Drug cheating at the 2017 IAAF World Championships: how best to counter this possibility

The big problem with global championships is that it gives an athlete an opportunity to prepare in countries with lax testing regimes (home or abroad). This may include Western athletes who may choose to train abroad to avoid their own comprehensive national testing systems. 

While the use of anabolic steroids can be picked up by testers even after a lengthy break (several months), thus still constituting he biggest source of positive drug tests of all tested sports in 2015 (pp. 15-16 2015 Anti‐Doping Testing Figures), the use of synthetic versions of natural hormones and peptides is much harder to detect given their use requires much smaller clearance time.

The IAAF itself can encourage a more level playing field through several measures, despite the obvious importance of global championships with its associated sponsorship, television rights, and government assistance to athletes who train and succeed in such events.

First, it can promote and improve the Diamond League further with higher prizemoney to provide athletes with more reasons to compete regularly, as well as providing the IAAF and WADA with further opportunities to test athletes.

At present, prizemoney is similar for both the Diamond League and world championships when all meets are taken into account.  

However, the Diamond League format could be improved to ensure that athletes have less time to cheat between events and more opportunities to score points.

As it stands, with each Diamond League event held 4-6 times during the season (from May to August) with a points scale to qualify for the final event, perhaps events should be scheduled evenly apart to allow less opportunity for an athlete to target a few meets before returning home for a lengthy absence. For example, three of the six male 200m and female 100m events were held in just a two week period (July 1-16).

To give athletes more opportunity to qualify for the Diamond League finals and encourage more top athletes to compete more regularly, a second-tier competition could be introduced where athletes also score points to qualify for the Diamond League finals, albeit with a lower points scale.   

Of course, all bidding cities would have to meet the most stringent of drug testing protocols involving various testing agencies: national, IAAF and WADA.   

Second, all drug test results should be made available immediately to the public, including the type and date of test, to enable anyone to make astute observations and recommendations.

At present, there is still too much secrecy with regard to drug testing. For example, Giuseppe Fischetto, who was heavily involved in the drug testing at the London 2017 World Championships, is accused of keeping a record of highly suspicious blood values of many athletes for years.