Study by Army specialists shows low awareness about anti-doping rules, use of banned substances by athletes

Vijay Mohan

Chandigarh, January 23

A study conducted by Army specialists has revealed low awareness about anti-doping rules as well as the use of prohibited substances and their side effects amongst elite Indian athletes and has put forth several measures to check the unwarranted use of drugs and performance enhancers by sportspersons.

“A low proportion of athletes reported doping and being tested for doping. Reported prohibited substance use is also low amongst athletes. Several athletes report not being aware about commonly used drugs and supplements containing prohibited substances,” the study states.

Conducted by seven specialists from the Armed Forces Medical College, Army Sports Institute and different military hospitals, the study, ‘Survey of antidoping knowledge, attitudes and practices amongst elite Indian sportsmen and the way forward,’ has been published in the January 2022 issue of Medical Journal Armed Forces India.

“The way forward towards prevention of future anti-doping rule violations amongst Indian athletes is grass root level education, improving awareness amongst elite athletes, regulation of availability of supplements, availability of trained athlete support personnel and accessible reference material,” the study’s authors recommend.

Further, athletes should be motivated to focus on training, natural food first diet and proper recovery rather than resort to unethical means to improve performance.

The study was undertaken at a sports institute and a questionnaire was anonymously administered to 181 male athletes between the age of 18-35 years to gauge their attitude toward performance-enhancing substances and anti-doping rules.

“Athlete awareness regarding anti-doping agencies and anti-doping rule violations was poor,” the authors report. The study found that 40 per cent or less reported receiving anti-doping updates.

The study, however, suggests that substance abuse is not as rampant as feared and the number of positive anti-doping rule violations can be reduced.

“Less than seven per cent of those surveyed admitted to consumption of banned substances for performance enhancement and admitted to knowledge about use of similar substances amongst their teammates in national camps. Nine athletes were consuming tablets, powders or injections, and the knowledge regarding this use had been obtained from the internet, team members or friends,” the study states.

The prohibited substances were obtained from local pharmacies.

Athletes who attended anti-doping sessions exhibited significantly higher knowledge levels and a significantly higher 80 per cent reported consulting their team doctor before any therapeutic drug use as compared with non-attendees, the study observes. Health was more important than sporting performance for 80 per cent or more.

According to the study, an area requiring regulatory action is the proper labelling of and use of dope-free certified supplements.

“Dope-free certification by independent bodies should be made mandatory for supplements or nutraceuticals which are regularly consumed by athletes and these should be prescribed by the team physicians or sports physicians only to avoid cases of accidental consumption,” the authors recommend.