How to Restore Fairness After Doping Infringement?

• Published in: Bioethics Vol. 30; no. 8; pp. 643 - 648
• Main Author: Hamalainen, Mika
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-10-2016
• Subjects: Attitude; Bans; Bioethical Issues; Bioethics; Ceremonies; Competitive Behavior - ethics; Discovery; Disqualification; doping; Doping in Sports - ethics; Drugs & sports; Fairness; Forgiveness; Humans; Infringement; philosophy of sport; Ranking; sport ethics; Sports - ethics; Sports - psychology; Winners; fairness; doping; philosophy of sport; sport ethics
• ISSN: 0269-9702; 1467-8519
• DOI: 10.1111/bioe.12265

This article addresses the question how to restore the biggest possible amount of fairness after a discovery of doping infringement. I will analyse eight actions that could be taken: (1) disqualification and re‐ranking, (2) change in official result, (3) medal stripping and medal re‐awarding, (4) ban, (5) rematch, (6) legal action, (7) apology and (8) forgiveness. I conclude that the best way to restore the biggest possible amount of fairness seems to be a selected combination of actions. I also propose that re‐ranking and medal re‐awarding should be accompanied by a ceremony in which the new winners are celebrated because they typically did not have the possibility of enjoying their success in front of the original audience.