The Great Doping Deterrent – Health, performance and the prohibited list

Why do we ban certain substances in sports and not others? It may seem like a technical question, but the principle behind it underpins the core values of anti-doping.

A substance is placed on WADA’s prohibited list if it meets two of these three criteria: it enhances, or has the potential to enhance performance; it may pose a risk to the athlete’s health; or it violates the ‘spirit of sport’. The third criterion is nebulous, but the first two are factual.