Citation

Nissen-Meyer J, Skotland T, Boye E. EMBO Rep. 2022; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, European Molecular Biology Organization, Publisher Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.15252/embr.202154431

PMID

35156749

Abstract

The lack of clearly defined criteria for doping tests carries a great risk of punishing innocent athletes and undermines the fight against doping in international sports.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) uses analytic, science-based methods to detect doping, but it does not always adhere to scientific principles when it evaluates the results from their tests. The criteria for determining whether a sample is positive for an illegal substance often appear to be ambiguous with the risk of rendering evaluations subjective. Statements from WADA laboratories such as "you need to be an expert to clearly identify it" and "we know it when we see it" indicate such subjectivity. Subjective evaluations are troublesome because they erode the trust in WADA's fight against doping, and have potentially dramatic consequences for athletes.

Language: en