Dear Colleagues,

Doping in sports refers to the violation of one or more anti-doping rules, including the consumption of banned performance-enhancing substances (e.g., drugs) and/or the application of prohibited techniques. It is widely known and proven that doping is associated with serious negative health consequences (i.e., high blood pressure, increased risk of cardiovascular and liver disease, hypertension, libido disorders, psychological dependence), in addition to being associated with several sudden deaths in modern sport, and doping clearly corrupts the essence, image, and value of sport. Consequently, the global fight against doping in sports is highly prioritized. Unfortunately, the usage of doping spreads beyond competitive sports, and there is a growing body of evidence of doping behavior even in recreational sports. As a result, health authorities are increasingly aware of the necessity of systematic education about the doping problem, even within the field of public health.

This Special Issue is focused on (but not limited to) a variety of problems directly and indirectly related to the problem of doping (both in competitive and recreational sports), and we welcome the submission of reports dealing with the prevalence of doping (both current and anticipated), quantitative and qualitative analyses of factors associated with doping, etc. Due to the evident lack of reports with specific subsamples, sport-specific studies (i.e., athletes involved in a specific sport and/or group of sports), females, and youth athletes are particularly encouraged. We would gladly overview interdisciplinary studies and topic-oriented case reports about specific health-related problems associated with doping as well.

Prof. Dr. Damir Sekulic
Guest Editor

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• risk factors
• protective factors
• performance enhancement
• dietary supplements
• doping
• health consequences
• fair play