# Transcript

BEN OAKLEY
Doping in sport has existed for a very long time with alcohol, painkillers and sedatives known as barbiturates often used in endurance events in the early nineteenth century. It was not until the 1980s and 1990s that there were a series of major scandals that turned this largely private issue for sports authorities into a public issue of concern to both governments and to the wider public.
The first big global scandal involved Canadian athlete Ben Johnson at the 1988 Seoul Olympics when he won the prestigious 100 meters and broke the world record; but within two days he had tested positive for steroids. It became a national scandal in Canada but also a world media event at the top of news items around the world. This national concern prompted some policy intervention by the Canadian government.
Ten years later at the cycling Tour de France, there was again another major scandal where the Festina team, one of the most prominent teams, were found to have extensive drugs in their entourage and vehicles. This prompted the French government to intervene rather than leaving it to the sports authorities to respond. Again, this was a national scandal, the country’s most prestigious event was of national cultural significance.
These government interventions frightened the sports authorities because they felt they were losing control over the issue of doping. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) called a major 1999 conference and proposed that a world anti-doping organisation, now known as WADA, be established with global protocols and policies. Eventually in 2003, with WADA fully operational it published the very first List of Prohibited Substances and Methods.