Using drugs to cheat in sport is not new, but it is becoming more effective. In 1976, the East German swimming team won 11 out of 13 Olympic events, and later sued the government for giving them anabolic steroids.3 Yet despite the health risks, and despite the regulating bodies’ attempts to eliminate drugs from sport, the use of illegal substances is widely known to be rife. It hardly raises an eyebrow now when some famous athlete fails a dope test.
Drugs in Sport by Peter Charlish
This article addresses the controversial issue of the use of performance enhancing drugs in sport. It looks at the legal basis for regulation via the World Anti-Doping Code and the nature of a sports participant's relationship with their governing body and the anti-doping organisations.
Lance Armstrong, It wasn't just about the bike
examines the Lance Armstrong saga from a comparative perspective, examining what might happen if such a high profile saga erupted in other common law jurisdictions. In doing so, it draws on wider questions around the concept of cheating and the specific nature of doping and the measures in place to combat the threat of widespread abuse of performance enhancing substances.
Why the war on drugs in sport will never be won
Recent exposure of drug use in sports suggests that doping might be more problematic than doping-control test results reveal. A zero-tolerance (ZT) model, which aims to eliminate the use, has dominated the thinking of sports makers over the last 15 years. In light of the limitations associated with ZT-based policy, we propose an alternative policy, one based on controlled use and harm reduction principles. We argue that substance control policies underpinned by harm reduction (HR) principles of social utility and public value will deliver superior social outcomes. First, a harm reduction approach better accommodates the competitive realities of sports and the impact of elite sports emphasis on performance at all costs. Second, HR prioritises athlete welfare over sport and brand reputation. Finally, while appreciating the regulatory and risk management responsibilities of sports governing bodies
Athletes and Coaches attitudes towards drugs in sport
Until very recently, research on doping in sport wasconfined to biological studies aimed at detecting drug use.The potential role of research into the attitudes of potentialusers was largely ignored (World Anti-Doping Agency,2003) and has only recently begun to be explored. Thenoted lack of athlete participation in international anti-doping policy development is not unusual. Some wouldsuggest it reflects a lack of athlete participation in decision-making processes affecting their lives more generally. Anti-doping policy researcher Barrie Houlihan (2004)summarizes the literature on international world-class anti-doping policy when he writes that "anti-doping policy isgenerally made for, or on behalf of, athletes, rarely inconsultation with athletes, and almost never in partnershipwith athletes"