ABSTRACT
Chapter eight explores regulatory approaches towards recreational drug use in Olympic sport. Prohibition of recreational drugs was introduced to protect the image of sport valued by governments for political purposes and the function of elite athletes as role models. Accordingly, the chapter begins with a discussion of arguments offered for and against the prohibition of recreational drugs under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). This is followed by an assessment of these arguments against the 2018 case of Peruvian footballer and national team captain Paolo Guerrero, who tested positive for the cocaine metabolite benzoylecgonine, said to be unintentionally ingested by drinking tea. The chapter finishes by discussing the reduction in the period of ineligibility for recreational drug use in the 2021 World Anti-Doping Code in comparison to other recreational drug policies in sport. As this chapter concludes, the reduction in the period of ineligibility still reflects WADA’s limited scope for change. It is argued that as WADA’s legitimacy is challenged, the organisation’s response is restricted to choices that reflect the organisation’s roots in the spirit of sport and Olympism.
