The head of Sport Integrity Australia has voiced concern about a rise in performance-enhancing drug use among junior athletes, citing new data showing 5 to 6 per cent of junior athletes have admitted to doping. Chief executive Dr Sarah Benson said she was concerned about social media influencers’ role in normalising peptides and other drug use, particularly among teenage boys, and described the figures as a 'red flag' for the agency.
Benson’s comments follow the German documentary Doping (Kinder), which compiled 44 surveys across 15 countries. The documentary’s extrapolation suggests more than 10 million of the 200 million children globally aged 8 to 17 who play organised sport may have used performance-enhancing drugs. While Benson noted the figures were an estimate, she said they 'paint a picture' of a broader societal concern.
Sport Integrity Australia replaced the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority. The agency has not recorded positive tests among minors, but Benson pointed out that only about 2 per cent or less of its total test samples involve minors, meaning the operational data does not give a full picture. She said the agency has seen an increase in tip-offs to its hotline and traffic to its website seeking information on the health risks of certain peptides, both of which she described as 'red flags' that warrant further investigation.
Education is central to SIA’s response. Benson stressed the importance of reaching athletes at an early age to warn them about the risks of supplements and peptides, including the possibility that misleading product labelling could lead to inadvertent positive tests. She said the agency is 'looking at how we reform our anti-doping testing with some targeted testing'.
One of the challenges SIA is grappling with is how to manage testing of minors, particularly establishing authority to obtain samples from children given the intrusive nature of the process. The urgency is heightened by Brisbane’s hosting of the 2032 Olympics. 'The red flags are there for us, the broader societal figures are there, the tip-offs, the increased traffic to our website. So we are digging deeper,' Benson said.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- Junior athletes face health risks from unregulated peptide and supplement use, with social media accelerating normalisation among a vulnerable age group.
- Australia's anti-doping system is adapting to a new challenge that requires balance between detection and safeguarding minors' rights.
- The issue will gain urgency as the Brisbane 2032 Olympics approaches, putting pressure on Sport Integrity Australia to develop clear protocols.
Background
Sport Integrity Australia was established to replace the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority and oversees national anti-doping efforts. The current concern was triggered by the German documentary Doping (Kinder), which analysed 44 surveys from 15 countries and found between 5 and 6 per cent of junior athletes admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs. Experts estimated this could represent more than 10 million of the 200 million children aged 8 to 17 who compete in organised sport globally. Dr Sarah Benson leads the agency.
What to Watch
- Sport Integrity Australia’s development of formal testing procedures for minors, including consent and sample-collection protocols.
- Tip-off and website traffic volumes as indicators of the scale of doping among young athletes.
- Whether Australia’s response influences other national anti-doping bodies as the problem gains global attention.
Checked
12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 10 supported.
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- SupportedBenson said: “The red flags are there for us, the broader societal figures are there, the tip-offs, the increased traffic to our website. So we are digging deeper.”WA Today - Latest News: ““So the red flags are there for us, the broader societal figures are there, the tip-offs, the increased traffic to our website. So we are digging deeper. We are looking at how we reform our anti-doping testing with some targeted testing,” Dr Benson said.”
- SupportedBenson said the agency was “looking at how we reform our anti-doping testing with some targeted testing”.WA Today - Latest News: ““So the red flags are there for us, the broader societal figures are there, the tip-offs, the increased traffic to our website. So we are digging deeper. We are looking at how we reform our anti-doping testing with some targeted testing,” Dr Benson said.”
- SupportedBenson said the figures “paint a picture” of broader societal concern.WA Today - Latest News: ““It is an alarming figure. Yes, it appears to be an extrapolation ... but I think it does paint a picture of the broader concern that we’ve had across society”
- SupportedBenson described the figures as a “red flag” for SIA.WA Today - Latest News: “Her concerns come after the German documentary Doping (Kinder) found six per cent of minors had admitted to doping, which Benson said had raised a “red flag” with SIA.”
- SupportedSport Integrity Australia fears a rise in junior doping amid social media influence.WA Today - Latest News: “The head of Australia’s anti-doping body fears a rise in performance-enhancing drug use in junior sport after new data found one in 20 junior athletes were involved in doping. The chief executive of Sport Integrity Australia Dr Sarah Benson said she was alarmed by the impact social media influencers were having in normalising peptide and drug use, especially among teenage boys.”
- Partly supportedThe summary says one in 20 junior athletes in organised sport have admitted to doping.WA Today - Latest News: “The documentary on German broadcaster ARD compiled 44 different surveys of junior athletes from 15 different countries and found between five and six per cent of junior athletes admitted to doping, or performance-enhancing drug use.”
- SupportedBenson said social media influencers were normalising peptide and drug use, especially among teenage boys.WA Today - Latest News: “The chief executive of Sport Integrity Australia Dr Sarah Benson said she was alarmed by the impact social media influencers were having in normalising peptide and drug use, especially among teenage boys.”
- SupportedThe German documentary compiled 44 surveys across 15 countries.WA Today - Latest News: “The documentary on German broadcaster ARD compiled 44 different surveys of junior athletes from 15 different countries”
- Partly supportedThe documentary’s extrapolation suggests more than 10 million of the 200 million children aged 8 to 17 who play organised sport may have used performance-enhancing drugs.WA Today - Latest News: “ARD and doping experts projected that would equate to more than 10 million children of the more than 200 million globally aged between eight and 17 who compete in organised sport.”
- SupportedSport Integrity Australia has not recorded positive tests among minors.WA Today - Latest News: ““Whilst we haven’t had positive tests, we have seen an increase in traffic to some of our websites that talk (ask) about health risks from certain peptides.”
- SupportedAbout 2 per cent or less of the agency’s total test samples involve minors.WA Today - Latest News: ““Obviously, we only test, it will be around two per cent or less of our total test samples are minors obviously because minors are not represented in the population at the elite level.””
- SupportedBenson said SIA had seen an increase in hotline tip-offs and website traffic seeking information on peptide health risks.WA Today - Latest News: ““Whilst we haven’t had positive tests, we have seen an increase in traffic to some of our websites that talk (ask) about health risks from certain peptides. We are seeing an increase in tip-offs come through to our hotline.”