ECONOMIC FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO DOPING AMONG ATHLETES IN SELECTED TRAINING CAMPS IN ITEN, KENYA
Damaris Were Ogama - Department of Development Studies, School of Communication and Development Studies, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
Prof. Maurice M. Sakwa - Department of Development Studies, School of Communication and Development Studies, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
ABSTRACT
Doping has threatened the noble objective of sports, that is, to promote brotherhood and instead promoted economic corruption where the youthful athletes are interested in earning rather than participating in clean sports. Different economic factors contribute to doping behavior among the athletes. Hence, the present study set out to specifically investigate and document the factors influencing doping among athletes in North Rift, Kenya. This study adopted descriptive survey design as it is concerned with describing, recording, analyzing and reporting circumstances that are available. This design was appropriate since it was intended to generate tentative results on economic factors contributing to drug abuse. It was also appropriate since the data generated was empirical in nature. The research particularly targeted 1785 elite athletes in Kenya currently registered with Athletics Kenya (2017). Data was collected by the use of a research questionnaire. The questionnaire method was used because it provided greater uniformity situations as respondents respond to the same standardized questions. Primary data from the field was edited to eliminate errors made by respondents. Coding was done to translate question responses into specific categories. Coding was expected to organize and reduce research data into manageable summaries. The responses of participants to the questions were keyed into the SPSS. Descriptive statistics mainly; percentages and frequencies were used to analyze data. Regression analysis was used to measure the effect of independent variables on doping. The study findings showed that there are various economic factors that contribute to doping namely Prize Money (4.22), Cost of doping (3.35), Cost of access to doping (3.63), Cost of concealment (3.44), Sponsorship deals (4.18), Individual Financial status (4.06), Family financial standing (3.57), Boosting economic status (3.63), Advertisement/Image laundering (3.18) and Economic depression (3.95). In conclusion, the study findings revealed that economic factors enhance the desire to dope. Based on the results of this study, the following recommendations are made: the youth in the country should be empowered with information especially by their parents and teachers in the family and school set ups respectively for them to be able to make sound and independent decisions on issues affecting them and be able to resist negative influence from their peers; parents should be sensitized by the government and religious institutions not to abdicate their parental responsibility of instilling societal morals/cultural values in their children because morally upright children grow up to become responsible youths and adults.
