Contentious policies and practice: challenges and opportunities researching (anti-) doping in sport

Professor Susan H. Backhouse

Carnegie School of Sport, Leeds Beckett University, UK

Research, policy and practice on the complex social problem of doping in sport is a contentious and contested field. Consequently, it requires collaborative researcher-decision-maker partnerships in order to enhance the richness, relevance and real-world applicability of empirical research findings. Accordingly, co-produced knowledge better facilitates the implementation of research informed policy and practice by addressing the relevance gap in research. Yet, co-production of knowledge in the context of anti-doping can be challenging because researchers and policy-makers often work to different timeframes, have different priorities, and staff movement may weaken or disrupt the programme of research. During this presentation, I will reinforce the notion that social and behavioural scientists are a vital part of the sporting ecosystem through their study of the manner in which people behave and influence the world around them. By positioning them as a vital contributor, rather than a parasite of sports organisations, I will speak of the value of working with anti-doping policy and practice communities in order to bring about change in the anti-doping system. Working with the anti-doping community requires an appreciation of the lived experience of our research stakeholders (e.g., policy makers, education developers) and a commitment to drawing upon their tacit knowledge to highlight relevant research questions that we might otherwise neglect to ask. Critical reflexivity also helps us understand the complexities and dynamics of (anti-)doping research and the bounded realities of anti-doping policy and practice so that we can contribute to improved outcomes and achievable solutions in the system. Finally, I will speak to the importance of building trust and legitimacy in the system if we want to ‘speak truth to power’. These points will be illustrated through our own multi-stakeholder programme of research, including (i) commissioned research projects in partnership with national governing bodies, (ii) multi-stakeholder projects involving academics and anti-doping education developers and (iii) intervening within the anti-doping and sporting system through programme delivery.