In 2009, French tennis star Richard Gasquet tested positive for cocaine after he kissed a woman at a nightclub in Miami. The woman testified that she had used the drug and Gasquet was acquitted by the sports arbitration court. Now the case has become an example in a doping debate where elite athletes are warned about banned substances through sexual contact.
Doping tests have become so good that they are "too" sensitive, says Åke Andrén-Sandberg, doctor and doping expert, and continues:
If something banned is transferred through intercourse or a kiss, it is very small amounts, but all illegal substances do not have lower limits for what is reported in doping controls. It is a real problem that must be addressed, otherwise it becomes unreasonable.
Risky with "one night stands"
It becomes especially risky in intimate contact with a stranger, where the sexual partner cannot always be tested and testify afterwards.
Suddenly, if you meet a nice lady or gentleman you want to have sex with, you have to check that they have not taken anything banned, it becomes very strange. "One night stands" become more difficult because you may only have the first name, "that Elisabeth I met that evening" - it is not enough from a legal point of view.
Can both be convicted and acquitted
There are examples where the court has both convicted and acquitted. American boxer Virginia Fuchs tested positive for banned substances and was acquitted after she claimed to have been infected when she had sex with her boyfriend. Swiss triathlete Imogen Simmonds tested positive for the banned steroid ligandrol and was suspended - despite her claiming in her defense that it was due to her having sex with her partner.
It feels incredibly frightening in both ways: it is easy to blame if you get caught and it is difficult to prove if you are innocent, says former athlete Stefan Holm and adds:
The whole issue also means further mental pressure on athletes. It is also the most private of all that is destroyed.
