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The Impact of the 2016 Russian Doping Scandal on Anti-Doping, WADA and Athletes’ Rights

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The Impact of the 2016 Russian Doping Scandal on Anti-Doping, WADA and Athletes’ Rights Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 4-26-2021 2:00 PM “One of the Most Elaborate Doping Ploys in Sports History”: The Impact of the 2016 Russian Doping Scandal on Anti-Doping, WADA and Athletes’ Rights Mikael J. Gonsalves, The University of Western Ontario Supervisor: Schneider, Angela J., The University of Western Ontario A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Kinesiology © Mikael J. Gonsalves 2021 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Gender and Sexuality Commons, International Relations Commons, Other Chemicals and Drugs Commons, Other Kinesiology Commons, and the Sports Studies Commons Recommended Citation Gonsalves, Mikael J., "“One of the Most Elaborate Doping Ploys in Sports History”: The Impact of the 2016 Russian Doping Scandal on Anti-Doping, WADA and Athletes’ Rights" (2021). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 7807. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/7807 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Abstract This dissertation analyzes the impacts of the 2016 Russian doping scandal from a philosophical and historical perspective. This dissertation’s second chapter, the article entitled (1) “The Brave New World of Athletes’ Rights: A Canadian Perspective on Significant Shifts for the World Anti- Doping Agency” in time for the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) 20th anniversary, puts into words the new investigative reality of contemporary anti-doping. It explains a new attitude of anti-doping authorities in response to the ‘game-changing’ Russian manipulation of samples, what has been described as “one of the most elaborate doping ploys in sports history”1 (Icarus, 2016) The third chapter, the article (2) “A Narrative of a Canadian Self-Diagnosis on Anti-doping Con- tributions” establishes the historical context in which the scandal emerged through the lens of Ca- nadian experts and their respective contribution in anti-doping. Even if the article was written in the context of the country’s 150th anniversary, it explains experts’ scepticisms and concerns with current anti-doping. It finds that the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) governance is the source of many fears. The fourth chapter, (3) “The Role and Relationship of Science and Ethics in the Evaluation of Fairness in Sport” is another feminist critique of ‘pure science’. It argues for the social problem-solving standpoint, in contrast to the impartial rational biotechnological scientific standpoint. Examples connecting the critiques to the Russian doping scandal are given in ‘How chapter 4 concretely relates to the Russian scandal’ (p. 95). The fifth chapter, the entitled (4) “Car- ing for Athletes in the 2016 Russian Doping Scandal” makes a novel philosophical distinction. Feminist theory, particularly the ethics of care, is used to distinguish women and men leaders’ general reaction to the Russian scandal. The article nuances their proposed solution and finds that women leaders tended to suggest listening to athletes more than their counterparts. The themes of contemporary anti-doping, state-sponsored doping, athletes’ vulnerability and sport corruption best summarized this dissertation. This exploratory doctoral study is one of the first, if not the first, in-depth analysis of the 2016 Russian doping scandal and it is argued that the controversy was as impactful to the world of sport as the 1970s East German state-sponsored doping system. Keywords: Sport; Ethics; Doping; Anti-Doping; Russia; Rights 1 See Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov’s testimony in ‘Icarus’. 2017. Dir. Bryan Fogel. Documentary. ii Summary for Lay Audience In 2009, Yulia Stepanova (née Rusanova), a Russian track and field athlete, fell in love with anti- doping officer Vitaly Stepanov. She was a successful member of the Russian national team and they shared many interests, including a passion for sport. They understood each other in a meaningful way. They were the two sides of the Russian anti-doping world. They were helping to construct the same façade together; the façade of clean Russian sport. I was encouraged to study the unfolding Russian scandal (‘the scandal’) only a few months after the release of the first World Anti-Doping Agency independent person report. The 2016 Russian doping scandal was a worthwhile case of study for a multitude of reasons. First, it spread chaos in international sport at an overwhelming pace. Second, the press and officials involved lacked time to make profound conclusions