The Change Mariner

Genetically Modified Athletes

Yahoo! News -

Back in the depths of time, athletes used ginseng, opium and steroids from sheep testicles to enhance their performance.

Anabolic steroids made their debut in sports in the 1940s and 50s, and chemical agents followed.

Now the big fear is that advances in biotechnology and gene therapy could result in genetically modified athletes with the bodies of Greek gods and the prowess of Superman overwhelming ordinary mortals at future Olympics.

Gene therapy, to treat or prevent disease, has not developed with the speed scientists had initially hoped but it is moving forward and it could be just a matter of time before it infiltrates sports.

"If the science develops and the regulatory and ethical frameworks are not properly established, I think there is a danger. We've seen it with the use of drugs that were developed for therapeutic purposes," said Dick Pound, president of the Montreal-based World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).