ABSTRACT
Chapter one examines the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) progress and effectiveness in regulating anti-doping efforts and achieving its ambition of doping-free sport. Beginning by outlining historical anti-doping policy developments and the conditions around the creation of WADA, the importance of analysing anti-doping policy is established. The remainder of the chapter reviews the progress of WADA using anti-doping network development, anti-doping testing statistics and anti-doping policy harmonisation as outcome measures. It is concluded that WADA has struggled – and still struggles – to achieve its goals because of a lack of behavioural support from stakeholders. Subsequently, the chapter concludes by highlighting the importance of social pressures and processes that exist in the field of anti-doping in explaining WADA’s lack of progress towards doping-free sport. In doing so, the value of a multi-level legitimacy analysis of WADA is illustrated.
