Cops and Robbers? The Roots of Anti-Doping Policies in Olympic Sport

By

Ian Ritchie

Return to Article

World Anti-Doping Agency logo

World Anti-Doping Agency logo

Peruvian coca leaves.

Peruvian coca leaves

Peruvian coca leaves

International Olympic Committee logo

International Olympic Committee logo

Bottle of Strychnine.

Bottle of Strychnine

Bottle of Strychnine

Lance Armstrong.

Lance Armstrong

Lance Armstrong, 2009

Vials of anabolic steroids used in sport doping.

Anabolic steroids

Vials of anabolic steroids used in sport doping.

Mariya Savinova.

Mariya Savinova

2012 Russian gold medalist, Mariya Savinova.

Richard Pound.

Richard Pound

Richard Pound, first head of WADA after it was created in 1999.

Dr. Robert Christison.

Dr. Robert Christison

Dr. Robert Christison, of the University of Edinburgh, conducted experiments on endurance during the 1870s.

Pierre de Coubertin.

Pierre de Coubertin

Pierre de Coubertin (1925), founder of the modern Olympic Games.

Thomas Hicks.

Thomas Hicks

Thomas Hicks, winner of the 1904 Olympic marathon.

Dorando Pietri.

Dorando Pietri

Dorando Pietri, winner of the 1908 Olympic marathon.

Japanese swimmers at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

Japanese swimmers at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games

Japanese swimmers, who were accused of taking “purified oxygen,” at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

The Olympic Stadium at the 1936 Berlin Games.

The Olympic Stadium at the 1936 Berlin Games

The Olympic Stadium at the 1936 Berlin Games.

IOC President Henri de Baillet-Latour in 1936.

Henri de Baillet-Latour

IOC President Henri de Baillet-Latour in 1936, under whose direction the first statements against dope were made in the 1930s.

Avery Brundage.

Avery Brundage

Avery Brundage (pictured here in 1964), IOC member before WWII and later President (1952), whose strong amateur beliefs played a role in the creation of anti-doping rules.

Paul de Kruif’s 1945 publication 'The Male Hormone.'

Paul de Kruif’s 1945 publication “The Male Hormone”

Paul de Kruif’s 1945 publication “The Male Hormone,” which defended the use of steroids in everyday life.

American weightlifting coach Bob Hoffman.

Bob Hoffman

American weightlifting coach Bob Hoffman (pictured here in 1975) with a statue of himself, outside of the York Barbell plant in Pennsylvania.

Knud Enemark Jensen.

Knud Enemark Jensen

Danish cyclist Knud Enemark Jensen who died in the 1960 Rome Summer Games after falling off his bicycle.

1969 Sports Illustrated cover 'Drugs: A Threat to Sport.'

1969 Sports Illustrated cover

1969 Sports Illustrated cover “Drugs: A Threat to Sport” with various sport-doping drug types.

Poster from the 1983 Pan American Games.

Poster from the 1983 Pan American Games

Poster from the 1983 Pan American Games (Caracas) where surprise tests for steroids were conducted and several athletes were caught.

Manfred Donike.

Manfred Donike

Manfred Donike (pictured here in 1994), a West German biochemist who oversaw important advancements in anti-doping testing in the 1970s and 1980s.

Bicyclists 'sit down' in protest.

Bicyclists “sit down” in protest during the 1998 Tour de France

Bicyclists “sit down” in protest during the 1998 Tour de France.

Sir Arthur Porritt.

Sir Arthur Porritt

Sir Arthur Porritt (pictured here in 1973), who oversaw the first IOC subcommittee that created anti-doping rules in the 1960s.

Share: