But the problem has cast an especially dark pall over this year's Summer Games. In the most notable case, Romanian gymnast Andreea Raducan was stripped of her gold medal after testing positive for pseudoephedrine, a stimulant. Romanian officials said the drug was in two cold tablets given to her by a team doctor. And in another instance, Olympic officials said C.J. Hunter, the world shot put champion who is not competing in Sydney due to an injury, had tested positive for the anabolic steroid nandrolone. Hunter's nutrionist claims the positive result was the product of the nutritional supplement Hunter was taking.
Some experts say the financial rewards of being a medalist are a factor.
Some athletes use performance enhancers, despite the fact that these substances and methods are harmful to their health, and often cause short and long-term damage. Athletes do it because they do what it takes to win. Experts say while monetary incentives are one reason, there are many more. Often athletes are so intertwined in a community of coaches and other athletes, they can come under certain kinds of pressure from those forces to engage in doping. The Politics in the Olympic Movement.