India was on Wednesday named as the second worst country vis-a-vis positive doping cases by minors in a 10-year global study conducted by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Russia topped the list, followed by India and China, in the study published by WADA on Wednesday on the findings of ‘Operation Refuge’, a broad analysis and examination of doping amongst minors in sport.
Since 2012, there have been 1,518 positive tests reported against 1,416 minors, with diuretics, stimulants and anabolic steroids being the most detected substances.
The youngest minor to be sanctioned for a doping violation was 12 years old.
Undertaken by WADA’s Intelligence and Investigations Department, ‘Operation Refuge’ shines a light on the immense challenges faced by minors, their families and the anti-doping community when a child tests positive for a prohibited substance or method. The report delivers a number of conclusions and identifies important areas for improvement on this issue.
Background on ‘Operation Refuge’
In early 2021, WADA’s Confidential Information Unit (CIU) observed an increase in confidential reporting of doping activity amongst minors, including pre-teen athletes. While the lack of detail in many of these reports prevented substantive enforcement action, WADA followed up every case and launched investigations where appropriate.
WADA was concerned by the nature and volume of reporting, leading to the commencement of ‘Operation Refuge’. It examined the doping activities of minors with a view to identifying any patterns of offending, any deficiencies in governance, and any possible strategies on how better to address the issue of doping amongst minors.
A key aspect of ‘Operation Refuge’ was the firsthand accounts obtained from not only minors who had committed doping violations, but also their family and support networks. Although these experiences were shared with WADA on condition of anonymity, such was the impact of these accounts that permission was obtained from some to share their stories in the report.
From the firsthand accounts that were obtained, six key themes emerged, namely:
Trauma;
Isolation;
Impact;
Pressure;
Ignorance, and;
Abandonment
The report details information obtained from human intelligence (e.g., interviews, informants), data analysis, external academic study, open-source research, and the anti-doping community.
