Kwara athletes have been advised to stay away from performance enhancing substances as it has damaging effects on their lives and their future.
Dr. Femi Ayorinde, while giving doping enlightenment to Coaches and Secretaries of the Kwara State Sports Commission, warned that taking banned drugs could among other things, affect reproductive systems in the future.
He said it could also result to abnormal behaviours and serious health consequences.
All drugs, he said, are poison and athletes must be careful that the drugs they use does not contain banned substances.
“In the case of prescription of new drugs from the hospitals of which you don’t know whether they contain banned substances, you must make application from the Anti Doping Agency for clearance.
He explained that any athlete or coach banned for doping must not be seen training in any stadium all over the world in order not to influence other athletes.
Explaining future, Dr. Femi disclosed that any banned coach must not be seen training athletes anywhere and if such happens, the coach and the athletes risk being banned for life.
On taking of local herbs concoction, he warned that anyone who do so does it at his own risk as the nature of such concoction could not be determined at time of taking it.
The seminar was part of the preparations for Kwara athletes ahead of the forthcoming National Youth Games and other major competitions.