ANALYZING STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARD SPORTS SUPPLEMENTS AND DOPING IN INTERACTION WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Paper ID : 1521-SPORTCONGRESS

Authors

فریبا عسکریان1, سعید یوسفی *2 1دانشگاه تهران 2دانشگاه تبریز

Abstract

Introduction: Doping and the use of sports supplements have increasingly spread among adolescent and non-professional athletes. Despite strict regulations from organizations such as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), many athletes unknowingly or unintentionally violate anti-doping rules through contaminated drugs or supplements (Gauram & Reddy, 2025). The use of banned substances remains one of the major challenges facing the global sports community. Methods: This study aimed to analyze the attitudes of student athletes toward sports supplements and doping in interaction with artificial intelligence. A qualitative method based on thematic analysis was employed, using semi-structured interviews with 17 high school students in Dezful, Iran. Results: Findings indicate that intelligent chatbots have played a significant role in enhancing nutritional awareness, warning against counterfeit supplements, and discouraging doping among adolescents. Several interviewees noted that chatbot recommendations focused on everyday foods-such as eggs, milk, nuts, and fruits-led them to believe they could achieve satisfactory athletic performance without relying on industrial supplements. This shift in perspective was particularly notable among students with prior experience using supplements. As a result, many participants developed a more critical view of supplement advertising and began making more informed choices about their nutritional sources after receiving personalized guidance from chatbots. Nevertheless, when it came to final decision-making, human coaches remained the primary reference point due to their practical experience and deeper understanding of athletes’ physical needs. Conclusion: These results align with international studies indicating that AI can detect suspicious doping patterns through performance data analysis (Ryoo et al., 2024; Sharma et al., 2024) and contribute to designing personalized nutrition plans (Samvedam & Nanda, 2025). Ultimately, students’ interaction with AI demonstrates strong potential in reducing risky behaviors, promoting healthy dietary choices, and enhancing ethical awareness in sports-provided it is implemented alongside human supervision and ethical frameworks.

Keywords

Doping, Sports supplements, Artificial intelligence, Sports ethics, Preventive education

Status: Abstract Accepted (Poster Presentation)