Anti-doping policies and reasons (not) to dope: A need for diversified prevention strategies?

Summary

The objective of the study is twofold – firstly, it seeks to determine whether Danish elite athletes perceive the ban from participating in competitions as a deterrent from doping, and secondly, it compares said strategy with social, self-imposed, and financial sanctions, to assess its efficacy. The researchers concluded that seventy-eight (78) percent of the surveyed athletes saw the ban as a deterrent; however, this figure was lower among older male athletes compared to the rest of the sample. Crucially for its findings, a large number of athletes that participated in the study considered the other strategies more disincentivizing than the ban. 

Methodology

The study follows a cross-sectional mixed methods research design. The researchers administered questionnaires to a sample of six hundred and forty-five (645) Danish athletes, of which fifty-nine (59) percent were male, to assess their perceptions of deterrents and incentives to dope.

Results

The study showed that seventy-eight (78) percent of athletes considered the ban from competing as a deterrent. However, seventy-seven (77) percent perceived social sanctions, fifty-four (54) percent self-imposed sanctions, and forty-seven (47) percent financial consequences as more disincentivizing than the ban. Only four (4) percent deemed none of the strategies discouraging. This showed that despite the crucial role that the ban continues to play in deterring athletes from doping, other factors are more powerful in disincentivizing athletes from doing so. In addition, the study identified the differences between subgroups, with female and younger elite athletes considering more factors as deterrents when compared to older male elite athletes. 

Significance for Clean Sport

The results of the study can inform education programs aimed at preventing doping, highlighting the considerations other than the ban that athletes take into account when deciding against doping.

Related Publications

Athletes' perceptions of anti-doping sanctions: the ban from sport versus social, financial and self-imposed sanctions

To dope or not to dope: Elite athletes’ perceptions of doping deterrents and incentives