Tennis Anti-Doping
Why do people do steroids?
How are steroids used?
Effects of Steroid Abuse
Psychological effects
Frequently Asked Questions

Tennis Anti-Doping Program

The Tennis Anti-Doping Program is a comprehensive and internationally recognized drug-testing strategy that applies to all players competing at tournaments sanctioned by the ITF, ATP, and WTA Tour.

The goals of the Tennis Anti-Doping Program are as follows:

Maintain the integrity of tennis

Protect the health and rights of all tennis players.

The Tennis Anti-Doping Program maintains a common set of rules and procedures that apply across all levels of tennis. Players are tested for banned substances in accordance with the guidelines of the World Anti-Doping Code (from WADA, the World Anti-Doping Agency).

For more detailed information please see the article sections below. The Juniors Section of the ITF website also has some detailed information on doping and its dangers, as well as advice on how to eat yourself fit for tennis and prevent injuries. See the Useful Tips Section of www.itftennis.com/juniors for this information.

The General Information Section below contains the full 2005 Program and summaries. The Anti-Doping Wallet Card, which players should print and carry at all times, and give copies to their physician, coach and personal trainer, will be available shortly.

Press Releases and Notices have their own section, please check this below for the latest ITF Anti-Doping news. The ATP has a section on its website on the Tennis Anti-Doping Program - please see http://www.atptennis.com/en/antidoping/ for press releases and information on cases handled by the ATP under the Tennis Anti-Doping Program. The WTA Website can be found at www.wtatour.com.

Information on the Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) Process, including Therapeutic Use Exemption Forms, may be found in the Therapeutic Use Exemptions Section below.

Summaries of sample collections undertaken in 2003 and 2002 are available in the Sample Collections Section. The 2004 Sample collections list will be available shortly.

The Educational Materials Section contains an Anti-Doping Quiz (with answers) courtesy of WADA in five languages, which may be especially helpful to players.

Enquiries relating to any specific substances, medications and Therapeutic Use Exemptions should be addressed to International Doping Tests and Management (IDTM):

Phone: +46 8 555 10 999
Fax: + 46 8 555 10 995
Email: tennis@idtm.se

Next Tip: Why do people do steroids?

The most common reason given by steroid users is that it improves their performance in sports and/or increases their recovery rate from training. Steroid abuse has been estimated to be very high among bodybuilders especially. Among other athletes, the incidences of abuse vary more depending on the specific sport.

Many steroid abusers also do it to increase their muscle size and/or reduce their body fat. This need to change your body in such a way can occur in sufferers of a behavioral syndrome (muscle dysmorphia), which gives a person a distorted body image. Men with this condition think that they look small and weak, even if they are large and muscular. Similarly, women with the syndrome think that they look fat and loose, even though they are actually lean and muscular.

Some people who abuse steroids to boost muscle size have experienced physical or sexual abuse. They feel that increasing muscle will put them in a better position to protect themselves. It was found in one series of interviews with male weightlifters, 25 percent who abused steroids reported memories of childhood physical or sexual abuse, compared with none who did not abuse steroids. In a study of women weightlifters, twice as many of those who had been raped reported using anabolic steroids and/or another purported muscle-building drug, compared to those who had not been raped. Almost all of those who had been raped reported that they markedly increased their bodybuilding activities after the attack. They believed that being bigger and stronger would discourage further attacks because men would find them either intimidating or unattractive.

Adolescents that abuse steroids tend to have a pattern of high-risk behavior. They are most likely to take risks such as drinking and driving, carrying a gun, not wearing a helmet on a motorcycle, and abusing other illicit drugs.

While conditions such as muscle dysmorphia, a history of physical or sexual abuse, or a history of engaging in high-risk behaviors may increase the risk of initiating or continuing steroid abuse, researchers agree that most steroid abusers are psychologically normal when they start abusing the drugs.

How are steroids used?

Some anabolic steroids can be taken orally, by injection or by the use of gels or creams rubbed on the skin. Doses taken by abusers can be 10 to 100 times higher than the doses used for medical conditions.

Steroid abusers typically use a system of 'stacking' drugs. Here they take two or more different anabolic steroids, mixing oral and/or inject able types and sometimes even including compounds that are designed for veterinary use. Abusers think that mixing steroids has a greater effect on the muscles than taking the drugs individually. However this theory has no scientific backing.

Often, steroid abusers also 'pyramid' their doses in cycles of 6 to 12 weeks. At the beginning of a cycle, the person starts with low doses of the drugs being stacked and then slowly increases the doses. In the second half of the cycle, the doses are slowly decreased to zero. This is sometimes followed by a second cycle in which the person continues to train but without drugs. Abusers believe that pyramiding allows the body time to adjust to the high doses and the drug-free cycle allows the body's hormonal system time to recuperate. As with stacking, the perceived benefits of pyramiding and cycling have not been substantiated scientifically.

Steroids can be injected directly into the muscle group, which the abuser wants to develop; this is often painful and can lead to infection.

Effects of Steroid Abuse

Anabolic steroid abuse can be the cause of a long list of side effects. These include unattractive physical attributes, such as acne and breast development in men, as well as life threatening conditions such as heart attacks and liver cancer.

Some symptoms appear to be reversible if the abuser stops taking the drugs. However, continuous use may take the course of distortion too far, making the effects permanent. Other side effects are known to be irreversible.

