THE RELATION BETWEEN AN ANTI-DOPING EDUCATION PROGRAM AND RISK FACTORS FOR DOPING SUBSTANCES USE

Sports education has the role of promoting ethical values and behaviors, thus contributing to the protection of athletes and the development of sports activities. Its necessity is indisputable given that the anti-doping tests carried out at the national level, in different categories of athletes, have highlighted violations of the anti-doping rules, including at the junior level. For this reason, between April and May 2023, a study was conducted that aimed to highlight the influence of risk factors for doping behavior at the level of junior athletes (14-16 years old), in relation to the effectiveness of an anti-doping education program. The study was conducted at the National College Emil Racoviță from Bucharest, with 22 student-athletes, practitioners of various sports disciplines. From the analysis of the obtained data it resulted the fact that a series of accumulated knowledge and learned behavioral characteristics do not provide sufficient support in the anti-doping fight or consistent positive changes in the attitude to resist the temptation to use banned substances. Under certain conditions and under the influence of the entourage, especially the coach, athletes show an average willingness to use prohibited substances. The results of this intervention show us that there is a need for the development of a future anti-doping educational curriculum, for the training of the moral skills necessary for athletes to resist the temptation to use prohibited substances in sports.