Masters Hall of Fame Alum Dr. Robert Goldman Profiled in CNN Report on Russian Doping Scandal

Chicago, IL (For Release) - A CNN opinion article by F. Clark Power, a professor of psychology and education at the University of Notre Dame, on the Russian Olympic doping scandal profiled the work of anti-aging and sports medicine pioneer and martial arts expert Dr. Robert Goldman. The article refers to Dr. Goldman’s study, first published in 1992 and reported on in Sports Illustrated in 1997, of 198 athletes in power and combat sports. In that study, Dr. Goldman, a member of the Masters Hall of Fame, found that more than half of the athletes interviewed said that they would take a performance enhancing drug, even if it would mean their death.

More than half of athletes studied (52%) said they would be willing to take a performance enhancing drug that guaranteed success, even if it would result in their death.

Dr. Robert Goldman MD, PhD, DO, FAASP is a specialist in anti-aging medicine and sports medicine with degrees from Central America Health Sciences University, School of Medicine in Belize and Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine at MidWestern University. He is also the founder or co-founder of several organizations including the National Academy of Sports Medicine in Chicago, the World Anti-Aging Academy of Medicine, and the International Sports Hall of Fame. Dr. Goldman’s work has brought him wide recognition in the worlds of medicine and sports.

In addition to his work in medicine, Dr. Goldman, or “Dr. Bob” as he is known in the martial arts world, is a black belt in Karate and a Chinese weapons expert. A four-sport All-College athlete and three-time recipient of the John F. Kennedy Physical Fitness Award, Dr. Goldman also holds more than 20 world strength records and has been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. He is a respected member of the Masters Hall of Fame, which is dedicated to recognizing excellence in the martial arts.

The study that Dr. Goldman conducted, and which he related in his book Death in the Locker Room II: Drugs and Sports, first asked participants if they would be willing to take a performance enhancing drug if they were guaranteed they would win and would not be caught. Fully 193 of the respondents replied in the affirmative. He then asked if they would still be willing to take the drug if they knew it would result in their death within 5 years. Fifty-two percent of those athletes said they would still be willing to take the drug. A very troubling result.

Power relates these results in his CNN opinion article in which he comments on what he considers the “futility” of dealing with doping in sports through threats of punishment alone. The concern, he suggests, is that athletes see the disparity between the amount of money spent on promoting winning in sports compared to promoting the building of character.

Dr. Robert Goldman is available for interviews on this topic. For more information about Dr. Goldman, visit his webpage at DrBobGoldman.info. View the CNN article here.