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Exploring the Progressive Use of Performance Enhancing Substances by High-Performance Athletes
Aaron C T Smith1, Constantino Stavros2
1Institute for Sport Business, Loughborough University London, UK.
High-level athletes escalate performance-enhancing substance (PES) use due to urgent performance maximization needs. Key drivers include requirements, opportunities, influencers, and outcomes, creating an urgency ecosystem for increased PES use.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Performance Enhancement
- Doping Research
Background:
- Understanding performance-enhancing substance (PES) use is crucial for athlete safety.
- Stakeholders need insight into factors driving PES usage and athlete vulnerability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To qualitatively explore high-level athlete PES usage and escalation factors.
- To examine PES experiences beyond WADA-banned substances, focusing on usage precipitants.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a macro life course framework for thematic coding analysis.
- Analyzed narrative life course histories from 16 recently retired high-performance athletes.
Main Results:
- Performance maximization urgency is central to escalating PES use.
- Four key variables (Requirements, Opportunities, Influencers, Outcomes) drive this urgency.
- These variables create an ecosystem influencing escalation thresholds.
Conclusions:
- This study comprehensively investigates PES use precipitants.
- Increased urgency for performance drives PES escalation through various factors.
- Findings inform incremental doping models and understanding athlete behavior.
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