Faced with the explosion of a media scandal, we sometimes forget that the first victims of doping are athletes.
Protect athletes
By the nature of the substances administered or the methods employed, athletes who resort to doping endanger their health.
Most doping protocols hijack molecules whose physiological properties are initially used for therapeutic purposes. We are therefore talking about active drugs with precise indications, consumed without medical reason, and presenting their attendant side effects. The most publicized and spectacular of these products (such as EPO, growth hormone or steroids) rub shoulders on the prohibited list with treatments of more common use, but nevertheless never harmless from a physiological point of view. The occasional or repeated consumption of some of these products exposes the athlete to risks ranging from mild allergy to sudden death, including drug addiction.
The disciplinary sanction itself, and its consequences, are part of the risks incurred by an athlete who does not respect the rules. These consequences are also disastrous on the sporting career, with periods of wide suspension that can go as far as the ad vitam removal from all federal sporting activities, as well as significant financial penalties, and withdrawal from the prize list. Keeping in mind the brevity of the life of a top athlete, a suspension of several years can quickly mean the end of a career.
Finally, the importance of the social rejection of which athletes convicted of doping acts are the object. Media lynching, abandonment of sponsors, the label of "cheater", the difficulties or even the impossibility of retraining in the sporting environment, are all dangers that must be assumed by individuals giving in to the temptation of doping.
The consequences of doping
Doping can have serious health consequences, but it also has sporting, social, financial, and legal consequences. For an athlete, doping can mean the end of their sporting career, reputation, and prospects.
of the future, both in and outside of sport.
Consequences for sport
Sanctions for an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) may include:
• Provisional Suspension. The Athlete or other Person is temporarily prohibited from participating in any competition or activity pending the completion of the results management process or the final decision.
• Ineligibility. The athlete or other person is prohibited from competing or participating in any other activity, such as training, coaching, or even accessing funding due to an ADRV. This period of ineligibility can last up to 4 years or even life, depending on the circumstances of the ADRV.
• Invalidation of results. The athlete's results during a particular period, competition, or event are invalidated, resulting in the loss of medals, points, and prizes.
• Public Disclosure. The Anti-Doping Organization (ADO) informs the general public of the ADRV.
• Fines.
Health consequences
The consequences for an athlete's health can be as follows:
• Physical health. Medications and medical interventions have been developed to treat a specific condition or disease. The athlete is not healthy. Depending on the substance, dosage, and frequency of use, performance-enhancing drugs can have particularly negative side effects on health.
• Psychological health. Certain doping substances can have an impact on an athlete's mental health.
Anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and psychosis are direct consequences of doping.
Social consequences
Among the social consequences of doping, we can cite
• The damage to reputation and image, which can be permanent with media attention, and future own performance can be viewed with skepticism.
• Too bad for career prospects.
• Isolation from peers and sports.
• Deteriorated relationships with friends and family.
• Effects on emotional and psychological well-being.
• Loss of prestige, notoriety, respect and credibility.
Financial consequences
The financial consequences of doping can include
• Fines that an Anti-Doping Organization (ADO) may have included in its anti-doping rules, including costs associated with an anti-doping rule violation (ADR).
• Loss of income/financial support, such as government grants, other forms of financial support and non-participation in competitions.
• Loss of financial support due to sponsor withdrawal.
• Obligation to reimburse the sponsor, if included in the contract.
• Refund of prices.
• Impact of a damaged reputation on career prospects.
Legal consequences
In addition to the sporting, health, social and financial consequences listed above, doping can have other legal consequences, such as:
• Some countries have gone further than the World Anti-Doping Code and made the use of a banned substance a criminal offense.
• In some countries, ADRVs related to trafficking, possession or administration of a prohibited substance or
Some substances on the prohibited list are considered a criminal offense.
