How common is doping in Figure Skating
January 31, 2024Doping in figure skating is not very common. The Anti-Doping Database has only registered 21 figure skaters banned for using prohibited substances.
Russia is the country with the most doping cases related to figure skating. The country has banned 8 athletes at the time of writing. Uzbekistan and Belarus follows with two each.
Russia has in total 1473 anti-doping rule violations registered in our database. This means figure skating is only involved in 0.54% of all doping cases registered in the database for Russia. Track and Field is involved in more than than 30% of the doping cases in the country. 0.14% of all cases registered in the Anti-Doping Database is related to figure skating.
Furosemide is most used
Furosemide has banned 6 figure skaters. The substance is a loop diuretic (water pill) that prevents your body from absorbing too much salt, allowing the salt to instead be passed in your urine.
It is used in the treatment of congestive heart failure and edema. Furosemide is included on the World Anti-Doping Agency's banned drug list due to its alleged use as a masking agent for other drugs.
Furosemide is involved in 544 doping cases registered in the Anti-Doping Database
Three figure skaters has been banned for refusing to be tested or evading a doping test.
Ephedrine is involved in three doping cases. One athlete has tested positive for the banned substance Clostebol.
Shorter bans
Three athletes has been banned for four years. 5 has been given a one year suspension and 4 has been given a two years ban. 12 athletes has been given less than two years suspensions. One athlete has been banned for 10 years.