USADA: A Winning Model for Independence and Prevention in the Fight Against Doping in Sport? – Michael Pedersen
September 10, 2014
Prevention is critical too in effectively fighting doping in sport
Along with detecting and sanctioning cases of doping in sport, prevention forms a critical part of the foundation for effectively fighting doping in sport. According to Travis T. Tygart, CEO at United States Anti-Doping Agency, prevention is about acknowledging and addressing at least three cultural factors at play, which can cause some athletes to take performance-enhancing drugs:
First of all, “we still have a win-at-all-costs culture in which the temptations to, and benefits of cheating, are extraordinarily powerful.” In such “a culture where to the victors go the spoils, there is a tremendous temptation to use performance-enhancing substances in order to win.” Second, “the athlete entourage plays a large role, and when athletes feel pressured by coaches, doctors, or those in the sport’s administration to put winning, profits and the sport’s publicity above their own health, safety and integrity that creates a situation that is ripe for doping.” Third, “when the culture of a sport becomes dirty and corrupt, those athletes can face an untenable choice to quit the sport they love or become a fraud in order to be competitive.”
Prevention efforts at United States Anti-Doping Agency focus on creating cultural change
According to Travis T. Tygart, CEO at United States Anti-Doping Agency, “most athletes do not want to take performance enhancing drugs.” They “compete for the love of their sport and they want to follow the rules and compete with honor and integrity.”
Yet, the focus of the fight against doping “cannot simply be on catching cheaters. It has to be on deterring athletes from cheating in the first place:”
“If we want to change this culture we have to create a sport environment for young athletes where integrity, sportsmanship and morals are not pushed to the sidelines in order to win, but are actually taught as an important part of what it means to truly be a winner.”
Along those lines, Travis T. Tygart highlights that United States Anti-Doping Agency has “long known that education is one of the strongest tools we have in preventing the mindset that leads to doping.”
Specific education activities of the Agency include face-to-face engagement, webinars, online self-guided courses, campaigns, videos and publications. The aptly named TrueSport program is particularly noteworthy. Launched in 2012, TrueSport aims at empowering young athletes by encouraging the mix of clean competition, sportsmanship and peak performance. The program equips young athletes with tools to make good decisions, avoid risky behaviors and be leaders in life. It is particularly designed for elementary, middle and high school students but targets parents and coaches too. TrueSport also relies on a mix of athlete, education and parent ambassadors.
Last but not least, noteworthy clean sport campaigns of United States Anti-Doping Agency in support of specific education activities and programs such as TrueSport include:
– ‘My Victory’, which revitalized the true purpose of athletic competition and celebrated all athletes striving to achieve their own victories through a formal pledge to uphold the commitment to clean sport
– ‘I Compete Clean because…’, which encouraged athletes and fans of all ages to take a proactive stand for clean and healthy competition in the run-up to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, Canada
– ‘Celebrating the Value of Fair Play”, which featured ten 2006 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Team hopefuls through a series of television, radio and movie theater public service announcements to promote fair play, respect and integrity in sport
Critical questions for sport leaders to consider
The leadership of United States Anti-Doping Agency offers a lot of insights and inspiration regarding the importance and nature of independence and prevention in the fight against doping in sport. Critical questions for sport leaders to consider, as they start modernizing governance standards for the future, include:
– What can others learn from United States Anti-Doping Agency as far as independence and prevention in the fight against doping in sport are concerned, i.e. other national anti-doping agencies and national and international sport governing bodies?
– How can a national anti-doping agency best build trust and credibility in the way it governs its boardroom? – Which are the governance standards to put in place? – What is the best way to ensure independent decision-making with no or few perceived potential conflicts of interest? – Which is the information to transparently account for?
– Which are the most effective ways of preventing doping in sport? – How do you best change a culture? – What is the role of education?
A special appreciation
I would like to appreciate the kind support of United States Anti-Doping Agency in providing perspectives and information for this contribution, particularly Travis T. Tygart, CEO and Annie Skinner, Senior Communications Manager.
Links to my previous contributions for iSportconnect’s expert column on sport governance:
14) ‘South African Rugby Union: A Winning Model for Annual Reporting?’
13) ‘The 2014 South American Games: A Winning Model for Ticketing at International Sport Events?’
12) ‘US Open: A Winning Model for Environmental Stewardship in Sport?’
11) ‘The International Paralympic Committee: A Winning Model for Addressing Gender Equity in Sport?’
7) ‘Football in Germany: A Model Case for Addressing Match-Fixing?’
5) ‘England and Wales Cricket Board: A Winning Model for Transparency and Accountability in Sport?’
4) ‘Badminton World Federation: A Winning Model for Democratizing Sport in the 21st Century?
2) ‘The Business Case for Good Governance in Sport’
1) ‘Sport Governance – What Are We Actually Talking About?’
Michael also publishes a leadership series on good governance in sport that is available for free download at: http://minc.ch/sport-practice.html
