Global Anti-Doping Chief Admits Many Drug Cheats in Sport Escape Detection
David Howman, former WADA director general and chair of the Athletics Integrity Unit, has acknowledged that many elite-level drug cheats evade detection despite anti-doping efforts. Speaking at WADA's World Conference on Doping in Sport held in South Korea, Howman stressed that the current anti-doping system is ineffective at catching all cheats and needs to be more ambitious.
While education programs play a role, they do not significantly impact intentional dopers at the elite sport level. Since 2017, the Athletics Integrity Unit has sanctioned 427 elite athletes for doping offences; however, Howman suggests that many more athletes remain undetected.
He called for a shift beyond compliance-based testing toward more proactive anti-doping strategies and greater transparency in anti-doping data. These remarks highlighted the need for a strengthened system aimed at achieving cleaner and fairer sport worldwide.
