Icarus explores the use of performance-enhancing drugs in the world's biggest sporting competitions.

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In the documentary film, Bryan Fogel reveals that doping is widespread in every series sporting competition, and even that government officials were aware of this occurring and did nothing to stop it.

Where to watch Icarus?

You can watch the film on Netflix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXoRdSTrR-4

What is the documentary Icarus about?

The documentary film Icarus explores the world of top-tier sport and how famous athletes like Lance Armstrong have managed to cheat the system and win.

The series' name is a play on the Greek myth where the son of the craftsman Daedalus, called Icarus, was built mechanical wings by his father so that he might escape form Crete. He was warned however not to fly too close to the sun because the heat would cause the contraption to disintegrate, as it was made of feathers and wax, but Icarus did not listen to his father and ended up falling to his death.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - SEPTEMBER 14: Bryan Fogel attends The Hollywood Reporter & SAG-AFTRA 2nd annual Emmy Nominees Night presented by Douglas Elliman and Heineken at Avra Beverly Hills Estiatorio on September 14, 2018 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for The Hollywood Reporter)
Rich Fury/Getty Images for The Hollywood Reporter

Bryan Fogel says in his introductory narration, "The idea that I had was to prove the system in place to test athletes was bulls**t. When I started on this, I certainly didn't know what it was going to lead to."

He reveals how doping can wreck the reputations of even the world's most established athletes - like Lance Armstrong.

LIMON, COSTA RICA - NOVEMBER 03: Lance Armstrong of the United States rides in the peloton during the rolling start on Day 3 of La Ruta de Los Conquistadores on November 3, 2018 in Limon, Costa Rica. during Day 1 of the La Ruta de Los Conquistadores on November 1, 2018 in Jaco, Costa Rica. La Ruta de Los Conquistadores is Costa RicaÕs premier mountain bike race, and one of the most difficult races in the world. It is a 3-day stage race that crosses Costa Rica from the Pacific Coast in the west to the Caribbean coast in the east.Between its sea-level start and finish, the 161-mile route crosses 5 mountain ranges that force you climb a cumulative 29,000 feet. The route snakes through tropical rain forest, 12,000 feet volcanoes, banana plantations and tiny farm towns. It covers every imaginable riding surfaceÑ single track and fire road trails, gravel, hard-packed dirt, pavement, thigh-deep mud, sand, volcano ash, and more. The race was started in 1993 by Roman Urbina. Urbina, an elite athlete and adventurer, read about three Spanish Conquistadors, Juan de Cavall—n, Peraf‡n de Rivera, and Juan V‡squez de Coronado, who in the 1560Õs began a 20-year journey through the beautiful and treacherous mountains of Costa Rica. Captivated by the history of the Spanish Explorers, Urbina and 17 fellow riders met on the shore of the Pacific and began their own quest through and around the lavish rain forests, majestic volcanoes, spectacular mountain ranges and roaring rivers. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Lance Armstrong. Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

What he ended up discovering was that the doping problem in sport was far worse than anyone could have imagined, and his discoveries have produced real questions about the legitimacy of almost any major sporting competition in the world.

How many episodes of Icarus are there?

The film has just one instalment, which is 121 minutes long.

What else can I read or watch?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukOJ_1b-8lQ

For more films about drug use in sport, you might want to watch The Armstrong Lie (2013), The Program (2015), or Tour de Pharmacy (2017).

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There have been numerous books written on the topic of doping in sport, but our top five are Mark Johnson's Spitting in the Soup: Inside the Dirty Game of Doping in Sports (2016), Doping in Sport and the Law (2016), The Anti-Doping Crisis in Sport (2018), The Secret Race (2012) and David Walsh's Seven Deadly Sins: My Pursuit of Lance Armstrong.

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