The 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games are finally about to begin, with the opening ceremony taking place on Friday night.
After a lifetime of hard work, some of the worlds premier athletes will gather in Japan to compete against each other for the chance to win a gold medal.
While a majority of athletes rely on hard work and natural talent alone to perform, some take the unfortunate extra step of cheating, using certain substances to improve their performance.
Dr Nikolai Nordsborg, professor and head of the University of Copenhagen's nutrition, exercise, and sports department, revealed the drugs some Olympians use, and why athletes in certain in fields turn to specific substances.
Steroids are a favorite among sprinters, weight lifters and other athletes whose sport requires a lot of muscle mass
Steroids, for examples, are a favorite among athletes who require more testosterone.
'This is due to the fact that testosterone stimulates our muscles to gain mass, which makes an individual stronger and thereby better able to perform,' Nordsborg said in a press release.
Many track and field participants, like sprinters and shot-putters, are the most likely to benefit from the drugs.
Sprinter Tyson Gay, once a superstar of the American track and field team, tested positive for using steroids in 2013.
He was suspended from competition for a year, and had a silver medal he won at the 2012 Olympics in London rescinded.
Gay is the fastest man in track and field history to have never officially won an Olympic medal.
Shelby Houlihan, a long distance runner on the track and field team, has been suspended for the 2020 and 2024 games after testing
