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Doping: a contemporary sports issue case study
Doping: a contemporary sports issue case study

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8 Framing in action: a doping example

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A group of racing cyclists in a peloton grimacing as they exert themselves with their heads down.

So far, you have been discussing doping generally, but now you will see further how framing can lead arguments in a certain direction. Activity 2 provided some context to exploring the topic; you will now extend the historical context further.

Activity 8 Framing doping with a historical perspective

Timing: Allow about 15 minutes

Listen to this brief audio outline of some of the influences that led to the founding of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) – the agency who decides what substances and methods are ‘prohibited’.

How does this framing help to show why sport is different to other forms of cultural activities, such as the music industry or arts, in having regulation of performance-enhancing aids?

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Transcript: Doping in sport

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.
End transcript: Doping in sport
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Discussion

Competitive sport has unique national and cultural significance because it is partly connected to national identity. Nations compete against each other for success and prestige both in competition and in staging major events. Compare this to the music sector, which has very limited doping intervention because it doesn’t have as much national significance. Sport has notions of the ‘spirit of sport’ that was mentioned in Activities 5 and 7.

You might also consider who then influences WADA global policy. This might occur through nations with greater political capital who have their own policy agendas on illicit substances (e.g. the United States). This more detailed historical framing beyond a simple timeline throws up further questions about how it took so long for global collaboration on this issue.

Hopefully you will agree that this information provides very useful background context, which suggests that some historical framing of an issue, if kept relatively brief, can be useful near the start of any discussion.

Next, you will move on to thinking about the importance of the question that is being asked in a contemporary issue debate.