Professor Tshepang Tshube from the Department of Sport Science at the University of Botswana led the study, which encompassed Botswana, Papua New Guinea, and Zambia.
The study, titled, 'Anti-Doping Education and Consideration/Intention of Using Prohibited Substances,' sheds light on this concerning trend. In an interview with MmegiSport, Tshube disclosed that 30% of athletes perceive that more than 30% of coaches advocate the use of prohibited substances among their athletes.
Furthermore, it was revealed that over 66% of athletes believe that doping is permissible and that their coaches are complicit in Botswana, a percentage higher than that observed in Zambia.
“About 60% of athletes felt pressured by the National Sport Associations (NSA) and national Olympic committees to win Olympic gold medals. That pressure leads to athletes ending up using prohibited substances. When I presented the study to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) this was one of the things that was standing out,” he said. When asked if Botswana was losing its war against doping, Tshube said there is no system to address the issue and that makes it difficult to succeed against it. “To address doping, it can start at regulation level. WADA has global regulations.
There can be regulations at the national level by making the use of prohibited substances an actual criminal offence. For example, in the USA you can go to jail for breaking the regulations (and) Kenya is moving in that direction,” he said. Tshube pointed out that the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADO) depends on WADA regulations, which mostly result in the suspension of athletes for four years. He said the other aspect could be at an educational level, where NADO is trying their best but it is mostly workshops, which is the standard globally.
He said according to his study, 71% of participants in Botswana had access to anti-doping education compared to 46% of participants in Zambia. Tshube said NADO does not have the power to hold anybody accountable. “In Botswana now, the intention to win medals at international games is higher than ever. Athletes are tempted to dope so there is a need for regulation to be profound. In addition to regulation and access to prohibited substances, 70% of doping cases are through supplements which are sold over the counter in shops and pharmacies,” he said. He said all athletes in Botswana who tested positive have confirmed that they bought the supplements from pharmacies. “Athletes need to use supplements but they should have experts in their teams to advise which supplements to take. Something that we do not have here,” he said.
Tshube said elite athletes should reach out to performance nutritionists to be advised which supplements to take and such experts can only be found internationally. Tshube said the challenge can be solved by having national food regulations. He cited the case of the United States of America where they have the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which is responsible for protecting public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and nation's food supply. “In our country, things are loose. How many energy drinks are in the market? And nobody can tell what is in those drinks.
Those energy drinks are worse than anything you can think about. They hurt your health and they are cheap to buy. Access to those is what compromises our athletes. Up until we address those, we are losing the war against doping. It is the major threat to Botswana sport,” he said.
The Botswana Parliament is yet to debate the Anti-Doping bill, which would see the country in line with the international practice. “Issues of sport, not just that legislature, you will know that there is no school sport today, and several other things that are supposed to be there, for them to get to Parliament, it is difficult. You wonder if there is no willingness or there is no understanding,” he said. Tshube said it is up to the Botswana National Sport Commission and the Botswana National Olympic Committee to demonstrate to the Minister of Youth, Gender, Sport and Culture that the Anti-Doping bill is urgent.
