What does blood doping involve?

Blood doping involves the practice of removing blood from an athlete and then re-injecting it at a later time to enhance the blood's oxygen-carrying capacity. By removing and storing some of the athlete's own red blood cells, and then reintroducing them before a competition, the overall concentration of red blood cells in the bloodstream increases. This allows for improved endurance and performance, as more oxygen can be transported to the muscles during exertion.

The other responses describe practices that do not accurately define blood doping. Injecting oxygen directly into the bloodstream is not a method used in blood doping and can be dangerous. Taking supplements to enhance endurance and consuming more carbohydrates for energy are generally considered nutritional strategies rather than blood manipulation techniques associated with blood doping.