Organization Supports Bans on Controlled Substances, Severe Penalties for Violators
and Increased Education for Professional and Student-Athletes, Parents and Coaches

As the main point of contact for drug testing programs in professional sports teams, high schools and colleges, certified athletic trainers (ATCs) are health care professionals who often see the 1st signs of drug use and abuse among young athletes.

The National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA), a not-for-profit organization that represents Thirty-thousand members of the athletic training profession, has issued an official statement to express its concern with the issue of anabolic steroids and other performance enhancing substances in sports today. NATA supports bans on anabolic steroids and other controlled substances that are not prescribed by a physician for therapeutic purposes, and also advocates more severe penalties for those who violate imposed bans or regulations.

“A weapon of equal importance in the ongoing battle against anabolic steroid use,” says NATA President Chuck Kimmel, ATC, “is a thorough education of our professional and student-athletes, coaches and parents  on the serious health problems they can cause now and later in life.”

Not to be confused with fitness or personal trainers, who focus almost exclusively on fitness programs, ATCs specialize in the assessment,  prevention, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries that occur to athletes and the physically active.

“One of NATA’s concerns is the health and safety of all athletes, which we believe is compromised by the use of such substances,” says Kimmel. “Due to the health risks associated with steroids and other performance enhancing drugs, NATA will never justify their use to improve athletic performance.”