In February 2013, Alessandro Donati presented his new book entitled “Lo Sport del Doping” (300 pages, €16,00, Edizioni Gruppo Abele) in the framework of a national tour.

There are many doping scandals involving top athletes and it is largely known that doping is a means to an end in various disciplines, thus altering the results of major sporting events. This development is looked upon favourably by managers who only look at the number of wins and by a sports press that prefers not to see and not to hear. Only few people are aware that, as a result, this development has set an example and that many amateur athletes crowd the champions’ doctor’s offices for the prescriptions of the miraculous “therapy” that would allow them to beat their colleague or their next-door neighbour in a competition. Thus, doping has become a phenomenon of large numbers, with many points of contact with the drug environment and generating international traffic handled behind the scenes by multinational pharmaceutical companies. For over thirty years now, Alessandro Donati, a nationally renowned coach for athletics, fights this development. This book is the story of his long and often lonely battle. A testimony, at times shocking and without precedence.