As human beings, we're fascinated by elite human performance. And if it derives from nefarious means? Arguably that's even more captivating. Some of the most iconic and revered athletes in history have been handed bans when at the pinnacle of their sports - from Lance Armstrong, Ben Johnson and Marion Jones all the way through to Diego Maradona, Shane Warne and Jannick Sinner. And now there's the emergence of the Enhanced Games, where steroids and peptides are not only allowed but encouraged. The lengths athletes - and their support teams - go to in search of victory is unsettling, dangerous and spellbinding.
Just as intriguing is how the anti-doping authorities combat - or attempt to combat - the cheats. Biological passports, blood tests, targeting black-market pharmacies, scrutinising social-media accounts for evidence of athletic fraud... The drug detectives marry human endeavour and cutting-edge technology to keep sport clean.
It's good versus evil, but who's winning?
Dope examines the landscape of sport and doping in the modern era, from micro-dosing blood boosters to the rise of drug taking in amateur sport and AI's ability to create undetectable - and potentially dangerous - performance-enhancers. Author James Witts immerses himself in the underbelly of sport, interviewing doping athletes, anti-doping experts, scientists, ethicists, psychiatrists and psychologists to answer one key question: can you really trust that peak sporting performance is down to determination and talent?
This is an eye-opening and enthralling account of modern-day sport - one which will change the way you view it forever.
