Science Questions

Would athletes drug each other's drinks?

I’ve always wondered something. If you were a really evil athlete and you had a competitor could you drug their drink in the pub the night before the event and they’d get knocked out of the competition? Our very own Dave Ansell

We put this question to Professor Chris Cooper:

There’s always claims.  Ben Johnson always thought that’s what happened to him.  It’s not clear it was.  Dieter Bowman, a famous West German runner, claimed he was drugged in his toothpaste.  There was some evidence that was the case.  If you’re running a marathon you always take your own drink and it’s always sealed.  You don’t take drinks that are lying around, people are concerned about it.

July 2008