History

The practice of doping in sport is possibly as old as organized sport itself. Even in Ancient Greece, athletes used special diets and stimulants to build strength. However, it was not until the 1920s that it became clear that restrictions were needed on drug use in sport.

The first International Sport Federation to ban the use of stimulating substances was the International Association of Athletics Federations in 1928, paving the way for many other sports to follow in their footsteps. However, no testing was carried out at this time.

It was not until the death of Danish cyclist Knud Enemark Jensen during the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, where the autopsy revealed traces of amphetamine that pressure mounted for sports authorities to introduce doping testing.

Six years later, in 1966, the cycling and football federations (UCI and FIFA) introduced drug tests during their World Championships, pre-empting the first Olympic testing at the Grenoble Winter Games and the Olympics in Mexico, in1968.

Athletes’ use of illicit substances continued to hit the headlines throughout the 1970s and 1980s, with rumors of state-sponsored doping in countries such as the former German Democratic Republic. With the disqualification of 100-metre champion Ben Johnson at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, two things became clear: that top athletes were under immense pressure to succeed, and that methods of enhancing performance were becoming ever more sophisticated.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), then responsible for the list of substances banned in sport, was continually having to fight to catch up with developments in the world of doping. Although use was prevalent, it was not until 1974 that a reliable test for anabolic steroids was introduced, with the IOC adding them to the Prohibited List in 1976.

At the same time, methods such as ‘blood boosting’ were making detection increasingly difficult. Despite being in practice since the 1970s, the IOC did not ban blood doping as a method until 1986, highlighting how long it can take get to grips such complex methods.

Profili i lartë i garës së çiklizmit Tour de France (Turneu u Frances) dhe skandalet e dopingut që lidhen me të e bënë Francën vendin e parë që prezantoi legjislacionin antidoping. Vendet e tjera e ndoqën shembullin, por bashkëpunimi ndërkombëtar në çështjet anti-doping ishte i kufizuar për një kohë të gjatë në Këshillin e Evropës. Gjatë viteve 1980 pati një rritje të dukshme të bashkëpunimit midis autoriteteve sportive ndërkombëtare dhe agjencive të ndryshme qeveritare, por pavarësisht kësaj, rezultati ishte një përhapje e përkufizimeve, politikave dhe sanksioneve. Mes konfuzionit, sanksionet e dopingut shpesh diskutoheshin dhe ndonjëherë anuloheshin në gjykatat civile.

Në vitin 1998, shumë substanca mjekësore të ndaluara u gjetën nga policia në një bastisje gjatë Turneut të Francës. Skandali çoi në një rivlerësim të madh të rolit të autoriteteve publike në çështjet anti-doping dhe theksoi nevojën për një agjenci të pavarur ndërkombëtare e cila do të vendoste standarde të unifikuara për çështjen anti-doping dhe do të koordinonte përpjekjet e organizatave sportive dhe autoriteteve publike.

IOC mori iniciativën dhe mblodhi Konferencën e parë Botërore mbi Dopingun në Sport në Lozanë në shkurt 1999. Pas propozimit të Konferencës, Agjencia Botërore Anti-Doping (WADA) u krijua më 10 nëntor 1999.

The campaign to achieve doping-free sport is international, headed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). With the support of governments and sports bodies, it promotes, coordinates, and monitors the fight against doping in sport across the world, through the World Anti-Doping Code.

WADA’s key activities include scientific research, education, development of anti-doping capacities, and monitoring of the World Anti-Doping Code – the document harmonizing anti-doping policies in all sports and all countries. WADA's headquarters are in Montreal, Canada.

A second World Conference was held in 2003, attended by representatives of 80 governments and all major sports federations. The International Convention against Doping in Sport was unanimously adopted by UNESCO in 2005, which also saw the launch of ADAMS (the Anti-Doping Administration and Management System). A revised Anti-Doping Code came into force on 1 January 2009 and is supported by five international standards that ensure a uniform approach to anti-doping around the world.

More than 120 countries are signatories to the Code and have established National Anti-Doping Organizations (NADOs). NADOs are responsible for testing their national athletes during and outside competitions, athletes from other countries competing within their country, as well as adjudicating anti-doping rule violations and providing anti-doping education.