In force Publication date 30 May 20

Understanding and nurturing the role of young athletes’ parents in doping prevention

Principal investigator
M. Winand 
Researcher
T. Byers
Researcher
G. Tymowski-Gionet
Researcher
J. Weinstein
Researcher
S. Merten
Researcher
J. Allen
Researcher
P. Dimeo
Researcher
M. Overbye
Researcher
F. de Sa Fardilha
Country
Luxembourg
Institution
LUNEX University
Year approved
2019
Status
Completed
Themes
Athlete Support Personnel, Education and prevention, Sport/ADO Administrators

Project description

Summary

No previous research has investigated thoroughly parents’ views of the specific role they play in doping prevention and whether they actually talk with their children about the risk of doping, or how and when these conversations may occur. Therefore, there is a  need to understand parents’ perceptions of their role in doping prevention. This provides opportunities to improve anti-doping education programs and to contribute to reinforcing WADA’s message to young athletes through their parents. The aim of the project was to examine the role of parents of young athletes in doping prevention and to identify how they can appropriately help to spread WADA’s clean sport 
message to their children.
 
Methodology

A qualitative approach was chosen with semi-structured interviews in Luxembourg, Canada and the UK of a total of 47 parents of young athletes aged 12-17 years old from 12 different sports with moderate to high prevalence of doping. Parents’ knowledge and attitudes towards doping, experience of anti-doping education, perceived influence over their children’s behavior regarding doping, and challenges and opportunities they face in doping prevention were investigated. 11 anti-doping officers of the sport federations and 7 employees of anti-doping organizations in Luxembourg (ALAD), Canada (CCES), and the UK (UKAD) were also interviewed in order to identify good practices that might be shared or reinforced, and to discuss improvements in the delivery and promotion of anti-doping activities targeting parents.

 

Results

1) Parents perceived they play an important role in doping prevention, and this was shared by the sport federations and NADOs staff interviewed for this study. Parents said they are able to instil moral values that support a clean sport approach. However, very few parents reported they regularly talked to their child about doping.

2) Many parents interviewed lacked knowledge about doping and anti-doping rule violations. Most of parents’ knowledge of doping was influenced by the coverage of specific cases in the media.

3) Most parents did not consider supplements to be a matter of concern.

4) According to parents, the most important doping deterrent was the feeling of guilt their child would experience by disappointing their family and entourage, if they were caught doping.

 

Significance for Clean Sport

There is a need for a clear definition of responsibilities of parents within the International Standard for Education, and the related sanctions for a violation of the WADA Code. Parents may be considered as different to other athlete support personnel (e.g. coaches and medical personnel). Although they are not qualified experts or sports professionals, they have a less formal role in doping prevention and a different type of influence on athletes. Anti-doping policies should be clear and flexible enough to encourage parents to get involved, and to learn how they can support their child, while acknowledging the different situations parents are in. Parents could also take part in an induction process with their child as they move into talent development programme. Those education initiatives should clearly be monitored by sport federations and NADOs in order to track advancements in parent education through relevant key indicators.

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