Answer: Competitive Shooting

Most of the time when you hear about “doping” in sports, it’s in regard to drugs that make athletes bigger, stronger, or faster. But in the world of competitive target shooting, you don’t need massive arms that can hit baseballs out of a stadium or ripped legs that will give you an advantage in a bicycle race.

Competitive shooting isn’t a game of strength, but a game of skill and very precise muscle coordination. Elite shooters carefully control their breathing and time their shots precisely so they pull the trigger in between the individual beats of their heart for maximum stability and control.

With that in mind, the drugs banned in competitive shooting aren’t steroids or the like, but alcohol and beta-blockers (a class of drugs typically taken by patients with cardiovascular conditions). A small amount of alcohol helps relax the shooter and steadies their muscles. (After all, many a dart player down at the pub can attest that the best darts they throw are after a pint of beer.) Both alcohol and beta-blockers lower the user’s heart rate, giving the shooter bigger windows of time to squeeze off a perfect shot between beats.