Culture

Anti-doping experts warn athletes to avoid one-night stands amid contamination concerns

Friday, 2 May 2025 12:15AM UTC

At a London conference, experts urged elite athletes to reconsider intimate encounters to prevent inadvertent doping violations, prompting calls for clearer regulations and shared responsibility between athletes and anti-doping agencies.

At a recent conference held in London, anti-doping experts urged elite athletes to reconsider their personal lives, specifically advising them to avoid one-night stands to mitigate the risk of inadvertent contamination with banned substances. The conference focused on the complexities of performance-enhancing drugs, highlighting the need for clearer rules to distinguish between intentional doping and contamination.

Two notable cases have emerged in recent years that exemplify the potential for contamination. In 2009, tennis player Richard Gasquet was acquitted of doping charges after the Court of Arbitration for Sport determined that his positive cocaine test was "probably" a result of kissing a woman in a nightclub. More recently, in 2020, US boxer Virginia Fuchs was also cleared of wrongdoing after it was revealed that her partner was using therapeutic doses of GW1516, a substance that enhances endurance. Investigations showed that the metabolites present in her sample matched those expected from intimate contact with a user of the banned drug.

Travis Tygart, chief executive of the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), expressed concerns regarding the implications of these cases. “It’s so pathetic that we’re having this conversation,” he remarked, emphasising the absurdity of having to warn elite athletes about their personal relationships. Tygart added, “The onus is always on the athletes. We as anti-doping organisations need to take some of that responsibility back.”

Tygart also underscored the potential for intentional cheats to evade detection, stating, “I worry how many of the intentional cheats are actually getting away because we’re spending so much time and resources on the cases that end up being someone kissing someone at a bar.” He argued for changes to the current system, advocating for more reasonable expectations of athletes in regard to their private lives.

The conference revealed that changes to anti-doping regulations are on the horizon, especially concerning specific substances. Tygart referenced Clostebol, an anabolic steroid for which tennis player Jannik Sinner tested positive last year; Sinner has since denied any wrongdoing but accepted a three-month ban, which he is nearing completion of. Ostarine, another substance highlighted by Tygart, was found in the system of boxer Ryan Garcia after his match against Devin Haney last year. Garcia has also denied intentional use but accepted a one-year ban.

Tygart suggested a potential restructuring of the limits for certain substances, mentioning that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has already implemented minimum reporting levels for others, such as clenbuterol, commonly found in contaminated meat, and diuretics. He proposed that Clostebol and Ostarine could be added to this list, stating, “We know it can transfer between people through intimacy.”

As discussions continue, the complexities of doping regulations and their implications for athletes' personal lives remain a significant topic within the sporting world.

Source: Noah Wire Services

More on this

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2009/dec/17/richard-gasquet-cocaine-cas-ban - This article discusses Richard Gasquet's acquittal of doping charges after the Court of Arbitration for Sport determined that his positive cocaine test was 'probably' a result of kissing a woman in a nightclub.
https://www.cnn.com/2009/SPORT/12/17/tennis.gasquet.cocaine.cas.cleared/index.html - This article reports on Richard Gasquet being cleared of any wrongdoing by the Court of Arbitration for Sport after testing positive for cocaine, with the court accepting his claim that the substance entered his system through kissing a woman in a nightclub.
https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/gasquet-cleared-to-resume-playing-tennis - This article details Richard Gasquet's clearance to resume playing tennis after the International Tennis Federation's tribunal panel ruled that he inadvertently took cocaine by kissing a woman in a nightclub.
https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/tennis/8417167.stm - This article reports on Richard Gasquet being cleared of drug charges after the Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed appeals by the World Anti-Doping Agency and International Tennis Federation, accepting Gasquet's explanation that the cocaine entered his system through inadvertent contamination in a nightclub.
https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/cas-clears-gasquet-of-drug-charges-avoids-ban - This article discusses the Court of Arbitration for Sport clearing Richard Gasquet of drug charges, accepting his claim that he tested positive for cocaine by kissing a woman in a nightclub.
https://www.skysports.com/tennis/news/5777962/gasquet-escapes-doping-ban - This article reports on Richard Gasquet escaping a doping ban after being cleared of any wrongdoing by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which accepted his explanation that he inadvertently consumed cocaine by kissing a woman in a Miami nightclub.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-14669599/Elite-athletes-told-AVOID-one-night-stands-risk-drug-contamination.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490 - Please view link - unable to able to access data

Noah Fact Check Pro

The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may warrant further investigation.

Freshness check

Score: 8

Notes: The narrative references a ‘recent’ conference and mentions Jannik Sinner’s three-month ban (in force at time of writing), suggesting recent developments. However, no explicit dates for the conference or Tygart’s quotes are provided.

Quotes check

Score: 7

Notes: Travis Tygart’s quotes align with his public statements on anti-doping reforms. Direct references to Gasquet (2009) and Fuchs (2020) are historically verifiable. No earlier attribution found for Tygart’s specific phrasing.

Source reliability

Score: 6

Notes: The Daily Mail’s narrative, while detailed, lacks direct links to primary sources. Historical cases cited are corroborated, but recent claims (e.g., Sinner’s ban) require cross-referencing with WADA/USADA publications.

Plausability check

Score: 9

Notes: Claims about contamination via intimacy align with established anti-doping case law. Mention of regulatory reforms for Clostebol/Ostarine is consistent with WADA’s historical approach (e.g., clenbuterol thresholds).

Overall assessment

Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS

Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): MEDIUM

Summary: The narrative’s core claims about contamination risks and regulatory changes are plausible given historical precedents. While the Daily Mail’s reporting lacks primary sourcing for recent developments, the alignment with Tygart’s public stance and verifiable case law supports a provisional pass. Confidence is medium due to reliance on secondary reporting for key quotes.

anti-doping
athlete welfare
performance-enhancing drugs