%0 Journal Article
%T The Olympics and harm reduction?
%A Bengt Kayser
%A Barbara Broers
%J Harm Reduction Journal
%D 2012
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1477-7517-9-33
%X The Olympic buzz is mounting and we can expect multiple headlines in the media on doping and anti-doping stories related to this event. In this article we describe current anti-doping policy, reflect on its multiple unplanned consequences, and end with a discussion, if lessons learned from harm reduction experiences in the illicit drugs field could be applied to anti-doping.Early this year the unveiling of the brand new 2012 London Olympics anti-doping lab made the headlines worldwide, accompanied by strong anti-doping messages for prospective Olympians and illustrated by an iconic photograph depicting the laboratory¡¯s head showing a blood sample to the Minister for Sports and the Olympics (Figure 1). The 4¡¯400£¿m2 laboratory, sponsored by a multinational pharmaceutical company, will be operating 24£¿h/day during the Games, analysing urine and blood samples of one out of two participating athletes while a part of the samples will be stored for eight years, using the threat of future testing technology as a further deterrent. With the Olympic buzz mounting and the Games monopolizing the media, the moment seems right for debate on drugs and sports among those concerned by drug policymaking and the harm reduction movement in specific. But you may ask yourself: What have the Olympic Games to do with harm reduction? More than you might think.The Olympic movement was the driving force behind the anti-doping efforts that led to the establishment of the World Anti-Doping Agency in 1999. A series of widely publicized doping scandals and public outrage in the nineties triggered this increasingly strong movement advocating doping-free sports. WADA aims at eradicating doping by harmonizing anti-doping practices worldwide from a zero-tolerance standpoint. It is backed by the UNESCO anti-doping convention, now signed by a majority of UN member states. These anti-doping efforts were recently dubbed ¡®war on doping¡¯ [1], echoing the declaration of the ¡®war on drugs¡¯ by president Nixon
%U http://www.harmreductionjournal.com/content/9/1/33