Descriptive study on beliefs, attitudes and behaviour of Malaysian elite athletes towards doping

Background: Little is known about the beliefs, attitudes and practices of Malaysian elite athletes towards doping, despite a consistent number of positive doping cases, some of which involve high-profile Malaysian athletes. In the Malaysian context, only studies on Malaysian student–athletes and nutritional supplement intake amongst Malaysian elite athletes have been carried out. Aims: As such, this study aimed to explore doping beliefs, attitudes and behaviour of Malaysian elite athletes, using a survey developed by the World Anti-Doping Agency. Methods: The survey, which was designed based on the Sport Drug Control Model for anti-doping organisations, contained 52 questions. Participants of the survey were 220 athletes (137 males and 83 females) with ages ranging between 15 and 45 years. Results: The results showed that 85% of Malaysian athletes did not intend to use performance-enhancing substances (PESs) even though it could provide an added advantage. It was also revealed that a large percentage of Malaysian elite athletes (89%) had never considered using PES, with a small percentage of athletes (2%) admitting that they had used PES knowingly throughout their sporting career. As for the intention to dope, 90% of the athletes felt confident that they could refuse the use of banned substances and overcome any pressure to consume. Conclusions: The findings will enable the mapping of the most suitable approach towards educating athletes about the effects of doping. The exploration is in alignment with the formation of the Anti-Doping Agency of Malaysia in 2007, whose mission was to implement anti-doping rules and create strategies to improve awareness and education amongst athletes and coaches about substance abuse in sports. Down the road from education and mutual trust, it is possible to establish cleaner sports and zero doping in Malaysia.