about the scandal. Lastly, it was worthwhile to dig deeper than the press because gathered intelligence about the scandal was released in a sporadic fashion, on top of conflicting with past coverage. Recent news contradicted older news; the past contradicted the present. The principal theme of this research project is ‘institutionalized’ doping. The expression ‘institutionalized’ doping refers to a distinct doping sport system, where performance- enhancement is assured by political and social structures. In such systems, institutions (pharmaceutical laboratories, police forces, legal authorities, universities, sport federations, ministries, etc.) are set forth to coerce national teams’ athletes to dope and win Olympic medals. Only twice in history have these systems been proven. German researchers had an opportunity to study the classified files from the 1970s after the collapse of the GDR in 1989-1900. In 2016, researchers had once again an opportunity to analyse classified documentation, which the author of this project took. The aim of this dissertation is to determine the impact of the most recent institutionalized doping system on Anti-Doping, WADA and Athletes’ Rights. iii Co-Authorship Statement This dissertation was structured and written as part of the aforementioned Russian scandal doctoral research study. The information presented in this document is my own original work, while its richness is due to many. In particular, I must acknowledge my supervisor Dr. Angela J. Schneider’s contribution and incomparable insight into the philosophy of sport world. Parts of this dissertation are already published. Chapter 4, article 3, The Role and Relationship of Science and Ethics in the Evaluation of Fairness in Sport was published in 2018 in the international journal Sport in Society. Chapter 2, article 1, The Brave New World of Athletes’ Rights: A Cana- dian Perspective on Significant Shifts for the World Anti-Doping Agency is currently in the process for publication in the international journal Sport Policy and Politics. Further, there are opportuni- ties to publish both Chapter 5 (article 4) Caring for Athletes in the 2016 Russian Doping Scandal and Chapter 3 (article 2) A Narrative of a Canadian Self-Diagnosis on Anti-Doping contributions. As I trust it is an original contribution to the philosophy of sport literature and as it made a good impression at the 2019 International Association for Philosophy in Sport (IAPS) conference in Kyoto, there is much hope to publish the former. Likewise, the latter could find its place in many international journals, one of which is Western’s Olympika, The International Journal of Olympic Studies. iv Acknowledgements This research would not have been possible without the support of my family and friends. My family went through rough times while I was writing this dissertation. Early in the morning, my brother and father scraped ice in a market counter with their bare hands. My mother managed tons of company projects. My partner saved lives and qualified for World championships. Of course, I needed a lot of patience and had my shares of personal doubts, but nobody around me ‘had it easy.’ They are inspiring and this dissertation is for them. This research would not have been possible without the support of my supervisor Dr. Angela Schneider and members of my supervision committee Dr. Kirkwood and Dr. Hudecki. I haven't seen Dr. Schneider take a break in four years and would believe – if it was claimed – that she never took a break in her entire life. I know for a fact that she deserves every success she earned in life and that her “Drugs in Sport, The Straight Dope” is a sport ethics masterpiece. Dr. Kirkwood earned my respect with his critical papers on the harm-reduction approach, a necessary meticulous argument analysis. Lastly, many thanks to Dr. Hudecki for his philosophical eye. It is precisely critical sense that made this project so appealing and profound. I would also like to thank the Graduate Kinesiology Program Chair and Members of the Kinesiol- ogy Graduate Affairs Committee for accepting my fast-tracking request and valuing the first two years of my research. I have always considered it as a generous gesture of support. Finally, this is for athletes who were deceived during the scandal, including by their own govern- ments. May their experiences be remembered for many years to come. v List of Abbreviations CAS: Court of Arbitration for Sport CCES: Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport CCDS: Canadian Centre against Drugs in Sport CE: Council of Europe DC: Disciplinary Commission (IOC) FSB: Russian Federal Security Service GDR: German Democratic Republic IAAF: International Amateur Athletic Federation IAPS: International Association for Philosophy
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