Dopingkontrollen in Deutschland

The aim of the present study was to gather information from athletes and doping control officials about their satisfaction and acceptance concerning the accomplishment of the doping control system (DCS) in Germany. 761 high elite athletes and 101 doping control officers took part in a written survey. Special attention was given to the subjective estimation of knowledge about the DCS as well as to their experiences during doping controls (DC) and on the whereabouts system.Three quarters of the responding athletes stated to have control experience; many of them were controlled several times a year. The majority of athletes confirmed to be familiar with the sampling procedure. But every second mentioned deficits regarding their rights during the collection or the functioning of the whereabouts system. Athletes and control officials evaluated their communication and coordination among each other mainly positive. By the majority of athletes, control officials’ attitude was judged to be friendly and open minded and their behavior neutral and discreet. A strong and internationally comparable accomplishment of the DCS was demanded especially from athletes belonging to higher testing pools. Doping control officials appreciated athletes’ generally high willingness to cooperate and, predominantly, felt well instructed for their duty.