But can caffeine be considered doping?

Caffeine can be considered doping because the IOC(International Olympic Committee) Medical Commission ascertained that it was taken by athletes in high dosages due to its excitatory properties: for this purpose, caffeine was mainly administered in the form of a pharmacological preparation (e.g., tablets). Therefore, in order not to completely ban the possibility of drinking caffeinated beverages, a minimum value of 12 micrograms of caffeine per ml of urine was set: only if the concentration of caffeine in an athlete's urine sample exceeds this value is the test result declared positive. Since it is not possible to establish with certainty what dose of coffee allows this level to be reached, it is therefore advisable not to ingest more than 6 to 8 cups of espresso in the three hours before a sports competition.

Caffeine, in particular, can have positive effects on performance by improving focus and endurance over the long term (e.g., cycling), albeit to a highly variable degree from person to person. After oral intake, caffeine is detectable in the blood as early as 5 minutes persisting for many hours (the half-life of caffeine in the blood varies from 3 to 6 hours).