Recently, after winning his age group at the UCI Gran Fondo World Time Trial Championships in Australia, Matthew Clark returned a positive result for steroids during a routine doping control.
Unfortunately, he is not the only masters level athlete who has returned a positive result after a doping control test. Over the past 10 years, there have been multiple cases of masters athletes guilty of using banned substances; ranging from high jumpers, cyclists and triathletes, to runners and javelin throwers. In 2023, one cyclist received a ban for possession and use/attempted use of 10 separate banned substances.
So with masters grade athletes using prohibited substances, should there be more drug testing at masters level, and indeed amateur level, competitions?
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR TESTING?
Ultimately, it is the responsibility of each individual sporting body, be it state, national or international, as well as affiliated clubs and organisations, to implement their own anti-doping policy.
The vast majority of the time, sporting bodies will implement a unified anti-doping policy. Usually, this will be the policy created by a national anti-doping group; who, in turn, implement the policy created by the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA). By doing so, a consistent approach can be taken to anti-doping by all sporting organisations world wide.
Here in Australia, registered sporting bodies usually receive financial and non-financial assistance from the Australian Government. A condition of this is that the sporting body, be it a club, state or national body, must adopt Sports Integrity Australia’s anti-doping policy within their governing documents.
1.2.1 As a condition of receiving financial and/or other assistance from the Australian Government and/or the Australian Olympic Committee, the Sporting Administration Body shall accept and abide by the spirit and terms of SIA’s Anti-Doping Program and this Anti-Doping Policy, and shall adopt this Anti-Doping Policy into their governing documents, constitution and/or rules as part of the rules of sport that bind their members, Participants and Non-participants
COST OF TESTING
Sports Integrity Australia receives a budgetary allocation from the Australian Government to conduct anti-doping testing on a regular basis. However, professional sporting organisations can also pay directly for additional testing if they wish to do so.
Unfortunately, anti-doping testing is rather expensive. An individual test can be in the range of $1,000. As a result, the number of tests conducted per year has to be limited. Testing every single athlete, whether via a government or private funding model, simply wouldn’t be feasible.
As a breakdown, according to the Sports Integrity Australia Annual Report of 2024-2025:
- 2,683 tests were government funded
- 1,900 tests were “user pays”
- 733 tests were “international user pays”
INPORTANCE OF ELITE TESTING FIRST
Due to the nature of sport, and the limited resources available, some athletes are recognised as a higher priority for anti-doping testing than others. Looking to win an elite national championship in cycling? High risk. Aiming to finish in the top 10 of your local club darts competition? Low risk.
Testing higher level elite athletes is obviously important in maintaining integrity within sports. Unfortunately, this means athletes competing in lower levels of competition rarely, if ever, get tested for banned substances. The result, of course, leads to a small number of individuals believing they can get away with cheating.
Of course, very little is known about the use of banned substances within amateur sports. It may just be a few isolated incidents; but it could also be widespread. Without adequate research, we simply don’t have the answer.
ANTI-COMPETITIVE NATURE, ENCOURAGES BAD BEHAVIOUR FOR EVERYBODY
Amateur athletes are rarely being tested, and can often get away with using performance enhancing drugs, seemingly without consequence. So, especially at lower levels of amateur sports, why shouldn’t more amateur athletes do it?
One of the biggest negatives of doping in sport is it’s anti-competitive in nature. Amateur sports are ultimately there to keep us fit, provide a sense of community and inclusion, and allow us to have a bit of fun. But once people start taking performance enhancing drugs, it creates a slippery slope.
It’s not much fun to compete against other individuals who are clearly stronger than you, and win against you with seemingly little effort. One of the end results is that people may stop competing in amateur sports, because they know that their competitors are cheating.
Unfortunately, one person using performance enhancing drugs can also lead to others doing the same thing. You see a fellow amateur athlete cheating, and getting away with it; so you may as well do the same thing. In addition, it can set a very poor example for juniors entering amateur sporting competitions. Nobody wins in this scenario.
WHAT NOW?
Ultimately, it would be nice if there were more testing in place to discourage individuals from using performance enhancing drugs. But limited resources unfortunately mean that testing at amateur level sports rarely happens.
The best thing to do? Play fair. Accept the fact that at a masters level, and indeed any level of amateur sport, you are not being paid millions of dollars to win. You are ultimately only cheating yourself. And if you do know of anybody who is using performance enhancing drugs? Speak out. Report them to your club captain or event organiser; or directly to Sports Integrity Australia (or your equivalent anti-doping body).
Lets try to keep amateur sport what it is supposed to be. A bit of fun.
The Sports Pharmacist 