Doping in grassroots sport

In the sprawling slums of Matuamini lives Steve, a 17-year-old gifted footballer with dazzling football skills that has earned him a call up to the junior national football team, for an upcoming trip to play a friendly in Spain. Steve lives with his uncle in a single room house and, just like his idol, Victor Wanyama, hopes to break into one of the elite leagues in Europe.

One week before the trip, Steve is taken ill by a nagging headache which, despite taking numerous pain relievers, persists.

He decides to attend training despite his illness and one of the pharmacists in his neighbourhood suggests a “certain drug” that he should take after training session so that his headache will be dealt with once and for all.

At the training session, he reassures his coach that everything is okay, but midway through the practice, he collapses and, on regaining consciousness at the training session, the team doctor confirms from the tests that he has migraines and advises Steve to rest for three weeks, meaning he would miss the trip.

Steve shows the doctor the packet of pills the pharmacist suggested he should take after training, but upon examining the properties of the pills, the doctor tells him that it is a banned substance which will jeopardize his sporting career. The doctor gives a reluctant Steve a choice to either use the pills and go to the trip or take a two-week break and save his sporting aspirations and health.

The problem is at the grassroots

Steve represents numerous young footballers who are unaware of what doping constitutes as well as its impact on their health, families and communities at large.

According to the Tokyo 2020 official website, doping is “the use of prohibited substances or prohibited methods to enhance an athlete's performance, and concealing or attempting to conceal such use.”

One of the problems in the fight against the use of performance enhancing substances in Kenya can be attributed to the fact that it is thought of as an elite-level problem and is only limited to athletics. Yet, the truth is that it cuts across different disciplines.

Players like Steve should be aware of the UNESCO International Convention Against Doping in Sport, which states that “In a highly competitive sporting environment, athletes and their support personnel are under increasing pressure to win. As a result, they may be tempted to use performance enhancing substances and methods. This phenomenon is not limited to elite athletes; young people and amateur sports enthusiasts too are being drawn into doping. Doping is a public health issue. It jeopardizes the values, ethics and integrity of sport; and the health of those involved in it.”

The issues with doping

The negative impact of doping far outweighs its benefits. To start, the integrity and appeal of sport can be compromised. For instance, parents and guardians may discourage their children from taking part in a sport if reported cases of use of banned substances escalates.

Furthermore, organizations and programs in the sport for development field, which undertake social development programs ranging from peace-building, HIV/AIDS and environmental conservation may also lose the trust of donors and investors, since they may associate the sport with dishonesty.

The impact of doping on health is immeasurable. An athlete may develop long-term health issues that may be difficult to treat. Mental health is another concern associated with doping – due to isolation and stigma, those who dope feel abandoned, leading to depression.

What influences youth to start doping?

In as much as drivers of doping may be sporting in nature, which includes the desire to win, achieving peak performance as well as endurance, it can also be triggered by socio-economic factors.

Due to the peer pressure associated with the desire to gain fame and the financial incentives that come with endorsement deals, athletes may be forced to engage in doping in order to escape poverty.

A long-term solution

Do sensitization and awareness campaigns, such as the ones undertaken by the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya, work?

This is a difficult question but it will be answered in years to come going by ADAK’s Value Based Education (VBE) program, which goes beyond sport to instil life values such as teamwork, honesty and leadership among young children.

In the long run, it is important for stakeholders and technical staff such as coaches and team doctors of grassroots teams to be advised on the importance of building an athlete’s character before embarking on teaching sport.

Therefore, synergies with technical personnel, players, federations and health practitioners, like the ones in Steve’s team, are necessary catalysts in advocating for anti-doping measures from the field, to the families and into the community.

Experts can organize seminars for pharmacists and health practitioners on doping matters. For instance, topics can be centred on what constitutes doping violations, understanding prohibited drugs and the importance of testing before, during and after competition. From such efforts, a multiplier effect will be realized.