Bodybuilders top dope user list
/ Korea Times
By Ko Dong-hwan
Bodybuilders abuse drugs most among Korean athletes, a national doping control agency says.
The Korea Anti-Doping Agency (KADA) said Thursday that 80 percent of Korean athletes who failed doping tests in 2014 were bodybuilders, according to the Hankook Ilbo. The World Anti-Doping Agency released a report Wednesday showing the top 10 nations with drug-offending athletes in 2014. Korea ranked 10th with 43 athletes. Russia, Italy and India were the top three with 148, 123 and 96, respectively.
KADA said more Korean bodybuilders were violating drug rules. It was 59 percent in 2011 and 2012, 56 percent in 2013, 84 percent in 2014 and 80 percent in 2015.
The Korean Bodybuilding & Fitness Federation and KADA said bodybuilders’ rate of offending was high compared with other sports because bodybuilding was subjected to more doping tests.
“The bodybuilding federation is almost ruthless in conducting its own doping test, from 400 to up to 900 times a year,” KADA said.
Authorities want to cut the number of drug-offending athletes and say there should be more doping tests in all sports. But the bodybuilding federation said doping tests are rarely done at domestic sports events, except the National Sports Festival, because there is a lack of resources and personnel.