"Children are Punished as Adults," Experts Warn of WADA’s Treatment of Minors

Minors as young as eight are tested and sanctioned under the same anti-doping regime built for professional adults. Two leading scholars explain why the 2027 WADA Code could make this worse.

Anti-doping was not designed with children in mind. And yet the global system governed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) routinely subjects minors, some as young as 8, to testing, disciplinary processes, and life-altering sanctions built for adults.

With the 2027 WADA Code moving toward removing parental consent for doping tests on children, longstanding concerns about child rights, due process, and safeguarding have taken on new urgency.