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Performance-Enhancing Drugs & Steroid Education

Statement on IHSA’s Performance-Enhancing Substance Policy and Usage of Medications and Supplements by Student-Athletes


At their June 2017 meeting, the IHSA Board of Directors decided to discontinue the association’s performance-enhancing substance (PES) testing program, beginning with the 2017-18 school term.  In making the decision to discontinue the program, the Board believes the testing program had been successful in curbing the use of PES’s by student-athletes in Illinois. While the testing program has been discontinued, the Policy itself and the requirements concerning coaching education remain intact so administrators need to ensure their coaches are completing the online PES training program in the Schools Center. Coaches need to complete this program once for their coaching career.

The IHSA Board of Directors and its Sports Medicine Advisory Committee do not condone the use of performance-enhancing substances and remind coaches of their responsibility to ensure student-athletes train following safe and legal methods. Student-athletes are advised to only take medications and supplements as prescribed by a licensed physician. Deviating from that puts a student-athletes at risk to violate the association’s PES Policy.