The nineties were marked by doping scandals in cycling and athletics. Since then, the fight has been organized. Today, high-level athletes are located, controlled and recorded. But despite this pursuit, each year in Switzerland, several cases of doping are discovered. What impact does doping have on athletes’ bodies? On the spirit of sport? How can we supervise future sporting elites to show them that it is possible to perform without cheating? And, given the high cost of testing, how can we ensure that amateur sports are also free of doping products? Questions addressed in five episodes in the La Première show “Vacarme”.
1. Smile, you are being filmed
Anti-doping monitoring is reserved for the sport’s elite. In Switzerland, the most successful athletes have a biological passport and must complete the “whereabouts” on a second application. Each of their actions must be planned to be controllable at all times. Runner Sarah Atcho lives this hunt every day.
2. The price of pee
In Switzerland, the anti-doping police are called Swiss Sport Integrity. This independent foundation is responsible for monitoring the sporting elite. In 2023, it carried out 2712 checks, a record. Less than 1% of these tested positive. Once the blood or urine samples have been collected, they are given to the Swiss Doping Analysis Laboratory (LAD), recognized worldwide for having implemented the biological passport of athletes.
3. Explosive cocktail
For cost reasons, amateur races do not use controls from Swiss Sport Integrity, the Swiss anti-doping control body. However, doping among amateurs exists. As proof: every week, more than 30 packages containing doping products are intercepted at customs. Marion Sicot, a French cyclist, took doping in 2019 in order to achieve her dream of becoming a professional athlete. She was caught and today regrets having crossed the red line.
4. Resist!
Young elite athletes are the preferred target for prevention. During adolescence, the body changes, performance declines and social networks are an obsession. It’s hard to resist a little pill that would allow you to perform better or shine on Instagram or Tik tok. In Tenero, Swiss Olympic is raising awareness among young people about these issues. But why comply with the rules when doping controls are almost non-existent in their age category?
5. When Remo was addicted
Fifteen percent of the Swiss population is likely to become addicted to sport. Rémo, 46 years old, has been receiving treatment for 5 years at the Belmont clinic in Geneva to reduce his sports practice to which he had become addicted. Since then, he only “practices” an hour and a quarter of sport per day; this is four times less than when he was dependent. (rebroadcast from 01/18/2017)
RTSsport
Report by Quentin Bohlen / Director: David Golan / Production: Marc Giusee
