Performance, Health, and Excellence

Is using performance-enhancing substances and methods in sport morally legitimate?

Sport governing bodies shape how people talk and think around sport by enacting regulations that establish how to play sport and, most importantly, who can play. Among the regulations and practices that have most significantly shaped sport are those concerning the use of technology to enhance athletic performance, or doping. Debates on whether to embrace or resist the use of technology in sport connect to fundamental philosophical questions, such as those concerning the nature of modern humans.

By analyzing the ethical foundations of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s core principles--performance enhancement, health, and the spirit of sport--this book offers a clear philosophical framework for understanding why anti-doping rules exist and when they might require revision. It provides readers, particularly sport administrators, with conceptual tools to determine whether current policies are well-grounded or in need of reform.