Public Lecture: Does Anti-Doping Do More Harm than Good?

Hosted by University Centre Shrewsbury, this lecture is free to attend by anyone with an interest in this area.

The World Anti-Doping Code was introduced to protect the integrity of sport in 2003. The recent scandals engulfing the International Association of Athletics Federations add to evidence indicating that anti-doping has done little to arrest doping, and consequently protect the integrity of sport. Instead, anti-doping has created new harms to the credibility of sport, from governance failures that exclude athletes from decision making through to discrimination against women, children and non-elite sport.

Dr Jason Mazanov, from the University of New South Wales, Australia, will discuss how this raises the question of whether anti-doping can protect sport’s reputation and principles, or a different approach to either drug control or the integrity of sport is needed.

Dr Mazanov is a recognised international expert on the management of drugs in sport and the anti-doping policy, leading to more than 100 media appearances across broadcast, webcast and major news sites.

With more than 10 years of experience researching in this field, Dr Mazanov has developed a keen interest in the role of performance enhancement more broadly, with a special interest in so-called cognitive enhancing drug use in education. This interest is supported by being Founding Editor-in-Chief of Elsevier's Performance Enhancement and Health, which explores the intended and unintended consequences of technology designed to enhance the human condition with regards to physical, social and spiritual health; from gadgets such as smart phones to management systems including anti-doping and recreation leave. Click here for further information on Dr Mazanov