Publication detail

Why sports officials may choose not to fight performance-enhancing drugs

HAUGEN, K. POPELA, P.

Original Title

Why sports officials may choose not to fight performance-enhancing drugs

Type

journal article - other

Language

English

Original Abstract

In this article, we present further discussion provoking explanation, why the existing fight against doping in sport is not fully successful although widely presented in media. Our paper is based on economical arguments derived from discussions of practitioners due to lack of statistically valid data and their fundamental mathematical modeling. Hence, the maximization of a (two-variable) sports attendance demand function, depending on athletes’ performance and doping prevalence, may result in a positive optimal doping prevalence and explain the existing sport doping related situation. Given reasonable assumptions on relevant functional behavior, this result can be interpreted as an incentive for sports officials to allow (and even welcome) some doping. As a consequence, we conclude that one should not be surprised that doping exists and is widespread under the assumption of aggregated rational behavior that is common in economical research. Therefore, the needfor a global coordinated system of testing and sanctions decoupled from sport may be a necessary condition in order to meet these challenges and together with the proposed model should be the subject of further discussions.

Keywords

Performance-enhancing drugs, optimal level of doping, performance, demand, modeling

Authors

HAUGEN, K.; POPELA, P.

RIV year

2015

Released

30. 11. 2015

Publisher

University of Palermo

Location

Italy

ISBN

2282-5673

Periodical

European Journal of Sport Studies

Year of study

3

Number

2

State

Republic of Italy

Pages from

1

Pages to

8

Pages count

8

URL

http://www.ejss-journal.com/index.php/why-sports-officials-may-choose-not-to-fight-performance-enhancing-drugs

BibTex

@article{BUT124171,
  author="Kjetil Kare {Haugen} and Pavel {Popela}",
  title="Why sports officials may choose not to fight performance-enhancing drugs
",
  journal="European Journal of Sport Studies",
  year="2015",
  volume="3",
  number="2",
  pages="1--8",
  doi="10.12863/ejssax3x2-2015x2",
  issn="2282-5673",
  url="http://www.ejss-journal.com/index.php/why-sports-officials-may-choose-not-to-fight-performance-enhancing-drugs"
}