Provision of Guidance for the Development of a Sustainable, Cooperative and International Anti- Doping Training Programme for High Performance Coaches

Summary

Doping behaviours have permeated a multitude of sports across a number of nations to become a major threat to both the integrity of sport and the health of sportspeople at both amateur and professional levels of competition.

Recognising the pivotal role that coaches play in clean sport, WADA commissioned the International Council for Coaching Excellence (ICCE) to conduct a research project to explore the potential of High Performance Training Centres (HPCs) to become anti-doping training providers. This report provides guidance for the development of a sustainable, cooperative and international anti-doping training programme for high performance coaches.

Methodology

Utilising a three-phased mixed-methods approach, the current provision of anti-doping education for high performance coaches was examined. Shaped by our understanding of contextual factors (e.g., provision of general coach education and development; coach (anti-)doping attitudes and behaviours) recommendations for future anti doping education for coaches were offered.

Phase 1 - Literature Review
Phase 2 - Survey of 22 High-Performance Training Centres
Phase 3- Case Study of 4 High-Performance Training Centres

Results

Almost all (90%) centres provided general coach education opportunities. Yet, only half of the centres (54%) provided anti-doping education to coaches. While both the survey and interviews revealed that practice varied across centres who provided antidoping education to coaches (n=14), opportunities were most often provided by the national anti-doping organisation (NADO) (50%) or by the NADO in combination with the HPC (29%), rather than by the HPC alone (21%).

A number of methods of delivery were used, including face-to-face workshops/seminars, online resources and/or printed/electronic materials.

Education opportunities primarily covered compliance and detectionbased content (e.g., testing processes, rules) (67%), but some centres also included content related to coaches’ roles and responsibilities (42%) and moral principles of drug-free sport (33%).

The main challenge for centres in providing anti-doping education for coaches is resource, including knowledge/expertise, time and money. To address this, many centres (50% of N=22) reported that responsibility for anti-doping education for coaches should be shared between sporting and anti-doping organisations. Stakeholders also described collaborations between these organisations as an important means of increasing consistency and consolidation of antidoping messaging to coaches – which they proposed enhanced the likehood of coaches engaging with not only anti-doping education opportunities, but also anti-doping efforts/actions.

The findings suggest that HPCs offer a viable context for implementing anti-doping education for coaches. The rationale for this is two-fold: 

1. Coaches are present in HPCs and this context provides the opportunity to interact with the target population through existing general coach education provision. 

2. While there is variation in interest and involvement in providing anti-doping education among HPCs, no organisation demonstrated an unwillingness to support coaches to fulfil their anti-doping roles and responsibilities. 

However, resources are limited and this directly impacts the HPCs capability to implement antidoping education for their coaches. Therefore, collaborations between HPCs and other organisations are essential to making anti-doping education for coaches in HPCs work.

Significance for Clean Sport

In light of these findings, Anti-doping organizations might consider the following activities:

• Target HPCs to raise their awareness of resources/programmes that WADA has available for immediate implementation. 

• Encourage HPCs to undertake consultations (i.e., needs analysis) with coaches to establish their capability (e.g., knowledge, skills), motivation (e.g., to act to prevent doping) and opportunity (e.g., access to resources) to protect the rights of their athletes, and the wider community to clean sport. This insight should guide the development of tailored and targeted content and interventions.

• Co-construct appropriate programmes monitoring and evaluation approaches. 

• Explore informal/non-formal channels to support coach education programmes in the long-term. 

• Develop and communicate minimum international standards for coach anti-doping education.

Related Publications

- Anti-doping education for coaches: Qualitative insights from national and international sporting and anti-doping organisations