Special Protections for Minor Athletes in Anti-Doping Regulations

Minor athletes are eligible to participate in international sports events according to the regulations set by the International Olympic Committee and international sports federations, making them subject to adjustments in anti-doping rules. The revised 2021World Anti-Doping Code strengthens the protection of minor athletes in five key areas: conceptual definition, scope of application,burden of proof, disclosure exemptions, and sanction criteria. However, both international and domestic anti-doping regulations still face challenges, including difficulties to achieve the designed purpose of the rules, insufficient depth in protection rules, and inadequate personal information safeguards. To address these issues, it is recommended that China's Anti-Doping Regulations include specific provisions for the protection of minor athletes, revise the disclosure clauses in the Anti-Doping Rules, incorporate exceptions for minor athletes in the Anti-Doping Rules, and enhance the safeguarding of their personal information. By doing so, a better alignment between international rules and domestic laws and regulations can be achieved, fostering innovation and improvement in international anti-doping regulations concerning the protection of minor athletes.