The role of athlete support personnel in preventing doping: a qualitative study of a rugby union academy

Global anti-doping policy indicates that athlete support personnel (ASP, e.g., doctors, nutritionists) can play an important role in fostering supportive environments that protect against intentional and inadvertent doping. Yet, research into ASP anti-doping roles is limited and no study has examined how (if at all) different members of ASP work together. Therefore, this study investigated anti-doping roles of ASP in a single sports club environment via semi-structured interviews. Through inductive reflexive thematic analysis, three overarching themes were constructed: 1) Everyone has responsibility for anti-doping, but most of the work rests unevenly on a few shoulders, 2) Education is fundamental to doping prevention, and 3) (Preventing doping) It’s all about the way we work with players and each other. As the first study of its kind, the findings indicated that actions taken to prevent doping varied across ASP working together in the same environment. The nutritionist and medical staff were most active in anti-doping efforts and least active were strength and conditioning coaches. Factors underpinning anti-doping roles were individuals’ relevant expertise/training and overall job responsibilities (e.g., supplements, medications) related to risk of doping. Staff also connected their doping prevention efforts to the club’s person-centred philosophy, which prioritised ‘individualisation’ and supportive relationships. While the data indicates potential for anti-doping responsibilities to be shared amongst ASP who work well together and trust one another, it revealed that reliance on one or two ASP in any environment might allow other ASP to neglect their opportunity to have a positive influence on players’ doping-related decisions.