Hormonal system

The normal production of hormones in the body can be disrupted with steroid abuse, causing both reversible and irreversible changes. Changes that can be reversed include reduced sperm production and shrinking of the testicles (testicular atrophy). Irreversible changes include male-pattern baldness in both sexes and breast development in men (gynaecomastia).

The disruption of normal hormone balance is thought to be the main cause of gynaecomastia. In the female body, anabolic steroids cause masculinization. Breast size and body fat decrease, the skin becomes coarse, the clitoris enlarges, and the voice deepens. Women may experience excessive growth of body hair and lose scalp hair.

Musculoskeletal system

Rising levels of testosterone and other sex hormones normally trigger the growth spurt that occurs during puberty and adolescence. Subsequently, when these hormones reach certain levels, they signal the bones to stop growing, locking a person into his or her maximum height.

When a child or adolescent takes anabolic steroids, the artificially high sex hormone levels can signal the bones to stop growing sooner than they normally would have done.

Cardiovascular system

Steroid abuse has been associated with heart attacks and strokes, even in athletes younger than 30. Steroids contribute to the development ofCardio Vascular Disease (CVD), partly by changing the levels of lipoproteins that carry cholesterol in the blood. Oral steroids in particular can increase the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and decrease the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL). High LDL and low HDL levels increase the risk of atherosclerosis, a condition in which fatty substances are deposited inside arteries and disrupt blood flow. If blood is prevented from reaching the heart, the result can be a heart attack. If blood is prevented from reaching the brain, the result can be a stroke.

Steroids also increase the risk of blood clots forming in blood vessels, potentially disrupting blood flow and damaging the heart muscle so that it does not pump blood effectively.

Liver

Liver tumors can be caused by steroid abuse. A rare condition called peliosis hepatis, in which blood-filled cysts form in the liver can also result from abuse. Both the tumours and the cysts sometimes rupture, causing internal bleeding.

Skin

Steroid abuse can cause acne, cysts, and oily hair and skin. Infection Many abusers who inject anabolic steroids use non sterile injection techniques or share contaminated needles with other abusers. In addition, some steroid preparations are manufactured illegally under non-sterile conditions. This puts abusers at risk for acquiring life-threatening viral infections, such as HIV and Hepatitis B and C.

Abusers also can develop infective endocarditic, a bacterial illness that causes a potentially fatal inflammation of the inner lining of the heart. Bacterial infections can also cause pain and abscess formation at injection sites.

Psychological effects

Studies have indicated that anabolic steroids, high doses especially, increase irritability and aggression. There have been reports of steroid abusers committing aggressive acts, including physical fighting, using force to obtain something and even committing armed robbery. Some abusers also report that they have committed property crimes, such as stealing from a store, damaging or destroying others' property, or breaking into a house or a building.

What do steroids do to your body?

Mental: Homicidal rage, mania depression, and delusions

Head: Acne and cysts, oily scalp and male-pattern baldness

Mouth: Irreversible deepening of the voice in women; Bad breath in both sexes

Growth: Short Stature

Body: Excessive growth of body hair in women; Decreased breast size in women, Breast development in men, Heart attacks in both sexes, Decrease in immune system effectiveness

Limbs: Tendon rupture
Infection: Risk of infection from HIV / AIDS and Hepatitis caused by sharing contaminated needles or non-sterile injection techniques

Organs: Cancer of the liver, Peliosis Hepatis Reproductive Systam: Decreased sex drive in females and males, Infertility in both sexes and shrinking of the testicles in men, Enlargement of the clitoris in women

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How does the Age Eligibility Rule work? A: The following are the number of tournaments that players can play in twelve months depending on his/her age. Please note that the year begins on your birthday and runs until the following birthday: From 13th to 14th birthday - 10 tournaments (4 additional if player achieves a top 50 ITF Junior ranking)
From 14th to 15th birthday - 14 tournaments (4 additional if player achieves a top 20 ITF Junior ranking)
From 15th to 16th birthday - 16 tournaments (4 additional if player achieves a top 20 ITF Junior ranking)
From 16th to 17th birthday - 25 tournaments

Players are not allowed to participate on the ITF Junior Circuit until they have reached their 13th birthday.

Please note, in addition to the above, for the purposes of this rule, a player's age is determined by his/her age as of the date of the start of the qualifying draw, Main Draw or doubles draw in which they are participating. They must have reached their birthday by the time the draw in which they are listed begins.

A tournament played is participation in singles and/or doubles and/or qualifying.

Q: How do I enter an ITF Junior Circuit tournament?
A: All entries for ITF Junior Circuit events must be sanctioned (approved/signed) by your National Association. All entry forms and fact sheets are sent direct from the tournament to National Associations. Different National Associations deal with entries in various ways, some will send you the entry form and ask you to complete it and send it back to them to sign, others will complete the entry form on your behalf. You should contact your National Association to find out how their system works.

Q: What is a National Association/Federation
A: Nearly every country has a National Tennis Association/Federation. This is the organization that looks after tennis in each country. The ITF (International Tennis Federation) is the governing body for tennis and works with all of the National Associations/Federations on various projects. You first stop for information regarding coaching/tournaments/entries etc. should be your National Association. If you need contact details for your National Association/Federation email juniors@itftennis.com

Q: Will Code of Conduct points be taken off my ranking?
A: Code of Conduct points are separate from ranking points, so the simple answer is no. Code of Conduct points are counted over a 52 week rollover period and if you reach a total of 10 or more, this will result in a suspension from the ITF Junior Circuit.