Artificial Intelligence revolutionizes anti-doping efforts in sports

Data management and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are on track to becoming crucial allies in the fight against doping in the world of sports. This innovative combination could revolutionize the way unusual behaviors associated with drug use by athletes are detected, as stated by Benjamin Cohen, director of the International Testing Agency (ITA). Cohen and his team's approach focuses on perfecting "risk analysis", with the goal of identifying which athletes need specific monitoring based on suspicious data. The premise is to efficiently reorganize the information collected by the research unit, minimizing the time and resources used in this process. With the proximity of the 2024 Paris Olympics, this topic gains even more relevance, as the participation of top athletes globally is expected in a competition where each edition surpasses previous records and the pressure for exceptional performance is increasing. Cohen emphasizes the importance of relieving the anti-doping team from overwhelming administrative tasks in order to focus on their main work. Optimization in managing a large amount of biological data, sports results, and anti-doping tests by the ITA becomes essential in this context. The ITA director highlights the need to make the most of the opportunities provided by AI, while emphasizing the importance of treating information ethically, especially considering the sensitive and confidential nature of the data. In addition to detecting illegal substances, doping analyses also reveal the use of prescription medications, but with the help of AI, the scope of these investigations could be expanded. Since the 2021 Tokyo Games, the ITA has been developing a "performance passport" to identify extraordinary improvements in athletes' performance. This system will allow predicting results based on athletes' performance four years in advance, which could lead to the identification of atypical results that could be linked to doping. The "performance passport" has already been successfully tested in disciplines such as swimming and weightlifting, and has recently been presented to the cycling community. This tool could measure power and individual performance in disciplines such as track or time trial, providing crucial data for detecting potential doping cases. Technological evolution in the fight against doping is even more important due to its influence on training methods, both legal and fraudulent, which could exacerbate the differences between the most privileged athletes and the rest. Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), has expressed concern about the impact of the combination of AI and biochemistry on sports performance, warning about possible dystopian scenarios. In summary, the integration of Artificial Intelligence in data analysis and doping detection in sports promises to be a groundbreaking advancement in protecting integrity and equity in athletic competitions worldwide. With an ethical and careful approach to information management, this technology is expected to revolutionize how doping in elite sports is addressed.