The culture of victory. Pressure. According to a vast investigation national campaign carried out in the United States by the American Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), the temptation to dig into the medicine cabinet could be explained this way. Win at all costs, to meet expectations.
Easy ? Maybe. But the responses compiled by analysts from the American agency say a lot about the reality of doping, and especially its perception, among athletes in the United States.
The survey was carried out last year. It was intended to be the most extensive and ambitious ever carried out on the subject. USADA sent a questionnaire to 2.200 American athletes on the high-level lists, therefore likely to be tested in and out of competition. In total, 886 of them responded and returned their form. Among them, 149 came from athletics, the sport having provided the greatest number of responses. Clarification: the questionnaires were anonymous. But, in a very American detail, the athletes who agreed to participate received a $20 gift certificate.
First discovery: American athletes would be under intense pressure from institutions. Two thirds of the athletes surveyed (65%) said they felt “pressured” by the National Olympic Committee (USOC) or their national federation to win one or more medals. 61% said that people were less interested in them after a sporting failure. Not really a scoop.
Comment from Travis Tygart, Executive Director of USADA, quoted by Associated Press : " We need to change this culture if we truly want to make the field clean for athletes. »
In short, put an end to the cult of winning. However, surprisingly, only 9% of athletes who responded to the questionnaire admit to being tempted to use prohibited products, for various reasons, including to follow their coach's instructions or recommendations.
Other figures, very eloquent on the frequency of tests in American sport: only 7% of respondents admit to having been tested more than 50 times since the start of their career. But 36% say they have been checked between 1 and 5 times. More than one in 3 American athletes could therefore count on the fingers of one hand the occasions when they had to submit to a doping test, in competition or unexpectedly. Amazing.
Finally, the investigation carried out by USADA reveals a profound ignorance of American athletes regarding the geopolitics of the fight against doping. Asked about their perception of the effectiveness of anti-doping programs in the rest of the world, half of those surveyed (49%) admitted not knowing. Obviously, the Russian doping scandal, the McLaren report and WADA's efforts to push back against the scourge have not reached their ears. Curious.
