Therapeutic Use or Doping? A Case Run with a Verdict
The field becomes a courtroom on the move with three lines: allowed, needs a therapeutic use exemption, and doping. For each case, students run to the line they think is right and argue their choice, then finish by writing a personal protocol to avoid doping by accident.
How to play
- Mark three lines 10 meters apart with cones and colored pinnies: 'allowed,' 'needs a therapeutic use exemption (TUE)' and 'doping'; each student has a card to track correct answers (2 min).
- Read eight cases one at a time (an athlete with asthma using a prescribed inhaler, a supplement bought online that turns out to be contaminated, coffee before competing, refusing a drug test, a cold medicine with a banned stimulant...); on the signal, everyone moves to their chosen line with a different locomotion pattern each time; one person from each line defends the choice in one sentence, and the teacher gives the verdict under anti-doping rules (12 min).
- Go over the two most divided cases and explain strict liability: athletes are responsible for what is in their body even if they did not know (4 min).
- In groups of four, students write a three-rule protocol to avoid accidental doping and read it aloud (4 min).
Rules
- Move in straight lines without cutting across people heading to another line.
- No one is left out: each student only marks their own correct answers.
- Listen to whoever is speaking without interrupting or mocking.
- Cases are fictional but based on real situations.
Variations
Easier
Only two lines, allowed or doping, and five simple cases.
Standard
Three lines, eight cases and a final group protocol.
Harder
Groups use a phone to look up a substance from their case on the banned list before the verdict.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: lines are moved to 5 meters apart, or the student can choose with a gesture.
- Visual impairment: each line has a classmate clapping to guide them, and cases are read slowly.
- Autism: can write the argument instead of saying it aloud.
Learning goals
- Tell authorized medical use of a substance apart from doping.
- Understand that athletes are responsible for what they take.
- Argue and listen in a debate that involves movement.
Equipment for a class of 25
- cones: 15
- cards: 30
- pinnies: 3
Teacher tip
Check the cases against the current year's banned list before class. This works well after 'Secret Shortcut' if you want a two-lesson sequence.
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