Using interdisciplinary tools to improve anti-doping: Utopia or necessity?

Abstract

This article proposes a reflection on the value of interdisciplinary approaches applied to anti-doping. It aims to show that interdisciplinary research and collaborative work is central to establishing sound anti-doping policies. After presenting some fundamentals of interdisciplinary approaches, the article analyses how these can apply to doping as a “wicked” problem, highlighting the importance of clarifying policy goals as a prerequisite for applying interdisciplinary tools. The article then focuses on some features of “interdisciplinarity” that are critical to anti-doping practice and involve creating common ground on concepts, assumptions and methodologies. Having regard to the challenges involved in integrating scientific research and evidence for policy-making purposes, transparency and procedures may equally come to play a critical part, to which interdisciplinarity can contribute. If anti-doping policies inevitably incorporate some subjectivity rooted in stakeholder values, we should strive for such subjectivity to be an “informed” one. The legal profession can have a key role in this regard. Lawyers—whether academic researcher or practitioner—must evolve into being the (co-)actors of a broader reflection on the finalities and means of anti-doping, one that will encourage the creation of truly interdisciplinary platforms and ensure that the resulting insights are appropriately transposed into regulatory terms.