The term doping in sport has always been related and/or understood, in a general way, as the intentional or unintentional use of a prohibited substance by an athlete with the aim of achieving greater sporting performance.

In line with the above information, the Real Academia Española (RAE) defines the concept of doping as follows:

Administration of stimulant substances to enhance the performance of the body for competitive purposes.

However, taking the foregoing as a reference, and understanding the concept of doping in sport as such, we will focus on the definition provided by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), through its World Anti-Doping Code (WADC), which does not refer to only to ‘substance use’, but also determines another series of circumstances that imply a greater specificity of the term referred to:

Doping is defined as the commission of one or more anti-doping rule violations, as provided in article 2.1 to article 2.11 of the World Anti-Doping Code (WADC).

According to this definition, the Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRVs) are set as follows:

Presence of a Prohibited Substance or its metabolites or Markers in an Athlete’s Sample
WADC Article 2.1
Use or Attempted Use by an Athlete of a Prohibited Substance or a Prohibited Method
WADC Article 2.2
Evading, Refusing or Failing to Submit to Sample Collection by an Athlete
WADC Article 2.3
Whereabouts Failures by an Athlete
WADC Article 2.4
Tampering or Attempted Tampering with any Part of Doping Control by an Athlete or Other Person
WADC Article 2.5
Possession of a Prohibited Substance or a Prohibited Method by an Athlete or Athlete Support Person
WADC Article 2.6
Trafficking or Attempted Trafficking in any Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Method by an Athlete or Other Person
WADC Article 2.7
Administration or Attempted Administration by an Athlete or Other Person to any Athlete In-Competition of any Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Method, or Administration or Attempted Administration to any Athlete Out-of-Competition of any Prohibited Substance or any Prohibited Method that is Prohibited Out-of-Competition
WADC Article 2.8
Complicity or Attempted Complicity by an Athlete or Other Person
WADC Article 2.9
Prohibited Association by an Athlete or Other Person
WADC Article 2.10
Acts by an Athlete or Other Person to Discourage or Retaliate Against Reporting to Authorities
WADC Article 2.11

For more information, please, check the official World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) website.