Surveillance and control in sport: a sociologist looks at the WADA whereabouts system

This paper draws upon the sociology of Norbert Elias to examine some central aspects of the whereabouts system introduced by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) as part of its anti-doping policies. More specifically, the paper aims to: (1) locate the whereabouts system within the context of broader social processes, including changing practices and ideas concerning surveillance and control, personal liberty, privacy and democracy; (2) examine the impact of the introduction of the whereabouts system on the relationship between elite athletes and WADA; and (3) examine some of the difficulties in developing and implementing anti-doping policy. In relation to the latter, it is suggested that the introduction of the whereabouts policy has had a number of unplanned consequences which, from WADA's perspective, will almost certainly be seen as unwelcome: the alienation of large numbers of athletes, whose cooperation is essential if the system is to operate smoothly and efficiently; the deteriorating relationship with other key organizations such as the EU; the emergence of a challenge, led by the European Elite Athletes Association, to the legitimacy of decision-making processes within WADA; and finally, the uneven application of the whereabouts requirements which has led to the creation of what many athletes see as a new form of unfairness.