Only one surfer was caught using steroids by the Association of Surfing Professionals

Anabolic steroids are taken by surfers too. Sport governing body confirms that controlled medicines are a great problem in this sport. That’s why the Association of Surfing Professionals decided to implicate testing for anabolic steroids and other forbidden preparations that are used for increase of performance.
The Association of Surfing Professionals had certain discussions with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). They asked how they could implicate testing for banned drugs into surfing. Since anti-doping program of the WADA is claimed to be the best policy, the surfing organization wants to introduce this protocol. It goes without saying that this is the next victory of the WADA that promotes the possibility to manage anti-doping programs in sports.
Everybody knows that surfing is a competitive sport. So, strength, speed and endurance are chief skills that promote winning. So, surfers could think that usage of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs promotes success greatly. It is also important to take in consideration that amount of money that is obtained by winners is large. Winners obtain no less than 100, 000 dollars. Desire to receive money could lead surfers to decision to take anabolic steroids.
Nonetheless, it is said that usage of anabolic steroids and other preparations which increase performance is not widespread in surfing. A lot of persons think that intake of recreational drugs is more widespread among surfers than administration of steroids. Sport of 1970s and 1980s was oftan associated with marijuana and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Current facts support this impression. The number of surfers who are caught taking marijuana, methamphetamine and cocaine is quite enhanced.
The professional surfer Andi Irons died in November 2010. The reason of his death was a heart attack caused by drug abuse. It was defined that steroids hadn’t been implicated in this case. Traces of methamphetamine, cocaine and methadone metabolites were found in his system.
Another surfer, Peter Davi, died in December 2007. Increased levels of meth were also found in his system.
As for Anthony Ruffo, another professional surfer, he was caught selling meth.
Only Neco Padaratz, a professional surfer from Brazil, was caught administrating steroids. He was banned for one year. This person tested positive for prohibited drugs in 2004. This surfer said that he had administrated these preparations to get a complete recovery from back injuries. In spite of his defense, he was sentenced to a ban. He was the first individual that was caught taking steroids by the Association of Surfing Professionals. According to numerous sources, he remains to be the only surfer who has ever been caught by the ASP.
The ASP has already the initial budget for introduction of the WADA steroid program into surfing.
However it is unlikely that steroids represent a problem in surfing, the new drug-testing program can create a wrong public perception.