Doping in Aesthetic Sports: A Body-Focused Perspective

Abstract

An aesthetic sport is one which is differentially focused on physical appearance during performance, often invoking a specific emphasis on the thinness of athletes’ bodies (Sundgot-Borgen, 1994). Research on the use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) (i.e., doping) in the context of aesthetic sports is currently lacking. This paper proposes that the unique focus placed on physical appearance lends itself to the differential manifestation of doping behaviours in these sports. Given that research on doping in non-aesthetic athletes is much more prevalent than in aesthetic athletes, this paper synthesizes the former with research on body-related psychopathology (e.g., disordered eating) in aesthetic athletes. Due to the conflation between performance and appearance (i.e., thinness) in aesthetic sports, it is proposed that doping is inherently linked to the desire to “improve” physical appearance during performance. This may lead aesthetic athletes to utilize weight loss drugs to a greater degree than other athletic populations. The current paper calls for further research on the interaction between body-related psychopathology and doping in aesthetic athletes to better protect this population from the potential consequences of both phenomena.  

Keywords— Doping, Aesthetic, Sports, Performance-enhancing Drugs, Appearance-enhancing Drugs, Body Image