An athlete uses a prohibited substance or method to gain an unfair performance advantage. That practice is doping. Anti-doping rules exist to protect clean competition and athlete health.

The World Anti-Doping Agency maintains a list of banned substances and methods that includes certain stimulants, anabolic agents, hormone modulators, and blood manipulation. Testing occurs both in and out of competition. Positive tests can result in disqualification, stripped titles, and multi-year bans.

Some substances appear in medications or contaminated supplements, so athletes bear strict liability for what enters their bodies. Education programs aim to reduce inadvertent violations. Doping scandals damage public trust and the integrity of records. The ongoing contest between new performance-enhancing methods and detection technology continues to shape elite sport.

Clean athletes deserve a field of play free from pharmacological shortcuts.