The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is: discourage athletes from dropping dead of overdoses.
Explanation
The primary motivation for the first formal anti-doping policies was athlete health and safety, specifically driven by a series of high-profile deaths. Before the mid-1980s, the concept of a “level playing field” was secondary to the urgent need to prevent fatalities caused by performance-enhancing drugs, particularly stimulants like amphetamines.
Two tragic events were major catalysts for this movement. The first was the death of Danish cyclist Knud Enemark Jensen during the 1960 Rome Olympics. He collapsed during a race, and it was later revealed he had taken amphetamines. This incident shocked the sporting world and brought the lethal dangers of doping into sharp focus. The second pivotal event was the death of British cyclist Tom Simpson, who collapsed and died while climbing Mont Ventoux during the 1967 Tour de France. Amphetamines were found in his system and in his jersey pockets.
These deaths demonstrated that athletes were pushing their bodies beyond natural limits to the point of fatal collapse. In direct response, sporting federations were compelled to act. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) established its Medical Commission in 1967 and introduced the first compulsory drug tests at the 1968 Winter and Summer Olympics. The initial banned lists focused heavily on the stimulants that were causing these immediate health crises. While anabolic steroids were also a concern, the initial policies were overwhelmingly a reaction to the stark reality of athletes dying during competition. The modern emphasis on fairness and the “spirit of sport” became more dominant later, particularly as more sophisticated and less acutely fatal drugs like steroids became widespread.
