It is believed that usage of recreational drugs is more widespread in surfing than intake of steroids

Anabolic steroids are administrated by surfers too. Sport governing body proclaims that prohibited preparations are a significant problem in this sport. That’s why the Association of Surfing Professionals made a decision to introduce testing for anabolic steroids and other prohibited products which are administrated for increase of performance.
The Association of Surfing Professionals had several discussions with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). They asked how they could introduce testing for forbidden preparations into surfing. Since anti-doping program of the WADA is claimed to be the best policy, the surfing organization desires to introduce this protocol. It goes without saying that this is the next victory of the WADA which induces the possibility to control anti-doping programs in sports.
Everybody knows that surfing is a competitive sport. So, strength, speed and endurance are main skills which induce winning. So, surfers could decide that administration of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs influences on success greatly. It is also important to take in consideration that amount of money which is obtained by winners is large. Winners obtain no less than 100, 000 dollars. Desire to receive money could lead surfers to decision to administrate anabolic steroids.
Nonetheless, it is said that usage of anabolic steroids and other drugs which enhance performance is not widespread in surfing. Numerous people think that usage 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 that are caught using marijuana, methamphetamine and cocaine is quite enhanced.
Andi Irons, a professional surfer, died in November 2010. A heart attack that he had was caused by drug abuse. It was defined that steroids hadn’t been implicated in this fatal case. Traces of methamphetamine, cocaine and methadone metabolites were found in his system.
Another surfer, Peter Davi, died in December 2007. High levels of meth were also found in his system.
As for Anthony Ruffo, another professional surfer, he was caught distributing meth.
Only Neco Padaratz, a professional surfer from Brazil, was caught administrating steroids. He was sentenced to one-year ban. This person tested positive for prohibited medicines in 2004. This surfer claimed that he had used these medicines to get a full recovery from back injuries. In spite of his defense, he was banned. He was the first person that was caught taking steroids by the Association of Surfing Professionals. According to certain sources, he remains to be the only surfer who has ever been caught by the ASP.
The ASP has already the initial budget to introduce the WADA anti-doping program into surfing.
While it is unlikely that steroids represent a problem in surfing, the new drug-testing program may create a wrong public impression.