Routledge Handbook of Drugs and Sport

Doping has become one of the most important and high-profile issues in contemporary sport. Shocking cases such as that of Lance Armstrong and the US Postal cycling team have exposed the complicated relationships between athletes, teams, physicians, sports governing bodies, drugs providers, and judicial systems, all locked in a constant struggle for competitive advantage.

The Routledge Handbook of Drugs and Sport is simply the most comprehensive and authoritative survey of social scientific research on this hugely important issue ever to be published. It presents an overview of key topics, problems, ideas, concepts and cases across seven thematic sections, which include chapters addressing:

The history of doping in sport

Philosophical approaches to understanding doping

The development of anti-doping policy

Studies of doping in seven major sports, including athletics, cycling, baseball and soccer

In-depth analysis of four of the most prominent doping scandals in history, namely Ben Johnson, institutionalized doping in the former GDR, the 1998 Tour de France and Lance Armstrong

WADA and the national anti-doping organizations

Key contemporary debates around strict liability, the criminalization of doping, and zero tolerance versus harm reduction

Doping outside of elite sport, in gyms, the military and the police.

With contributions from many of the world’s leading researchers into drugs and sport, this book is the perfect starting point for any advanced student, researcher, policy maker, coach or administrator looking to develop their understanding of an issue that has had, and will continue to have, a profound impact on the development of sport.