The debate around the role of drugs in sport is vibrant. There is a wealth of evidence from the hard end of science, telling us how drugs work, how drug testing works, and how many athletes have fallen foul of the system. The evidence from social science is still building momentum. For example, what makes an athlete use a performance enhancing substance? "To win" simply fails to explain the drug use behaviour we see among athletes. This book provides a foundation for anyone trying to understand the drugs in sport problem beyond the hard science by looking at the "people factor" from different perspectives. After building a case for the social science of drugs in sport, it is examined from the ethical, sociological, economic, legal and psychological points of view. The book concludes with a definitive statement about what researchers, policy makers, sports administrators, athletes and fans can do to achieve a social science of drugs in sport that puts people firmly in the centre of the debate. This volume was published as a special issue of Sport in Society.

The debate around the role of drugs in sport is vibrant. There is a wealth of evidence from the hard end of science, telling us how drugs work, how drug testing works, and how many athletes have fallen foul of the system. The evidence from social science is still building momentum. For example, what makes an athlete use a performance enhancing substance? "To win" simply fails to explain the drug use behaviour we see among athletes. This book provides a foundation for anyone trying to understand the drugs in sport problem beyond the hard science by looking at the "people factor" from different perspectives. After building a case for the social science of drugs in sport, it is examined from the ethical, sociological, economic, legal and psychological points of view. The book concludes with a definitive statement about what researchers, policy makers, sports administrators, athletes and fans can do to achieve a social science of drugs in sport that puts people firmly in the centre of the debate. This volume was published as a special issue of Sport in Society.

Drug use and abuse is perhaps the biggest challenge facing sport today. However, in the eye of the storm of public and press opinion and with medals and morals at stake, it can be difficult to gain a clear perspective on this complex issue. Drugs in Sport is the most comprehensive and accurate text available on the subject. Now in a fully revised and updated fifth edition, taking into account the latest regulations, methods and landmark cases, the book explores the hard science behind drug use in sport, as well as the ethical, social, political and administrative context. Key topics include: mode of action and side effects of each major class of drugs used in sport discussion of cutting-edge issues, including gene doping the latest doping control regulations of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) methods and advances in doping control, including new intelligence-led detection policies the use of Therapeutic Use Exemption for certain drugs banned in sport issues surrounding non-prohibited substances and ergogenic aids an assessment of the prevalence of drug taking in sport. Accessibly written, extensively referenced, and supported throughout with illustrative case studies and data, Drugs in Sport provides a comprehensive, objective resource for students and researchers, athletes, sports scientists, coaches, journalists, sports administrators and policymakers.

An IOC insider speaks out on creating a drug-free sports culture With doping charges leveled at athletes in baseball, cycling, and in the Olympics, cheating has, to many onlookers, become the norm in pro sports. With implications far beyond the sports arena, Inside Dope examines the genesis of doping in sports as well as in the world of doctors and trainers; drug testing and the battle to stay ahead of users; drug companies and big business; and the role of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as watchdog. Written by a former Olympian, an IOC official, and a passionate advocate of fair play in sports, this eye-opening book takes a candid look at testing standards and the future of doping and sports and the larger issue of how doping affects the public perception of athletes.

Sport may teach people how to win gracefully, but it may also teach them how to win at any cost, even if this involves violence or cheating. Here, a sociological perspective is brought to bear on the topic of how sport operates.

Why do many athletes risk their careers by taking performance-enhancing drugs? Do the highly competitive pressures of elite sports teach athletes to win at any cost? An Introduction to Drugs in Sport provides a detailed and systematic examination of drug use in sport and attempts to explain why athletes have, over the last four decades, increasingly used performance-enhancing drugs. It offers a critical overview of the major theories of drug use in sport, and provides a detailed analysis of the involvement of sports physicians in the development and use of performance-enhancing drugs. Focusing on drug use within elite sport, the book offers an in-depth examination of important contemporary themes and issues, including: the history of drugs in sport and changing patterns of use fair play, cheating and the ‘spirit of sport’ WADA and the future of anti-doping policy drug use in professional football and cycling sociological enquiry and the problems of researching drugs in sport. Designed to help students explore and understand this problematic area of research in sport studies, and richly illustrated throughout with case studies and empirical data, An Introduction to Drugs in Sport is an invaluable addition to the literature. It is essential reading for anybody with an interest in the relationship between drugs, sport and society.

Doping has become one of the most important and high-profile issues in contemporary sport. Shocking cases such as that of Lance Armstrong and the US Postal cycling team have exposed the complicated relationships between athletes, teams, physicians, sports governing bodies, drugs providers, and judicial systems, all locked in a constant struggle for competitive advantage. The Routledge Handbook of Drugs and Sport is simply the most comprehensive and authoritative survey of social scientific research on this hugely important issue ever to be published. It presents an overview of key topics, problems, ideas, concepts and cases across seven thematic sections, which include chapters addressing: The history of doping in sport Philosophical approaches to understanding doping The development of anti-doping policy Studies of doping in seven major sports, including athletics, cycling, baseball and soccer In-depth analysis of four of the most prominent doping scandals in history, namely Ben Johnson, institutionalized doping in the former GDR, the 1998 Tour de France and Lance Armstrong WADA and the national anti-doping organizations Key contemporary debates around strict liability, the criminalization of doping, and zero tolerance versus harm reduction Doping outside of elite sport, in gyms, the military and the police. With contributions from many of the world’s leading researchers into drugs and sport, this book is the perfect starting point for any advanced student, researcher, policy maker, coach or administrator looking to develop their understanding of an issue that has had, and will continue to have, a profound impact on the development of sport.

The use of illegal performance enhancing drugs in elite sport, known as 'doping', is hidden in nature and increasingly widespread. Recent local and international doping scandals involving professional cyclists and football players have brought the issue of drugs in sport under greater scrutiny. Catching drug cheats is essential if sports are to be conducted fairly and if harmful health effects from drug abuse are to be avoided. A number of sports are plagued by suspicions that many top athletes resort to drug-taking to enhance their performance through the use of such substances as anabolic steroids, human growth hormone, erythropoietin (EPO), beta-blockers, stimulants and diuretics. This book examines anti-doping regulation in Australia and globally, and presents a range of opinions on the ethics of drugs in sport. Elite sports people are always seeking a competitive edge, to break records and win, sometimes at an ethical cost. What substances and methods are considered doping, and how can regulation and testing ensure all athletes have a sporting chance? Should drug cheats continue to be punished for doping, or should doping even be made legal?

Since the dawn of athletic competition during the original Olympic Games in Ancient Greece, athletes, as well as their coaches and trainers, have been finding innovative ways to gain an edge on their competition. Some of those performance-enhancement methods have been within the accepted rules while other methods skirt the gray area between being within the rules and not, while still other methods break the established rules. In modern times, doping - the use of performance-enhancing drugs - has been one method athletes and their trainers have used to beat their competition. The history of sports doping during the modern era can be traced through the events and scandals of the times in which the athletes lived. From the use of amphetamines and other stimulants in the early 20th century, to the use of testosterone and steroids by both the USSR and the United States during Cold War-era Olympics games, to blood doping and EPO, to designer drugs, the history of doping in sports closely follows the medical and technological advances of our times. In the early 21st century, the possibility of genetically engineered athletes looms. The story of doping in sports over the last century offers clues to where the battle over performance enhancement will be fought in the years to come.

​​This book examines sports doping from production and distribution, detection and punishment. Detailing the daily operations of the trade and its gray area as a semi-legal market, the authors cover important issues ranging from athletes most at risk to the role of organized crime in sports doping, and whether sports governing bodies are enabling the trade. Challenges for law enforcement and legislation, and efforts to control PED use in the worldwide sports community and among aspiring athletes, are also discussed in depth. The book's extensive research:• Estimates the demand for performance-enhancing products. • Traces the route from legal substances to illegal uses. • Identifies classes of suppliers and their methods of operation. • Tracks typical distribution systems from suppliers to users. • Examines the economics of the market: prices, profits, revenue. • Assesses the state of anti-doping law enforcement efforts.Starting with an unprecedented case study in Italy, the intense scrutiny from one pivotal country yields a potential template for research and policy on a world scale. Doping and Sport makes solid contributions to the work of researchers in criminology and criminal justice, particularly with an interest in corruption, drug trafficking, and criminal networks; researchers in sports science and public health; and policymakers.