Athletes’ Sports Interest As Correlate Of Utilization Of Doping Substances In Nigeria

Abstract

The study investigated elite athletes’ sports interest as correlate of doping substances in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The study examined the extent to which the types of sports engaged by the elite athletes influence the use of performance-enhancing substances in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. A study sample of 510 elite athletes in thirty tertiary institutions from ten states (Ekiti, Oyo, Kwara, Kogi, Kaduna, Lagos, Osun, Ogun, Edo and Bauchi) was selected using purposive, simple and stratified random sampling techniques. A 21- items self-developed and validated questionnaire was used for the study. A reliability coefficient of 0.81 was obtained fro the instrument used for the study. Frequent counts, percentages, means cores, chisquare, ANOVA and Scheffe were used to analyse the data collected. Findings of the study revealed that there was a significant influence of types of sports on doping substances used. Elite athletes in team and individual sports were involved more in the utilization of doping substances than dual sports. It was therefore, recommended that the integrity of sports participation should be highly emphasized rather than focusing on winning-at-all-cost. The use of both cognitive and behavioural approaches should be of help for both the athletes and athletes’ support personnel