Mind sports and doping : an investigation of pharmacological substances that may enhance performance in mind sports [2000] / Olivier de Hon, F. Hartgens. – Capelle aan den IJssel : Netherlands Centre for Doping Affairs (NeCeDo), 2000
As a result of the ratification of the Anti-Doping Convention in 1995, the Dutch government has increasingly compelled the national sports federations to pursue an active anti-doping policy. As a minimum, these federations must have anti-doping regulations. However, mind sports (chess, draughts, bridge, and Go) have provisionally been exempted from this ruling because there are doubts about the relevance of this policy to these sports. In response to a request from the Dutch federations of various mind sports, the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare, and Sport has asked the Netherlands Centre for Doping Affairs to investigate whether pharmacological substances can be used to enhance performance in mind sports.
Conclusions:
• The factors that determine performance are substantially different between mind sports and physical sports, and this justifies separate anti-doping regulations.
• In the world of mind sports itself, the impression exists that pharmacological substances are used only sporadically to enhance performance.
• It can be expected that performance in mind sports can be enhanced by means of pharmacological substances; however, the expected effect of such substances is minor.
• Some of the possible performance-enhancing substances may be harmful to health, which means that these substances should be considered as doping agents.
• It is recommended that the mind sports federations formally prohibit doping and that these federations draw up regulations that enable sanctions to be imposed when prohibited substances are used in mind sports.
• If the decision is taken to prohibit doping in mind sports, it is recommended that a specific list of prohibited substances be drawn up. The current (IOC) list of prohibited substances should not be used unadapted.
• It is important that national and international anti-doping regulations concerning the mind sports are consistent. This investigation may contribute to the harmonisation of these regulations.
