mask pain Stimulate the body Relax Reduce weight Hide use of other drugs

Though it sounds like a classroom assignment from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, weather modification programs have been around for more than 50 years.

The problem is there are too many factors that affect the weather, making naturally occurring phenomena difficult to separate from man-made triggers.

"There was no strong scientific base for changing the weather."

Bela Karolyi, the charismatic coach of the Romanian team and the 1996 US "Magnificent Seven", has been credited with increasing the level of performance while decreasing the average age of the performer.

The standard was younger, shorter, and skinnier.

Kerri Strug's career came to a halt after a long struggle with anorexia. In 1991 15-year-old Olympic hopeful Julissa Gomez died after breaking her neck after a misstep on her vault. A fellow gymnast, 15-year-old Christy Henrich, developed anorexia as she struggled to qualify for the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. She retired at 18, without a medal, and died last year at 22 weighing less than 50 pounds.

Officials have said the algae is the result of a hot spell after heavy rain, but environmentalists said such blooms are largely due to sewage and agricultural pollutant run-off.

"It's not clean, but two years ago it was much worse, you would see bags and things floating in. Now you're not seeing bags," she said.

Canadian coach Dave Hughes said the water quality has improved a lot, but there are still spots where sailors track through what smell like sewage.

According to an anonymous Soviet coach, "Perhaps 90% of sportsmen, including our own, use drugs"

   There are many types of performance enhancing drugs.  One common form of performance enhancing drugs is anabolic steroids