Abstract:
Background. Doping in sports remains a significant global challenge, with implications not
only for the physical and mental health of athletes but also for the ethics of competitions.
The "cancer" of world sports has spread across all disciplines, being the most predominant
cause of athlete suspensions.
Objective(s). Highlighting the role of anti-doping interventions and elucidating the need to
boost proper conduct through the implementation of educational strategies and awareness
programs.
Materials and methods. A focused review of the specialized literature was conducted using
Google Scholar and the databases PubMed, Research for Life, and Medline, numbering 217
sources, from which 23 scientific articles were selected. The study analyzed the effectiveness
of anti-doping programs worldwide, as well as the identification of major current
tendencies.
Results. The implementation of a worldwide anti-doping program has, on average, notable
positive effects, evidenced by a consistent and significant reduction in susceptibility to
doping by 6.3±2.4%. Globally, between 2018 and 2020, the trend of consuming nutritional supplements recorded a significant drop of 13.4±1.6%. In contrast, during the post-COVID
period (2022–2024), a marked increase of 15.6±2.1% in supplement use was observed. The
most substantial progress was noted in the overall increase in anti-doping knowledge, which
rose by 36.9±3.2%, as well as in the strengthening of self-determined anti-doping behaviors,
which improved by 44.1±2.4%.
Conclusion(s). Difficult problems, like doping, cannot be solved but can be managed. The
anti-doping movement aims to acknowledge this and to establish goals and strategies for
research, testing, and education with the purpose of protecting clean sport as well as the
mental health of athletes.
