Generation at Risk: Shocking Rise of Banned Substance Use Among 9-Year-Olds and Teenagers
Doping in Sports: A Growing Concern Among Teenagers
▲ Rep. Min Hyung-bae (Democratic Party of Korea, Gwangsan, Gwangju)
According to recent data, a significant number of teenagers have been involved in doping cases in various competitions over the past decade. In fact, one in five people caught using banned substances were teenagers.
Rep. Min Hyung-bae, a member of the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, obtained data from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Anti-Doping Agency, which revealed that 239 cases of banned substance use were detected between 2015 and 2024.9. Of these, 42 cases (17.6%) involved teenagers.
A breakdown of the data by age group shows that those in their 30s accounted for the highest number of cases (93, or 38.9%), followed by those in their 20s (55, or 23.0%), teenagers (42, or 17.6%), those in their 40s (30, or 12.6%), those in their 50s (15, or 6.3%), and those in their 60s (4, or 1.7%). In terms of gender, male players accounted for 198 cases, nearly five times higher than the 41 female players.
Bodybuilding was the sport with the most doping cases, accounting for 130 cases (54.4%) out of a total of 239. Baseball (including professional baseball) followed with 13 cases (5.4%), golf with 9 cases (3.8%), rugby and weightlifting with 6 cases (2.5%), and track and field with 5 cases (2.1%).
The most frequently detected drugs were anabolic steroids (S1) with 159 cases, diuretics and masking agents (S5) with 39 cases, stimulants (S6) with 29 cases, hormone and metabolic modulators (S4) with 22 cases, and glucocorticoids (S9) with 13 cases. Anabolic steroids (S1) accounted for more than half (54.6%) of the total cases and are classified as a representative banned drug.
Rep. Min Hyung-bae emphasized the need for strong government supervision and management, citing the case of a 9-year-old athlete who was caught attempting to use banned drugs last year. He stressed that teenagers are easily tempted to use illegal drugs for academic performance, highlighting the importance of addressing this issue.