ABSTRACT

The essays contained within this book provide insight into the diversity of issues related to doping in sport. It may appear that the essays are so diverse that a synthesis of their ideas would be impossible. However, this is not necessarily the case. The dynamic nature of the relationships both inside and outside sport requires such disparate views if it is to be understood in its totality. What the essays have in common is that they all acknowledge certain shortcomings of the present system – these are the ‘problems’. Most of the essays seek to offer means of redressing those problems – the ‘solutions’. The complexity arises because, as the contributors approach the same subject from different perspectives, there is no consensus as to the nature of the problem, so it might appear there cannot be a consensus as to the solution. The object of this final chapter is to analyse the nature of the problem and to suggest a solution. The solution is the relaxation of doping regulation. This is not a solution that will meet with the approval of all of the parties within sport, but it is the only solution that addresses the diverse identified problems.