DOPING PERCEPTIONS AMONG TRACK AND FIELD ATHLETES

Aim. To identify and explore athletes' perceptions of anti-doping rules, as well as their attitudes toward clean sports and fair competitions. Materials and methods. The focus group involved 106 athletes from 7 track and field events and 3 age categories: U20 (male and female athletes), U23 (male and female athletes), and S (male and female athletes irrespective of their age). Results. Athletes' perception of the anti-doping problem and their attitude toward doping were investigated for different age groups; means of putting pressure on doping involvement were classified; changes in athletes' perception of anti doping rules were identified on the example of track-and-field disciplines. The proposals of track-and-field athletes for the improvement of the existing anti-doping program and enhancement of the idea of clean sport were considered. Conclusion. Regardless of their age, Russian athletes consider existing anti-doping measures quite effective in promoting the idea of clean sport. The main obstacles are mostly related to the insufficient focus on the training process of athletes, irrespective of their lifestyle and daily problems.