Doping as a problem in pediatrics

Now the number of people involved in physical education and sports is growing, some of them form a group of professional athletes. One of the focus points of modern sports is the principle of equal opportunities, excluding artificial performance improvement, protected by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). First of all, it concerns the prohibited substances and methods, but the definition of «doping» has now gone beyond the material component and has a broader meaning, determined by WADA Code. This issue is particularly relevant due to introduction of the term «doping» into the criminal code of the Russian Federation, where for an offense under Article 230 in relation to children and adolescents, more stringent liability of medical personnel is established. Indeed, the use of prohibited substances in children is not uncommon and can cause more severe damage with irreversible effects. In some sports, child and adolescent athletes are champion elite, while the medical personnel who prov