Do anti-doping interventions work?

Summary

This innovative three-years research project aims to critically explore and evaluate the effectiveness of selected anti-doping interventions across three levels of intervention including (i) individual; (ii) organisational; and (iii) societal - in four different national cultural contexts – Austria, Russia, South Africa and the UK. The specific objectives of this research project are to:

• Articulate the multinational political, social, economic and sporting contexts in which different interventions have been designed and implemented;
• Critically examine the relationship between anti-doping programmes’ theory, objectives, inputs, throughputs, outputs and outcomes; and
• Develop policy recommendations including specifically an adaptable anti-doping intervention monitoring and evaluation tool in English and Russian languages.

Methodology

This research project employs reverse intervention mapping, originally designed for constructing health interventions, to assess the effectiveness of anti-doping interventions. Applying backward intervention mapping, the study examines the logic and design of existing interventions in four socio-cultural contexts, encompassing National Sports Organizations (NSOs) in Austria, Russia, South Africa, and the UK, along with the International Skating Union (ISU).

The research adopts a mixed-method sequential explanatory design to analyze relationships between participants and intervention designers/implementers. Data collection involved an online survey, interviews with key stakeholders, and focus groups with athletes and officials. The survey gathered participants' perceptions and experiences with anti-doping interventions. Interviews with NSO and NADO officials explored design and implementation processes. Focus groups investigated elite athletes' experiences and interventions' impact. Documents, including policy and evaluation materials, were analyzed to understand underlying assumptions, theory of change, and resource allocation.

The backward mapping process examined the problem statement, organizational operations, operational effects, implementation stages, and their effects on target behaviors and resources. Descriptive statistics analyzed survey results, interviews underwent template analysis, and document analysis encompassed content and function. Intervention mapping was conducted for each context, with results summarized and presented in tables.

Results

The findings reveal several shortcomings in the anti-doping interventions across different sports organizations and countries:

• Institutional pressures and mimetic isomorphism often drive intervention design and implementation.
• Anti-doping interventions are often cascaded from higher-level organizations like WADA and NADOs down to NSOs and clubs, resulting in varying interpretations and implementation rates.
• A lack of understanding exists concerning the relationship between the nature of doping issues, the affected parties, and the role of interventions.
• Few interventions are based on explicit theories or grounded in research, aside from a few cases involving NADOs.
• Uncertainty prevails among anti-doping officers about the performance and change objectives of interventions.
• A polarized situation emerges between those with clear implementation strategies and those without.
• The absence of an implementation strategy creates organizational problems and hampers effective delivery and evaluation.
• The lack of thorough evaluation prevents the identification of how and why interventions achieve their intended effects and for whom.