Doping Athletes & The Question of Forfeiting Accolades

Introduction

The question of whether or not athletes who have been found to be using performance-enhancing drugs should give up their accolades is not as simple as some may wish it to be. The use of pharmaceuticals is a widespread global phenomenon, and a reflection of the values of emerging culture. Holding athletes to standards that no one is held to may be irrational. Also complicating the debate is the function of creating and testing for these drugs, which moves backwards and forwards through time. Ultimately, this is a question that must be examined on a case by case basis through investigating all contextual factors. 

The Question of Athleticism & Enhancement

The question of whether or not athletes should return their metals if they have been found to be using enhancing drugs was brought to the forefront of the public eye with the highly charged emotional case of Lance Armstrong. In this case:

Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles…after the International Cycling Union decided that he was a ringleader of a doping program on his winning cycling team. Armstrong became a heroic figure for many, not just because of his cycling feats, but also because he is a cancer survivor and the founder of the highly respected Liverstrong cancer foundation. (Gonchar)

The question of this case is that research revealed Armstrong pressured his teammates to take performance-enhancing drugs. It was found “Armstrong’s teams had a ‘win at all costs’ attitude fueled by ‘deceit, intimidation, coercion and evasion,’ and that all of the evidence was there to prove that Armstrong doped” (Gonchar). This is not just a simple case of boosting athleticism with a big of pharmaceutical support, but the fanatical attitude of addiction. Addiction to winning, and ultimately drug addiction. 

(Figure 1 omitted for preview. Available via download).

One of the difficult aspects of this question is that doping is extremely common in all sports, and this is but one reflection of the global cultural obsession with pharmaceutical drugs. People use performance-enhancing drugs for everything, their mood, their weight, their heart rate and blood pressure, and for everything in between. Those who advocate hard punishments for athletes emphasize,

What is the purpose of having the Olympic Games? What is the purpose of elite sports? "Citius, Altius, Fortius" (faster, higher, stronger) is the motto of the Olympics. Why do we want to have Olympic heroes that go faster, higher (although not "higher" as in doped) and stronger? We want to have something to aspire to, to admire. This has a trickle down effect to the whole of society. (Debatewise)

While this is no doubt true it may reflect unrealistic expectations. After all the entirety of culture moves faster all the time, and demands that entertainment do so as well. Perhaps athletes are simply feeling the crunch to perform, and outperform which is consistent with global cultural fixation on excellence. Another aspect to this debate is the constant reality that prohibition usually increases use of the prohibited act. In this case, drug testing is a security issue. Various sports federations around the world do their best to detect illegal doping, and players do their best to evade the tests. It's a classic security arms race: improvements in detection technologies lead to improvements in drug detection evasion, which in turn spur the development of better detection capabilities. (Schneier on Security)

One strange aspect complicating the debate is that many drug tests can test into the past, but how is legally judged when an athlete is found doping with something that was not illegal at the time of use? This was also illustrated by the Armstrong case, as: last year, a laboratory tested Lance Armstrong's urine and found traces of the banned substance EPO. What's interesting is that the urine sample tested wasn't from 2005; it was from 1999. Back then, there weren't any good tests for EVO in urine. Today there are, and the lab took a frozen urine sample -- who knew that labs save urine samples from athletes? -- and tested it. He was later cleared -- the lab procedures were sloppy -- but I don't think the real ramifications of the episode were ever well understood. Testing can go back in time. (Schneier on Security)

The fact is doctors are in on the doping on both sides of the fence. Some, “doctors who develop new performance-enhancing drugs may know exactly what sorts of tests the anti-doping laboratories are going to run, and they can test their ability to evade drug detection beforehand” (Schneier on Security). While other doctors are working to outsmart the doctors trying to outsmart their tests, athletes are pulled between what they can do to win, and the possible ramifications of the future. 

(Figure 2 omitted for preview. Available via download).

Further complicating this debate is the question if records should be erased or reset if winners have been found to the doping? The more that is investigated into this question they more people appear culpable and in on the deception. This issue was reemphasized this year “with allegations of state-sponsored doping leading to the possibility of Russia being banned from the Rio Olympics. With the recent revelation that these allegations were proven to be true, it is difficult to see how any Russian athlete will be able to compete in Brazil this summer” (The Stats Zone). Russia was unapologetic in being found out of the extent of their doping, largely because the Russian character does not shy away from doing or admitting what others may repress or lie about due to fear of punishment. Russia knows everyone is and did it to the max like they do everything.

(Figure 3 omitted for preview. Available via download).

In keeping with the global spirit of competition, as seen in the global graph above Russia and the United States have been the biggest perpetrators of athletic doping-a new form of an old cold war. As seen in the graph above, the UK Athletics (UKA) is going to extreme lengths to end all forms of doping in sports, but it remains to be seen if higher penalties will have any real effect on action. More likely is that the more punitive the system the more covert and dangerous the drugs may become. However, the debate has yet to evolve into a discussion of safe limits of performance-enhancing and balance rather than criminalization. 

After all, even if doping is heavily regulated and punishable by law there is still the chance that some governments may not enforce these laws out of the not so secret desire to win prestige in sporting. This is one of the many ways in which complex conflicts of interests corrupt the process of policing, and in this case nations which enforce such restrictions may find themselves losing to nations who do not. Ultimately, there is no easy answer for this question, as doping is a worldwide phenomenon whose ethical implications have not even been adequately addressed by those who are the gatekeepers to the drugs-doctors. 

Conclusion

The question of whether or not athletes should forfeit their metals and titles if found to be doping remains unresolved even as the cases and consequences of the action continue to grow. One of the many reflections of corruption and fanaticism bubbling over in every area of culture, the heavy use of pharmaceuticals has come to be identified with many industries. What sports mean for cultures must be closely examined in this question, as well as lessons learned form the War on Drugs.

Notes

1: Chart Retrieved from: http://sportsanddrugs.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=004420

2: Chart Retrieved from: http://www.thestatszone.com/articles/athletics-should-the-records-be-reset-1

3: Chart Retrieved http://www.thestatszone.com/articles/athletics-should-the-records-be-reset-1

Works Cited

Debatewise. “A Doping Cheat’s Entire Olympic Team Should Be Stripped Of Their Medals.” debatewise.org, 2016. Retrieved from: http://debatewise.org/debates/3561-a-doping-cheat-s-entire-olympic-team-should-be-stripped-of-their-medals/

Gonchar, Michael. “Should Athletes Who Dope Hae to Forfeit Their Titles and Medals?” The New York Times, 30 Oct. 2012. Retrieved from: http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/30/should-athletes-who-dope-have-to-forfeit-their-titles-and-medals/?_r=0

Schneier on Security. “Doping in Professional Sports.” Schneier.com, 2016. Retrieved from: https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2006/08/doping_in_profe.html

The Stats Zone. “Athletics – Should The Records Be Reset?” thestatszone.com, 19 Jul. 2016. Retrieved from: http://www.thestatszone.com/articles/athletics-should-the-records-be-reset-1