Canada has a unique place in the history of performance-enhancing drugs. A single race in 1988 turned doping into a national conversation, led to one of the most detailed public inquiries into drugs in sport anywhere, and helped shape the anti-doping system used worldwide today. Here is how the story unfolded and where things stand now.
- Ben Johnson’s positive test for stanozolol at the 1988 Seoul Olympics was a turning point for Canadian sport.
- The Dubin Inquiry that followed exposed widespread steroid use and recommended sweeping reforms.
- Canada became a leader in anti-doping; the World Anti-Doping Agency is headquartered in Montreal.
- Today, steroid use is more common among recreational lifters than elite athletes, raising new health questions.
Seoul, 1988
Ben Johnson won the Olympic 100 metres in a world-record time, then tested positive for stanozolol and was stripped of his gold medal days later. For many Canadians it was the first time doping felt real and close to home. Our stanozolol guide explains the drug involved.
The Dubin Inquiry
The federal government appointed Chief Justice Charles Dubin to investigate drug use in Canadian sport. Hearings in 1989 heard testimony from athletes, coaches and doctors describing systematic steroid use. The 1990 report concluded that doping was widespread across many countries and sports, and recommended independent drug testing, education and an ethical framework for sport funding.
Building an anti-doping system
Canada created independent testing and education bodies, today represented by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, which runs the Canadian Anti-Doping Program. Canada was also a strong supporter of a global approach. When the World Anti-Doping Agency was created at the end of the 1990s, it established its headquarters in Montreal, where it remains.
Professional and university sport
Doping cases have touched Canadian football, hockey and university sport over the years, including a university football programme that suspended a season after multiple players tested positive. Testing rules differ between leagues, and professional leagues negotiate their own policies with players’ associations.
The shift to recreational use
In recent decades, most people using anabolic steroids are not competitive athletes but recreational gym-goers who want to look or feel a certain way. Surveys in several countries suggest this group has grown, driven partly by social media and easier online access. That shift moves the main concern from fairness in sport to personal health: cardiovascular risk, hormone suppression and mental health. Our harm-reduction guide addresses that reality.
Then and now
| Late 1980s | Today | |
|---|---|---|
| Main users | Elite athletes | Recreational lifters |
| Main concern | Fair competition | Long-term health |
| Common substances | Stanozolol, testosterone | Testosterone, SARMs, peptides, many others |
| Source | Coaches and doctors | Online sellers |
| Testing | Limited | Year-round, out of competition for athletes |
What changed for athletes
Testing today is very different from 1988. Athletes in national programmes can be tested out of competition at any time, must report their whereabouts, and may have a biological passport that tracks blood and steroid markers over years to reveal doping indirectly. Samples can be stored and re-tested years later as methods improve, and several medals from past Games have been reallocated that way. The deterrent is no longer a single test on race day but the knowledge that evidence can surface long afterwards.
Supplements and athletes
Contaminated supplements remain a leading cause of unintentional positive tests. Athletes subject to testing should use only third-party tested supplements and check substances with the Global DRO database provided by anti-doping agencies.
Anabolic steroids, SARMs, many peptides and growth hormone are prohibited at all times. Detection windows can be long, especially for nandrolone and long esters.
Health and bloodworkHarm reduction for steroid usersRead guide
Frequently asked questions
What did Ben Johnson test positive for?
Stanozolol, an anabolic steroid known as Winstrol.
What was the Dubin Inquiry?
A Canadian public inquiry into drug use in sport that reported in 1990 and recommended major reforms.
Where is the World Anti-Doping Agency based?
Montreal, Quebec.
Educational information only. Nothing here is medical advice or a recommendation to use any product. Anabolic steroids are Schedule IV under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. Talk to a doctor and get bloodwork before and after using any compound.
