WADA and Sporting Empire: Prospects and Shadows Sean Smith European Graduate School egs.edu

Introduction: High Performance Sport a humanist conception of a bounded unitary athletic body a purportedly universal conception of competition that values sport as a vehicle of individual achievement in body and mind a corresponding ethic of “fair play” that suggests normative models of athletic behaviour in and out of competition

a humanist conception of a bounded unitary athletic body

a purportedly universal conception of competition that values sport as a vehicle of individual achievement in body and mind

a corresponding ethic of “fair play” that suggests normative models of athletic behaviour in and out of competition

The Empire Thesis a polycentric, fluid mesh of power featuring nation-state actors in shifting alliances with supranational organizations, transnational corporations, and certain humanitarian non-governmental organizations (Hardt and Negri) immaterial labour and informatized production “ crisis of enclosure” (Deleuze)

a polycentric, fluid mesh of power featuring nation-state actors in shifting alliances with supranational organizations, transnational corporations, and certain humanitarian non-governmental organizations (Hardt and Negri)

immaterial labour and informatized production

“ crisis of enclosure” (Deleuze)

WADA and Sporting Empire International Olympic Committee and other sport governing bodies, the professional sports leagues, the media conglomerates, the corporate sponsors, the sporting good and athletic footwear businesses, the medico-scientific apparatuses, and the World Anti-Doping Agency WADA formed so as to preserve “fair play”

International Olympic Committee and other sport governing bodies, the professional sports leagues, the media conglomerates, the corporate sponsors, the sporting good and athletic footwear businesses, the medico-scientific apparatuses, and the World Anti-Doping Agency

WADA formed so as to preserve “fair play”

WADA and Sporting Empire “ state of exception” (Agamben) fundamental characteristic of Empire is ability to broaden the parameters of exceptionalism broaden the spatiotemporal boundaries of just cause such that testing encroaches upon the entire social domain enlarge the scope of substances and methods considered to compromise organic purity increase degree to which authorities may penetrate the sovereign athletic body

“ state of exception” (Agamben)

fundamental characteristic of Empire is ability to broaden the parameters of exceptionalism

broaden the spatiotemporal boundaries of just cause such that testing encroaches upon the entire social domain

enlarge the scope of substances and methods considered to compromise organic purity

increase degree to which authorities may penetrate the sovereign athletic body

Techniques of Imperial Doping Control vectors of signification limitless postponement right to registration

vectors of signification

limitless postponement

right to registration

Techniques of Imperial Doping Control - Vectors of Signification urine blood DNA out of competition testing

urine

blood

DNA

out of competition testing

Techniques of Imperial Doping Control - Limitless Postponement nomad science of doping ahead of State eight-year statute of limitations deferral of “truth” of sporting outcomes

nomad science of doping ahead of State

eight-year statute of limitations

deferral of “truth” of sporting outcomes

Techniques of Imperial Doping Control - Right to Registr ation whereabouts information 24/7/365 ADAMS system biological passport

whereabouts information 24/7/365

ADAMS system

biological passport

Prospects and Shadows topological model is now required to understand the space of sporting competition

topological model is now required to understand the space of sporting competition

1. Permeability 2. Enclosure 3. Partitioning 4. Surveillance (Bale, 1993)

Prospects and Shadows topological model is now required to understand the space of sporting competition normalization of control through the ludic trickle down effect to different levels of sport? modulation of information/individuals between and across disciplinary spaces?

topological model is now required to understand the space of sporting competition

normalization of control through the ludic

trickle down effect to different levels of sport?

modulation of information/individuals between and across disciplinary spaces?