Doping prevention: Exploring coaches’ experiences and opinions of their role.

Objectives: To explore coaches’ perceived roles in doping prevention and investigate their previous experiences of working with athletes on doping related matters. Design: A cross-sectional online survey design was adopted. Methods: UK-based coaches (n=28) from various sports and coaching domains completed a self-devised web-based questionnaire. This consisted of thirty-eight questions divided into four sections (Demographics, Awareness, Experiences and Opinions). Data was analysed via non-parametric tests where applicable. Results: Almost half of the coaches (n=12, 43%) had never been approached by their athletes to discuss doping-related topics. Yet, 86% of coaches felt that they had to encourage an anti-doping viewpoint. Coaches working in the performance development domain were approached more often than those in participation domains. Coaches reported that athletes approach them because they value their opinions, believe they are knowledgeable and will tell them what to do (i.e. make the decision for them). Coaches also reported that athletes might not approach them because they gain support from elsewhere. When approached (n=16), nutritional supplements (n=15, 94%) and prohibited substances/methods (n=14, 88%) were most commonly discussed. Conclusions: Findings indicated that coaches are a source of anti-doping information or advice for athletes. When approached, there was a diverse exchange between the coach and athletes regarding the use of licit and illicit means of performance enhancement. Although coaches within the performance development domain were most commonly approached, coaches from other domains acknowledged that they have a role in doping prevention. Further research should explore coaches’ role expectations, including how anti-doping influences their every-day practice.