Another sports drug-testing failure: Australian government policy and powerlifting

Despite a greater effort by governments to test sportspeople for the use of performance-enhancing drugs in recent decades, major policy flaws by national governments remain evident. This article focuses on Australian government involvement in powerlifting, a sport where membership remains divided between tested and non-tested federations, despite public funded drug testing since 1990. The Australian government strategy, largely confined to recognizing the national affiliate of the International Powerlifting Federation seeking International Olympic Committee accreditation, has failed to address many reasons why powerlifters compete in non-testing federations. This article, utilizing a policy success evaluation approach, both highlights the policy failure and urges a more nuanced approach to reflect the complexity of issues evident within a multi-federation sport like powerlifting.