Call for athletes to be fitted with microchips in fight against drug cheats
Call for athletes to be fitted with microchips in fight
against drug cheats
• Chief executive of World Olympians Association makes
implant suggestion
• ‘We’re prepared to chip our dogs, so why aren’t we
prepared to chip ourselves?’
By Martha Kelner Tuesday 10 October 2017 17.00 EDT Last
modified on Tuesday 10 October 2017 19.30 EDT
Athletes need to be fitted with microchips, in a similar
way that dogs are, in the fight against drug cheats in sport, according to a
leading representative of international sports people.
Mike Miller, the World Olympians Association chief
executive, claimed that radical anti-doping methods – including implants to
recognise the effects of banned substances – are needed to protect clean sport.
“Some people say we shouldn’t do this to people,” Miller
said. “Well, we’re a nation of dog lovers, we’re prepared to chip our dogs and
it doesn’t seem to harm them, so why aren’t we prepared to chip ourselves?”
Miller claims a breakthrough in microchip technology is
on the horizon and testers need to be aware of developments. His fear is that
drug cheats could exploit the technology to avoid detection through
self-monitoring, alerting them when their blood has returned to “normal” levels
before testers arrive.
Speaking to anti-doping leaders at a Westminster forum on
integrity in sport, Miller said: “In order to stop doping we need to chip our
athletes where the latest technology is there. Some people say it’s an invasion
of privacy, well, sport is a club and people don’t have to join the club if
they don’t want to, if they can’t follow the rules.
“Microchips get over the issue of whether the technology
can be manipulated because they have no control over the device. The problem
with the current anti-doping system is that all it says is that at a precise
moment in time there are no banned substances but we need a system which says
you are illegal substance-free at all times and if there are changes in markers
they will be detected.”
The WOA supports the 48 national Olympians associations
and 100,000 living Olympians, although Miller said he was not speaking on
behalf of the organisation. “I’m just throwing the idea out there,” he said.
“I’m gauging reaction from people but we do need to think of new ways to
protect clean sport. I’m no Steve Jobs but we need to spend the money and use
the latest technology.”
The idea of microchips being inserted into athletes would
likely be met with mixed reaction. Some athletes are fiercely protective of
their right to privacy and feel the existing Adams whereabouts system is
already overly invasive. Whereabouts rules dictate that athletes must declare
on an online database where they will be every day for a one-hour window
between 5am and 11pm, so drug testers can turn up without warning. The athlete
biological passport system has been the most crucial development in anti-doping
in recent years, with blood test results analysed over a period of time for the
effects rather than presence of drugs.
Nicole Sapstead, the UK Anti-Doping chief executive, was
wary a move to microchips would represent an invasion of athletes’ privacy. “We
welcome verified developments in technology which could assist the fight
against doping. However, can we ever be sure that this type of thing could
never be tampered with or even accurately monitor all substances and methods on
the prohibited list?
“There is a balance to be struck between a right to
privacy versus demonstrating that you are clean. We would actively encourage
more research in whether there are technologies in development that can assist
anti-doping organisations in their endeavours.”
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