Managing Drugs in Sport

Sport organisations rarely have a coherent management strategy regarding drug use and abuse. This important new book argues that drugs in sport must be seen as a legitimate management issue; that the reality is that athletes will use and misuse drugs, and that sport managers require a sophisticated understanding of this issue to enable them to develop effective strategies and responses. This is the first book to offer a complete framework for engaging with drugs in sport as both a management and integrity issue, and is important reading for all advanced students, researchers and practitioners working in sport management, sport business, sport policy, sport governance, or business ethics.

As ongoing high-profile drug scandals have demonstrated, sports organisations rarely have a coherent strategy to manage the role and relationship their sport has with different types of drugs (from alcohol to supplements to prescription drugs to doping). This important and timely book argues that drug control-led integrity management of sport is more than an ideological battle around doping. The relationship sport has with the drugs industry has become a much broader management problem. The breadth of the problem compels stakeholders in sport (including athletes, coaches, fans, public servants and sports managers) to understand better the issues in pursuit of effective strategies and responses.

Drawing on cutting-edge management theory, this book explores the dilemma of drugs in sport. It introduces the policy and business contexts that have shaped responses to this issue and examines its significance to sport and integrity management, including human resource management, marketing, and risk management. It discusses practical management concerns, such as working with scientists and anti-doping organisations, and offers clear recommendations for the future management of sports integrity.

The first book to offer a complete framework for a drugs management strategy for sport, Managing Drugs in Sport is essential reading for all advanced students, researchers and practitioners working in sport management, sport business, sport policy, sport governance and business ethics.