Doping has become a societal problem and a public health concern. Many societal and sporting pressures are ‘encouraging’ young people towards taking performance and/or image enhancing substances to improve their looks and image, to work harder, to study longer, and to be more concentrate. That is why it is essential that we start early with the prevention, through developing a range of positive values to protect against substance use, when we can largely influence children’s behaviour and attitudes.

The I Value project aims to develop, implement and scientifically evaluate early doping prevention program, targeting school children aged 6 to 14 years, their teachers and parents. The program, which will be co-developed by experienced educators from six National Anti-Doping Organisations, experienced academics from two leading universities in the field of doping prevention and schoolteachers will be values-based, evidence-informed and will meet the diverse socio-political and environmental needs of the member countries.

Through objectives, the I Value project will also:
• Guide the development of the future values based interventions through a scoping review of literature that will map current values based education in a school based setting and identify gaps in current doping prevention knowledge;
• Increase school teachers’ capability, opportunity and motivation to adopt and implement values based education program;
• Activate parents through a brief intervention to adopt the principles of values based behaviour in raising their children;
• Increase the size and depth of values based doping prevention research, policy and practice networks through multiplier event.

These objectives address the issues relevant to the participating NADOs and global Anti-Doping program and respond to a various calls from world-leading researchers, WADA and European Commission in the field of doping prevention.