Public Doubts About Drugs in Sport

Almost half of all adults (49%) in Britain, France and Germany believe that many top athletes and sporting personalities are using non-approved performance-enhancing drugs, according to a new CNN/TIME poll conducted by TNS.

Suspicion is highest in France where more than six out of ten people (62%) feel that sports stars use drugs to improve their performance - this compares with 49% in Germany and a relatively low 35% in Britain despite recent high profile stories. [NB Brits are cynical about their athletes and it may be only the 'performance-enhancing' bit they don't agree with - Ed.]

Other findings from the survey show that almost three out of ten people (29%) across Britain, France and Germany think that the integrity of the Olympic Games is worse now than in previous years. This rises to 36% of men in Britain.

Marita Carballo, Global Head of TNS Polling & Social, points to recent UK incidents involving England footballer Rio Ferdinand, who failed to turn up for a drugs test and sprinter Dwain Chambers, who tested positive for the steroid THG. 'Since a spate of incidents in the late 1980s and 1990s involving stars such as Ben Johnson, Lindford Christie and Diane Modahl, the sports industry, particularly in athletics in the UK and US, has fought hard to eradicate its association with drug culture. Equally, in France, the doping cases exposed in the Tour de France have generated suspicion about drug use in sport. With the bid for the 2012 Olympics currently underway, these drug claims will fuel concern about the integrity of the Games and the way in which drug testing is undertaken'.

The question asked was 'Do you believe that many of the peak performers in modern sports are using non-approved performance-enhancing drugs or not?' Research was undertaken between 9th and the 12th October 2003 among representative samples of approximately 1,000 adults in each of Britain, Germany and France.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas unless otherwise stated.

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