According to World Anti-Doping Code, in its 1st article, doping is defined as “one or more anti-doping rule violations”.
Article 2 of the Code specifies what circumstances and what conduct constitute anti-doping rule violations:
I - Presence of a prohibited substance, its metabolites or its markers in a sample provided by an athlete
II - Use or attempted use by an athlete of a prohibited substance or a prohibited method.
III – Evading, refusing or failing to submit to the collection of a sample by an athlete.
IV – Failure to comply with whereabouts obligations by an athlete
VII – Trafficking or attempted trafficking of a prohibited substance or method by an athlete or other person
IX – Complicity or attempted complicity on the part of an athlete or other person
V – Falsification or attempted falsification of any element of doping control by an athlete or other person
VIII – Administration or attempted administration by an Athlete or other Person to an Athlete in Competition of a Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Method, or administration or attempted administration to an Athlete out of Competition of a Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Method that is prohibited out of Competition
X – Prohibited association on the part of an athlete or other person
VI – Possession of a prohibited substance or method by an athlete or an athlete support personnel
XI – Acts by an Athlete or Other Person to Discourage Reporting to Authorities or Acts of Retaliation for Such Reporting
This purely regulatory definition has the merit of being clear within the limits it establishes. However, one cannot help but think that it is incomplete and that doping is a problem which readily goes beyond the "rules of the game".
The ethical dimension, even moral, associated with the theme of “doping behaviors” imposes a deep reflection on the excesses of a society which places the production of “performance” as the master standard of success. Defining doping is also, consequently, defining the sociological soil on which it germinates. The task therefore turns out to be of considerable magnitude and cannot be reduced to a few lines. However, in order to effectively combat this scourge, it is necessary to understand and know the mechanisms involved in its genesis.
Thus, players in the sporting world must get down, day after day, to questioning their own representations about doping and, thereby, renewing their motivations and their commitment to the fight against it.
