Are Prescription Meds The New Steroids?

I love Sports and I really enjoy my beloved game of Ping Pong. For 25 long year's I played Table Tennis at a high level in Ireland and at a reasonable level Internationally. I started at the age of 12 and played nearly every day. Within 18 month's of learning, I was travelling the world playing for Ireland under 14 age group. I started as a defensive player and played that style for 6 year's. I changed my style to an offensive player with help from my father and my Japanese Coach Tadashi Hiraga. When I look back to 1992 when I decided to change to offensive, I remember the gruelling hour's with Dad in his work office, playing in various locations and I fondly remember playing in the HSE ( former eastern health board) Office.

Competition's in those days would start at 9am in the morning and run until 10pm at night and rarely would finish early. Parents would start to wonder where their son or daughter was. This was partly due to the overwhelming amount of participants involved. I remember being sixteen and feeling exhausted at how many matches I would play. Singles, Double's and Mixed Double's & U21's. Ironically sixteen was the age Maria Sharapova started using Meldonium which was prescribed to her by her family GP. This is a medication which is prescribed to patients with a heart condition and should only be used under strict supervision. It can improve physical capabilities, lower stress and increase oxygen flow. I certainly could have done with that type of physical assistance back in the day. But nobody offered it to me nor would I have taken it if it was offered. In my 25 year's playing I was never asked for a urine sample or a blood sample. I wonder was their athlete's taking stuff at International events that I didn't know about.

In recent times the revelation's of Cyclist's having full blood transfusions to avoid detection from WADA - The World Anti Doping Agency has surprised even the most hardened sceptics. This is the level some athletes are willing to go to, too avoid being caught and to cheat the fans with the hope of winning medals and getting the glory and ultimately winning huge prize money.

It appears that athletes who don't want to do full blood transfusions will find the prescription meds more attractive. Steroids are a complete no no now unless you're a bodybuilder. So the meds are a cleverer way of getting a boost without being noticed. Meldonium is the tip of the iceberg. Who knows what side effects the drug has had on Maria Sharapova. She said she took if for 10 years. We don't know if she took daily, monthly or yearly.
Too be very honest and anyone who listen's to my Riffs & Refs show on Radio Nova will be aware that I don't tolerate cheating in any form and that I express my opinion rather than going down the politically correct route because I believe that serves no purpose. I am not always correct but I am honest.

Drug's in Sport is like an epidemic and the only solution is to ban athletes for life if they are found to be taking advantage. An email was sent five times to Sharapova in December 2015 with an attachment of the banned substances. She didn't even open the attachment and honestly I don't believe she gave a toss either.

A lifetime ban for anyone taking banned substances? If it is an error they can prove it, otherwise a ban is implemented. I hope for a solution to this really frustrating situation for World Sport. We are past the tarnished stage.