User:Chwalibogalex/sandbox

Athletes such as Jan Ullrich, Ivan Basso, Floyd Landis, Alberto Contador and Lance Armstrong are all famous cyclists that have competed in the famous cycling race, the Tour de France. They were all “powerhouses” in cycling when they were at the top of their game, but were soon found to have used an illegal tactic to gain a competitive edge – blood doping. Blood doping is the practice of boosting the number of red blood cells (RBC) in the bloodstream in order to enhance athletic performance. Because such blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to our muscles, a higher concentration of RBC in the blood can improve an athlete’s endurance (1).** There are many was to go about blood doping, and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is currently attempting to find ways to test for and prevent blood doping. Blood doping is a major problem in professional athletics today, most commonly in running, swimming, and cycling. Athletes in these sports have seen this as a way to gain an advantage on their competition. While it may bring great athletic achievement, many athletes who blood dope do not realize that there may be health risks, and may actually end up hurting the athlete more than helping. Blood doping is something that needs to be stopped in sports, as it is becoming evident that many more athletes are getting into it. Many up-and-coming athletes are beginning to blood dope to get their name out there to become a superstar. Blood doping needs to stop, so that sports can become more even and fair, as they once were.

(1)**