Global study of doping cases involving children highlights cases in Russia, India and China
- World Anti-Doping Agency releases results of 10-year study of more that 1,500 positive tests involving 1,400 minors
- Operation Refuge references three track and field athletes in China testing positive for stanozolol in 2021
A 10-year global study of positive doping tests by children and young teenagers showed most sanctions came from Russia, India, and China and in sports such as weightlifting, athletics, and cycling, the World Anti-Doping Agency has said.
Diuretics, stimulants and anabolic steroids were the most commonly found substances in more than 1,500 positive tests involving over 1,400 minors since 2012.
The youngest athlete tested was 8 years old and the youngest sanctioned in a doping case was a 12-year-old, Wada said in the “Operation Refuge” study.
“Operation Refuge reports in heartbreaking detail the deep trauma and isolation child athletes experience following a positive test and a doping sanction,” Ryan Pini, chairman of Wada’s athlete council, said in a statement.
The report cited the testimony of a female minor “who recalled the extreme pressure she and other female athletes felt from the male coaches to keep their weight down”.
“This pressure included an impossible expectation to slow down the effects of puberty because puberty would supposedly negatively impact their ability to compete,” the report added.