L'épreuve du dopage

The genesis and effect of French anti-doping policies in cycling

“…Therefore, this constituted a real upheaval. Instead of strengthening social bonds, which had been the case up until this point, doping in the 1990s became a source of tension between those who were satisfied with traditional doping and those who had external networks providing them with new substances (EPO) (Brissonneau et al 2008).…”

“…This approach is quite challenging because doping is an illegal activity that people in the world of sports are reluctant to discuss. Furthermore, some recent research demonstrates that in certain sports disciplines (Trabal 2006), particularly cycling (Brissonneau et al 2008), participants do not see themselves as drug users. However, a few speak out on the occasion of someone testing positive, when new forms of doping change the rules of the game (Brissonneau 2000), or after their career has come to an end.…”

“…The composition of the medical field, the number of specialities and variety of experiences, and the closeness of some doctors to the field of sports explain the considerable diversity of their attitudes and positions. While some pose as defenders of the campaign against doping, others inform athletes of doping techniques or take a position, as in other countries, in favor of a biological support (Waddington 2000, Brissonneau et al 2008.…”

“…The cyclist is then exposed to new forms of socialization in which the transformation of the body occupies a central place. In particular, it is a case of taming and transforming one's relationship to pain and effort, through organizing one's life around cycling, in progressively rationalizing the training and medicalizing the physical preparation (Brissonneau et al 2008). The social connection is constructed and rebuilt through discussions about the body, practices and pharmacological consumption.…”

Sport and Crime

“…The World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) Director General, David Howman, has even accepted that doping has links to organized crime and has admitted the problem is "too big for sport to manage" (Gibson, 2013). The scholarly community has contributed extensively to documenting the culture of doping in sport, particularly in cycling (Hoberman, 2002;Christiansen, 2005;Schneider, 2006;Brissonneau et al, 2008;Paolo & Donati, 2014). However, Fincoeur, van de Ven, and Mulrooney (2014) argue that "Criminology as a discipline has yet to sufficiently explore the problem of doping, and in particular the The prohibition around, and punishment of, the use of performance-enhancing substances has traditionally been dealt with by sport regulatory bodies, whether via individual governing bodies or WADA, since its inception in 1999.…”