Athlete motivation and the "spirit of sport" : understanding doping and the culture of complementary and alternative therapy use in aquatic-sports
- Publication Type:
- Thesis
- Issue Date:
- 2013
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Inherent in the culture of most competitive sports is the never-ending quest to be not just good, but better than others. The fundamental motivation of athletes and the so-called, true spirit of sport can be conceived as wanting to be the best of the best. Enhancing sporting performance and finding an edge is central to most elite athletes’ pursuits. Many athletes believe successful sporting performance will occur when flow happens. The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies by aquatic sport athletes as performance-enhancing substances and methods (PESM) may assist in that goal through the attainment of an optimal Omega state of physical and mental being in order to allow flow to occur.
In this constant mission to utilise new alternatives (therapies) to help improve their sport performance, athletes may use various CAM as PESM. Such CAM may have only a placebo effect with little scientific research evidence on their beneficial and/or detrimental effects. Nevertheless, many athletes rely on anecdotal experience and word-of-mouth recommendations from trusted coaches and other elite athletes rather than professional advice, when starting a new PESM. Once the initial threshold of hesitancy is addressed, subsequent use of PESM is less indecisive. The risk of inadvertent doping may thus occur, but it is a risk that many take due to ignorance, or perceived inconsistencies and flexibility of interpretation, of anti-doping rules.
The legal document, which is used in real world situations, the World Anti-Doping Agency Code and its application, may be seen by athletes, coaches, sports scientists, health and legal professionals to be both confusing and conflicting. Moreover, while athletes’ knowledge and understanding of anti-doping rules is key, little is done to improve their knowledge. Instead the focus seems to be on punitive actions for infringement of the Code. In the context of CAM use, sport stakeholders may view anti-doping rules as lacking scientific credibility, social and cultural sensitivities, or an accounting of elite sport social norms. This potentially destines the anti-doping mission to failure.
Using a mixed methods research design, this thesis provides both qualitative and quantitative insight into elite athlete motivation and the perceived true spirit of sport. This research was carried out in the context of CAM use in aquatic sports, and is explained within a framework of the legal anti-doping implications of CAM use. This thesis provides a reasoned proposition that anti-doping agencies need to take pause and re-evaluate their original mandate: the protection of athletes. Addressing the anti-doping issue requires consistent, fair, non-discriminatory rules, a practical worldwide education policy, and appropriately skilled athlete advocates, at either an individual country and/or sport level.
If anti-doping is no longer clearly and unreservedly about the protection of athlete's health and where sport rule violations become criminal offences; or if the focus of anti-doping is on penal pursuits, rather than educational prevention through clearer and more consistent rules, then policies may be viewed by athletes as entrapping and not empowering. Either way, diffident ends do not justify draconian means.
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