The use of erythropoietin (EPO) by athletes in recent years has made the headlines of sports pages around the world. In this essay we will look at the evidence of EPO use in sport. What leads athletes to using it? We will also look at the advantages and disadvantages of its use for someone who wishes to do so. Athletes are continually seeking an added edge to attain better performances and results. Many are prepared to use pharmaceutical agents to achieve their goals. They don’t have to look far as there are numerous ergogenic drugs available to them. Recombinant EPO is one of the most prominent. The statistics of rhEPO production worldwide paints a grim picture. Research done by an Italian lawyer shows that only 20% of rhEPO production is required for medical purposes. 50% of all rhEPO production is sold officially leaving the other 50% to fall into the wrong hands. We must also wonder what happens to the other 80% not for medical use.Cycling has always been a haven for performance enhancing drug use. At the 1998 Tour de France, the entire Festina team were disqualified including 4 times “King of the Mountains,” Richard Virenque on the grounds of drug abuse. The team masseur Willy Voet was arrested at the French-Belgian border with vials of EPO. Ten members of the Festina team are currently on trial for drug related charges. The wife of Willy Voet testified that EPO among other drugs, “ended up taking more space than food in our fridge.” In January of this year a police investigation was carried out at a biomedics research centre in Ferrara, Italy. The search of the clinic run by a Professor Francesco Conconi revealed extensive use of rhEPO by a number of athletes under his care. Names who appeared on the files included Irish legend Stephen Roche as well as many Italian house hold names. The evidence that rhEPO use does exist and is rampant not only in cycling is confounding. How does rhEPO boost perfor...
