It’s important for all athletes, and for trust in the anti-doping system, that the validity of the EPO test and the interpretation of the analysis can be transparently relied on.
The decision by the World Anti-Doping Agency to lift its ban on Russia’s drug testing has set off another controversy about whether there will ever be a level playing field in the world of sports.
The IOC will allow Russian athletes to compete in Rio 2016 if they’ve been cleared by their respective international sporting federation of doping. Should other countries pull out of the games?
Only a better understanding of what drives doping can improve enforcement. To do so, we must break with the perception of doping as an individual or moral problem.
The International Olympic Committee will allow Russians wanting to compete in the Rio 2016 Olympics the chance to do so if they can prove they’re clean to their sports federation.
Where Russia broke the cardinal rule of doping – don’t get caught – the anti-doping regime has broken a cardinal rule of nature: don’t poke the Russian Bear.
Having learned some hard lessons with the Essendon case, Australia should lead the way in developing a better approach to drug control and anti-doping in sport.
Visiting Professor in Biomedical Ethics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute; Distinguished Visiting Professor in Law, University of Melbourne; Uehiro Chair in Practical Ethics, University of Oxford