On the back of an interim report by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) into the Essendon Football Club’s controversial supplements program in 2011-12, the AFL last night charged the club and four key officials, including coach James Hird and doctor Bruce Reid, with bringing the game of football into disrepute.
As the ASADA investigation continues the AFL said further charges may be laid. As yet, no Essendon players have been charged under the anti-doping code, even though captain Jobe Watson admitted to taking the banned substance AOD9604 last year.
So why wasn’t AOD9604 detected during routine testing? How well do such tests work – and how much do they cost?
This year, we conducted a cost benefit analysis on anti-doping systems – and found even spending tens of millions of dollars won’t...
