Gene Doping Hits the Headlines

Posted by Pete Shanks July 29, 2008
Biopolitical Times

The Beijing Olympics open at the end of next week, and right on cue come a whole bunch of reports of undetectable gene doping. "I predict multiple people will win in Beijing who have been gene-doped," says an American swim coach. It's "the next big thing," says gene therapy expert Ted Friedmann. This may be an April fool's hoax, but this is serious advocacy of gene doping, and this is very close to throwing in the towel and accepting it.

Friends of the Earth has just taken a lead on the issue, writing to all the major U.S. pro sports organizations asking them to ban gene doping. "Altering one's genetic makeup to impact athletic performance is unacceptable," said Gillian Madill (formerly of CGS, now genetic technologies campaigner at FoE). "Gene doping is cheating, and it's dangerous." See their factsheet, and the sample letter (pdf).

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), originally set up by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has been on the case since at least 2002, when it held a conference on "Genetic Enhancement of Athletic Performance." From the WADA Code (pdf): "The non-therapeutic use of cells, genes, genetic elements, or of the modulation of gene expression, having the capacity to enhance athletic performance, is prohibited." 192 countries and 570 sports organizations have signed the Copenhagen Declaration on Anti-Doping in Sport (pdf), which endorses the WADA Code.

However, many national governments could not legally be bound by the WADA Code, so UNESCO set up an International Convention against Doping in Sport in 2005. Thus far, 87 nations have officially signed up -- not yet including the United States. And the U.S. professional sports organizations, which have been slow to take effective action on doping in general, have been well behind the curve on gene doping. Let's hope the FoE letter gets not just attention but active responses.

Previously on Biopolitical Times: