Does intake of steroids represent a problem in surfing?

Anabolic steroids are used by surfers too. Sport governing body confirms that banned medications are an essential problem in this sport. That’s why the Association of Surfing Professionals made a decision to introduce testing for anabolic steroids and other banned products which are administrated for performance-enhancing effects.
The Association of Surfing Professionals led several discussions with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). They asked how they could implicate testing for forbidden products into surfing. Since anti-doping program of the WADA is considered to be the best policy, the surfing organization wants to apply this protocol. Of course, this is the next victory of the WADA which contributes in the opportunity to manage anti-doping programs in sports.
Everyone knows that surfing is a competitive sport. So, strength, speed and endurance are chief skills that promote winning. Thus, surfers could believe that administration of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs contributes in success greatly. It is also important to take in consideration that amount of money that is got by winners is large. Winners receive no less than 100, 000 dollars. Desire to receive money could lead surfers to decision to use anabolic steroids.
Nevertheless, it is said that administration of anabolic steroids and other products that increase performance is not widespread in surfing. Numerous people believe that administration of recreational drugs is more widespread among surfers than administration of steroids. Sport of 1970s and 1980s was frequently associated with marijuana and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Current facts support this impression. The number of surfers who are caught taking marijuana, methamphetamine and cocaine is quite increased.
The professional surfer Andi Irons died in November 2010. The reason of his death was a heart attack caused by drug abuse. It was determined that steroids hadn’t been implicated in this 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 the professional surfer from Brazil Neco Padaratz was caught administrating steroids. He was sentenced to one-year ban. This person tested positive for prohibited drugs in 2004. This surfer claimed that he had administrated these products to get a full recovery from back injuries. In spite of his defense, he was banned. He was the first person who was caught administrating steroids by the Association of Surfing Professionals. According to many 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 steroid program into surfing.
Although it is unlikely that steroids represent a problem in surfing, the new drug-testing program may create a wrong public impression.