Pandemic has opened door for cheaters to circumvent anti-doping rules in leadup to Olympics

• After every Olympics officials try to catch dopers for years afterward
• After the 2008 and 2012 Games, more than 130 anti-doping rule violations were found
• In April 2020, testing nearly came to a halt due to lockdown

The global anti-doping system often finds itself playing catch-up with dopers. Heading into the Tokyo Olympics, it adds a global pandemic to already numerous hurdles it faces in ensuring those who claim medals haven’t cheated their way to the podium.

With the Olympics opening Friday, anti-doping organizations find themselves emerging from a 16-month period in which COVID-19 has derailed at worst and disrupted at best their pre-Games efforts. Just how much the pandemic has opened the door for athletes to enhance their performance won’t be clear when the Olympic flame goes out, though.

Like any Games, a decade-long window yawns ahead to retest samples. But with the pandemic’s effects on the system, some worry about what could be revealed about these Games years down the road.

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