Sports and Anti-doping: Toward a Clean Sports Environment

抄録

　Recently, the anti-doping movement has worked to improve the image of sports. Historically, doping inspection was implemented as a deterrent. A serious problem in recent years has been the violation of anti-doping regulations through intake of supplements mixed with prohibited substances. Unlike prescribed medications with clear ingredients, there are no international rules governing the manufacture of supplements or labelling of their ingredients. If the results of the doping control process are presumptive positive, a hearing will be arranged where athletes can present their case; however, insufficient labeling is not considered a good defense in itself. Code 2015, the current anti-doping rule, emphasizes the role and responsibilities of athletes and if a banned substance is present in the body it is a violation of this rule, whether intentionally or not. Recent studies have found that Japanese university athletes are generally lacking in anti-doping knowledge, as well as a lack of medical knowledge and little recognition of their responsibilities as athletes. Given these circumstances, anti-doping education has started to shift from a “deterrent approach” aimed at detecting fraud to a “preventive approach” aimed at inculcating the importance of ethics in sports. There are also guidelines to ensure that these lessons are learned as soon as possible. Code 2021, to be enacted in 2021, is the first time that International Standards for Education (ISE) will be formulated. Education to further raise awareness of anti-doping by developing ISE is also expected.