YEAR 11 Ethical and Sociocultural Influences

Performance Enhancement
of the Cardiorespiratory
System
Unit 1, Area of Study 2, Outcome 2
Study Design Key Knowledge and Key
Skills
Key Knowledge:
 actual and perceived benefits and potential harms to the athlete of legal and illegal
substances and methods that enhance performance of the cardiorespiratory system,
such as altitude training, erythropoietin (EPO), beta-blockers and blood doping
 ethical and sociocultural considerations associated with the use of illegal practices
associated with improving the function of the cardiorespiratory system.
Key Skills:
 critically analyse the physiological effects of legal and illegal strategies that enhance
the performance of the cardiorespiratory system on the individual
 discuss the ethical, social and cultural considerations associated with the use of legal
and illegal practices associated with improving the function of the cardiorespiratory
system.
What is Performance Enhancement of
the Cardiorespiratory System?
 Definition:
Performance enhancement includes methods, devices, or substances that
enhance athletic expenditure.
Performance
Enhancement
of the CRS
Benefits,
Legal methods harms, and Illegal methods
and substances influences of and substances
both
Aerobic Altitude Mechanical Erythropoietin

Beta Blockers Blood Doping
Training Training Aids (EPO)
Ethical and Sociocultural
Considerations & Influences
Ethical Considerations & Influences
Ethical Considerations and Influences
 Ethical considerations are the rules and regulations put in place to protect an
athletes health and the integrity of sport.
 Illegal substances and methods are banned for number of reasons. They are banned
for their ability to generate significant improvements in an athletes performance,
but they also have the ability to cause some damaging health impacts.
 For some athletes, the chances of winning is worth more than the potential risk of
blood clotting and an increased risk of stroke or heart attack. Therefore, WADA
puts restrictions in place to protect athletes health and fairness to sport.
 Some professionals in the sporting world have suggested the legalised use of
performance enhancing substances such as EPO, but monitoring its use to a small
amount in order to keep athletes safe.
Ethical Considerations and Influences
 Another thing to consider is the access athletes have to the legal methods of
performance enhancement.
 The practice of altitude training requires a very specific environment and can
be extremely expensive to live and train in. Similarly, if access to a high
altitude environment is limited, hypoxic chambers are even more difficult to
find, and also have a high cost.
 This can result in athletes who do not have the financial support to be
disadvantaged compared to other athletes.
Ethical and Sociocultural
Considerations & Influences
Social Considerations & Influences
Sociocultural Considerations and
Influences
 As well as wanting to better their performance, there are often many other
factors that may influence an athlete to use illegal performance enhancing
methods.
 Income
 Education
 Influence of self, family, peers
 Influence of coaches and sporting organisations
 Cultural norms in society or the particular sporting culture
 National and political ideology
 Lets brainstorm some ideas as to how you think these factors could influence
someone to use illegal performance enhancing methods.
Cultural and Sporting Norms
 The ‘culture of the sport’ can have great impacts on the way the sport is
consumed, as well as the athletes that compete in it.
 Cycling has a substantial history of drug use from the 1960’s-2020’s and has
now reached the point where there is little faith in cyclists to be drug-free.
 In 2013, Lance Armstrong admitted to using illegal methods of performance

enhancement which led to him winning 7 Tour De France’s. As a result of this,
several other cyclists came forward and admitted a similar past.
 Why do you think so many more cyclists came forward after Lance?
National and Political Ideology
 For many countries, sport is a huge part of their culture and identity.
Particularly on a world stage such as the Olympics or world championships,
many countries feel the need to protect their status.
 Russia is one of the most common examples of a strong national/political

pressure being paced on athletes to do whatever they can to be the best.
However, this has frequently had negative connotations and has resulted in
several Russian medals being stripped and the country being banned from the
Olympics entirely.
 Ask yourself: did these athletes have the opportunity to not use illegal
methods, or was it the teams/country’s expectations to do so?
Pick a Side:
 Pick a side of the room
Currently illegal performance enhancing methods should become legal

OR
Currently illegal performance enhancing methods should stay illegal
 As a group, prepare your best 3 arguments for your side

Scenario Activity
Scenario 1
Kylie has been a professional golfer for 11 years. Due to a hereditary condition, Kylie also
suffers from anaemia. Anaemia is a condition in which you lack enough healthy red blood cells
to carry adequate oxygen to your body's tissues. Having anaemia, also referred to as low
haemoglobin, can make you feel tired and weak. To help Kylie get through even the most basic
daily tasks such as doing household chores and walking around, her doctor has proscribed her
‘Evrenzo’, a medication to aid with her anaemia. Kylie trusts her doctor to know what is best for
her health and takes the medication. Prior to a big competition, Kylie performed a drug test
which came back positive to the drug ‘Roxadustat’, an ingredient in the medication she has
been taking.
Questions to spark your thinking:

- Who is at fault here?
- Should Kylie be banned for taking medication that helped her better manage her chronic
illness and just make it through the day?
- What could have Kylie done differently?
Scenario 2
Tim is an avid runner and although he has not been competing at any national or global
competitions, he regularly takes part in local and regional ‘fun runs’ and smaller competitions. As
well as being a runner, Tim is also a single father to 3 kids and doesn’t have as much time as other
runners to do aerobic training, and he doesn’t live near a high altitude area to take part in altitude
training. To help better his passion for running and possible future profession, Tim looks into taking
synthetic EPO. He is well aware that this is a banned substance but feels as though he is already
at an unfair advantage due to his socioeconomic status and low income as a single father, so
taking EPO would simply bring him up to the standard of other runners in his community.

- Is Tim at fault here?
- Is it wrong for him to take EPO for smaller competitions that do not conduct drug testing?
- How would taking this drug impact Tim if he later decided to stop taking EPO once he entered
competitions that did drug test?
Scenario 3
Carlos was once an Olympic long distance runner during the 1980’s. During his
Olympic years, he had won a silver and a bronze medal, as well as becoming a
well renowned athlete in the track and field space. Now, he is in his late 60’s but
recently admitted to blood doping back in the 1980’s when it was not illegal,
however, because of his confession, he has now been stripped of his Olympic
medals, even though when his blood doping occurred it was not illegal to do so.

- Do you think Carlos should have lost his medals?
- Do you think Carlos was the only one in his community that was blood doping?
- Do you think he could have been suffering any negative impacts from the blood
doping?
Scenario 4
Jerome is a member of an archery team in his city. Recently, one of his teammates has started
taking beta blockers in order to help their performance. Jerome does not like this idea and he tries
to talk his teammate out of taking them. In recent weeks, Jerome has noticed not only the one
teammate taking beta blockers, but the other two also having significant improvements, so much
so that Jerome has started to suspect the other two teammates of also taking beta blockers.
Jerome confronts them and his three teammates confirm his accusations, they are all taking beta
blockers. Although Jerome is against the idea of taking illegal performance enhancing drugs, he
now feels pressure to do so that he is not weighing the team down as his progression is not as
significant as theirs.

- Is peer pressure an adequate reason why someone might consider taking performance
enhancing drugs?
- How can peer pressure influence someone to consider taking performance enhancing drugs?
- What would you suggest to someone like Jerome to do in this situation?

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Performance Enhancement

Aerobic Altitude Mechanical Erythropoietin

 In 2013, Lance Armstrong admitted to using illegal methods of performance

 Russia is one of the most common examples of a strong national/political

 Pick a side of the room

Currently illegal performance enhancing methods should become legal

 As a group, prepare your best 3 arguments for your side

Questions to spark your thinking:

Questions to spark your thinking:

Questions to spark your thinking:

Questions to spark your thinking:

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