Infographic: Doping at the Olympic Games – past, present and future
The history of doping in the Olympics spans centuries, with notable milestones marking the evolution of anti-doping efforts. From ancient Greeks seeking vigor in wine concoctions, herbal supplements and even animal testicles, to modern controversies surrounding famous athletes, the battle against performance-enhancing drugs is continuously ongoing. In this infographic, we explore the timeline of anti-doping at the Olympic Games, diving into rule enforcements, bioanalytical tools for doping detection and the most infamous cases of athlete doping.
BZ Doping at the Olympic Games_compressed
[Illustrated by Tobias Dumbraveanu]
References:
- Welcome to the Ancient Olympic Games. (2024) https://olympics.com/ioc/ancient-olympic-games [Accessed 30 April 2024].
- International Olympic Committee. Pierre de Coubertin. (2024) https://olympics.com/ioc/pierre-de-coubertin [Accessed 2 May 2024].
- Ljungqvist A. Brief History of Anti-Doping. Med. Sport Sci. 62,1–10 (2017).
- 1967: Creation of the IOC Medical Commission. (2024) https://olympics.com/ioc/1967-creation-of-the-ioc-medical-commission [Accessed 3 May 2024].
- Global sport matters. Mexico City Games became launch pad for athlete doping tests. (2018). https://globalsportmatters.com/1968-mexico-city-olympics/2018/10/20/mexico-city-games-athlete-doping-tests/ [Accessed 2 May 2024].
- Hemmersbach P. History of mass spectrometry at the Olympic Games. Mass Spectrom. 43, 839–853 (2008).
- World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). (2024). https://ita.sport/partner/world-anti-doping-agency-wada/ [Accessed 2 May 2024].
- 9 doping scandals that changed sports. (2021). https://www.history.com/news/doping-scandals-through-history-list [Accessed 30 April 2024].
- Watson CJ, Stone GL, Overbeek DL, Chiba T and Burns MM. Performance-enhancing drugs and the Olympics. J. Intern. Med. 291, 181–196 (2022).
- WADA Scientific Research: Driving anti-doping forward. (2021). https://www.wada-ama.org/en/news/wada-scientific-research-driving-anti-doping-forward [Accessed 3 May 2024].
- Athlon Sports. 10 surprising facts about the Olympics. (2022) https://athlonsports.com/other-sports/10-surprising-facts-about-olympics [Accessed 16 May 2024].
Check out more content on the Olympic Games below!
- Analysts from the South African Doping Control Laboratory join anti-doping efforts at the 2024 Paris Olympics
- Olympics: special feature on anti-doping
- Use of RNA biomarkers in the antidoping field
- Achieving routine application of dried blood spots for erythropoietin receptor agonist analysis in doping control: low-volume single-spot detection at minimum required performance level
- ‘Dope’ detection of existing and potential doping substances using ion mobility mass spectrometry
- Dried blood spots in doping analysis
- Gene doping and genomic science in sports: where are we?
- Antidoping analysis: a special focus
- Virtual drug testing: redefining sample collection in a global pandemic