Fight against Doping with Athlete IDRD techniques.

Playing a sport and becoming a champion, or being called Greatest of All Times, it all starts with having fun in whatever we do and igniting that spark, which says yes, I can do it, aka self-belief. Nobody in the world at the age of 5-6 years, knew that they would be the world record holder of tomorrow.

All they thought, was to enjoy for that hour or 45-mins, be with some friends playing or fighting over little things. It is that daily routine of coming together, as friends or family, to learn the fundamentals and also learn the art training to be champions of tomorrow. That is what made them who they are today. 

But as time passed, some of them lost their focus halfway around the journey and felt the need for some external yet internal help – generally known as doping. It is nothing less than a murder of sportsmanship, and the core values, on which athleticism is built-on. We are decades into this sports doping crisis and a growing consensus about a central question,

How do we know that the athletes are doping, intentionally?

We have a considerable amount of proof (maybe more) that athletes today are under the radar for any potential change in their body, whether it is a league game or a national sports event or an International qualification tournament. But, we do not have any conclusive evidence for the intention behind it. Some claim that this is part of the team culture if an athlete wants to be part of the elite category, or retain contracts. For Example: Lance Armstrong on Oprah Winfrey Network | USADA Statement | Reasoned Decision.

Some say it is the pressure of performance that drives the athletes of different age groups to opt for external yet internal help, which may or may not get them the desired results in a significantly short span. Others would also argue that the technological advancements might have helped this sudden urge for performance & excelling instinct of the human mind.

I often read people (including retired athletes) blaming the commercialization of sports activities around the globe for these extensive doping scams and anti-doping campaigns. There have been accusations about the International Olympic Committee (IOC) playing a leading role in promoting and managing both sides of the coin (i.e., doping & anti-doping) along with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). 

There is so much emphasis on educating everyone about doping & the risks involved, starting from the athletes, to coaches, to trainers, and physios, yet we are unable to analyze the real problem and find a viable solution [Read this article for 9-point Case Study Analysis discussion using Tokyo 2020 Olympics & Paralympics as an example]. Sometimes, it feels like we are trying to find a needle in the haystack.

No. of athletes in competitions is not going to decrease anytime soon, as we are witnessing more and more people being encouraged to play sport at different levels, be it professional or recreationally. It is directly proportional to the no. of tests the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADO), and other registered agencies like the International Testing Agency (ITA) will have to do at different levels of the competition. In terms of sports events, or tournaments (regional, state/province, national and international level), we have substantial numbers too.

Historically, drug testing in sports events began back in the 1950s following the death of a few European cyclists & track-racers died, with an observation of drug use. In the 1960s Rome Olympic Games, a cyclist was dead with a possibility of amphetamine use (central nervous system stimulant drug). 1965 Beckett Tucker & Moffat developed procedures that could detect different stimulants. In 1967, another cyclist died at Tour De France with the potential use of amphetamine.

It was until the early 1970s, the IOC leadership and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) (now World Athletics) started to think about doping as a radical concern. In the 70s & 80s, a considerable amount of measures were taken, which still are the pillars of today's anti-doping strategy (Ljungqvist A, 2017). It was 1999 when the First World Conference on Doping in Sports was organized, in Lausanne, on February 2nd (WADA).

Can you imagine the resources that are required?

The Doping Control Officers (DCO), WADA accredited Labs, Dedicated-Approved-Tested equipment’s, Logistical Support, Sports Lawyers & Case Officers etc. For Example: A team of 3-Officials & 6-DCOs from the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) India are looking forward to collect 50 samples [In-Competition + Out-of-Competition] during the 13th edition of IPL (SPORTSTAR). Let's not forget following a proper communication channel because as of today, the testing is carried-out in two-major situations.

The out-of-competition testing in particular, is conducted based on the whereabouts information provided by the athletes, or the entourage. If an athlete has been identified in the registered testing pool, they have to provide information related to their respective whereabouts. Hence, the testing can take place at your home, training facility, or any other relevant locations.

How can we be more efficient as an organization and effective as a process to identify athletes who are violating the integrity of the sport? Not just by being unfair to themselves, but also towards the people who are competing in the competition cleanly. As the tricks & tactics to find the loop-holes in the process are evolving, we as sports management professionals need to be on our toes. We should evolve with the market and find viable solutions to counter these innovative yet dangerous steps, both from a health perspective & reputation perspective.

WADA - Anti-Doping Testing Figures 2018 suggests that there has been a slight increase in the % of total findings, i.e., AAFs + Atypical Findings (ATFs)., from 1.48% (2017) to 1.49% (2018). The total number of Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) samples grew by 7% in 2018, i.e., 29,130 (2017) to 31,261 (2018) [click here for the 2018 report].

Check out this video - Inside look at WADA accredited Anti-Doping Lab.

How do we evolve from here?

How do we ensure our processes are effective, efficient, and dynamic enough to identify potential violators? Why not try the tested mechanism/process of identifying potential world champions? Well, here is what we can do using the mixture of old-school trusted ideas and modern-day technology-backed systems, to track & identify these slayers of integrity & values of being an athlete.

Of-course there are a few exceptions. Acceptance of these exceptions can be because of medical reasons & recovery process, lack of awareness, etc. which should be considered and taken seriously. I was listening to the SportWorks Podcast on Where Doping Starts, featuring Olya Abasolo Ovtchinnikova and Paul Greene. Olya is an Olympian (Fencing), competed at the Beijing Olympics 2008, and now she the Education Manager with International Testing Agency (ITA). Paul is one of the worlds leading Sports Lawyers & Founder of the Global Sports Advocates.

The discussion pointed out various crucial factors, one of them being that - "in reality, the athletes as a 15 or 16-year-old do not decide to dope intentionally". It takes a lot of pressure for someone to taking these banned substances, such as pressure - it can be pressure of performance, or maybe its peer-pressure, since the person next to you is a World Champion already.

The Global Sporting Community, Sports Management Professionals in particular, should try and figure out a system where we can inform, educate, and share the knowledge of the consequence of doping, or as well call it the use of prohibited substances in sports. Primarily, to be able to minimize any potential health risks and in-the-process maintain the integrity of sport, as well as maintain the decorum of being an athlete.

In my personal opinion, playing sports at the ELITE level is a PRIVILEGE, unlike playing at the RECREATION level, which is a RIGHT for everyone. Not anyone or everyone is supposed to become an Elite Athlete, an Olympian, or a World Champion. There are just a few who earn that Olympic Medal or the tag of being the Greatest of All Times, and we should maintain the integrity, the honor, and that discipline at any given point of time.

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