Empowering Young Athletes: Elevating Anti-Doping Education with Virtual Reality

Panagiota Pouliou; Despoina Ourda; Vasileios Barkoukis; George Palamas

doi:10.4108/eetel.4537

Authors

Panagiota Pouliou Aalborg University
Despoina Ourda Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Vasileios Barkoukis Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
George Palamas Malmö University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4108/eetel.4537

Keywords:

Virtual Reality, Anti-doping education, Performance Enhancement

Abstract

In recent times, doping's prevalence in sports has gained substantial recognition, sparking a concerted effort from researchers, policymakers, and sports bodies to underscore the critical role of impactful anti-doping education initiatives. An exhaustive examination of current literature underscores a critical requirement for advanced educational interventions that can effectively combat the multifaceted challenges presented by doping across the spectrum of competitive and recreational athletes. In response to this exigency, this paper introduces an innovative paradigm to redefine anti-doping education through the fusion of virtual reality (VR) technology. This proposed approach seeks to leverage VR's immersive potential, offering dynamic and interactive learning experiences that authentically mirror the complexities surrounding doping decisions. By immersing athletes within lifelike scenarios, VR education aims to provide a nuanced understanding of the psychological and emotional facets associated with doping, all within a secure and controlled environment. However, while the potential of VR in anti-doping education is promising, it also necessitates addressing technical, ethical, and usability considerations, an aspect that this paper further explores.

References

Barkoukis V., Elbe A. M., Lazuras L., Moustakas L., Ntoumanis N., Palamas G., and Stanescu M. (2021). Virtual reality against doping: The case of project VIRAL. In Interactive Mobile Communication, Technologies and Learning (pp. 487-496). Cham: Springer International Publishing.

Barkoukis V., Kaffe S., Atkinson A., Sumnall H., Koskelo J., Jussila H. K., and Banyte R. (2022). Fitness professionals’ perceptions of acceptability and usability of anti-doping education tools for recreational sports. Drugs: Education, Prevention and Policy, 29(6), 726-736.

Barkoukis V., Kartali K., Lazuras L., and Tsorbatzoudis H. (2016). Evaluation of an anti-doping intervention for adolescents: Findings from a school-based study. Sport Management Review, 19(1), 23-34.

Barkoukis V., Tsiatsos T., Politopoulos N., Stylianidis P., Ziagkas E., Lazuras L., and Ypsilanti A. (2019). A Serious Game Approach in Anti-Doping Education: the Game Project. In Proceedings of the 15th International Scientific Conference" eLearning and Software for Education": New technology and redesigning learning spaces (Vol. 3, pp. 451-455). eLSE.

Botella C., García-Palacios A., Villa H., Baños R. M., Quero S., Alcañiz M., and Riva G. (2007). Virtual reality exposure in the treatment of panic disorder and agoraphobia: A controlled study. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy: An International Journal of Theory & Practice, 14(3), 164-175.

Costa N., and Melotti M. (2012). Digital media in archeological areas, virtual reality and hyper-tourism. Sociology Mind, 2(1), 53-61.

Desai P. R., Desai P. N., Ajmera K. D., and Mehta K. (2014). A review paper on oculus rift-a virtual reality headset. arXiv preprint arXiv:1408.1173.

Elliot D.L., Goldberg L., Moe E.L., DeFrancesco C.A., Durham M.B., McGinnis W., and Lockwood C. (2008) Long-term outcomes of the ATHENA (Athletes Targeting Healthy Exercise and Nutrition Alternatives) program for female high school athletes Journal of alcohol and drug education, 52(2), p.73.

Foa E. B. (2011). Prolonged exposure therapy: past, present, and future. Depression and anxiety.

Haas J. K. (2014). A history of the unity game engine.

Kavussanu M., Barkoukis V., Hurst P., Yukhymenko- Lescroart M., Skoufa L., Chirico A., and Ring C. (2022). A psychological intervention reduces doping likelihood in British and Greek athletes: A cluster randomized controlled trial. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 61, 102099.

Kittel A., Larkin P., Elsworthy N., and Spittle M. (2019). Using 360 virtual reality as a decision-making assessment tool in sport. Journal of science and medicine in sport, 22(9), 1049-1053.

Kolasinski E. M. (1995). Simulator sickness in virtual environments.

Lazuras L. and Barkoukis V. (2020). Performance-and Appearance-Enhancing Drug Use in Sports: A Psychological Perspective. Handbook of sport psychology, 1169-1187.

Lazuras L., Barkoukis V., and Tsorbatzoudis H. (2015). Toward an integrative model of doping use: an empirical study with adolescent athletes. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 37(1), 37-50.

Lege R., and Bonner E. (2020). Virtual reality in education: The promise, progress, and challenge. Jalt Call Journal, 16(3), 167-180.

Melzer M., Elbe A. M., and Brand R. (2010). Moral and ethical decision-making: A chance for doping prevention in sports?. Etikk i praksis-Nordic Journal of Applied Ethics, (1), 69-85.

Nicholls A. R., Morley D., Thompson M. A., Huang C., Abt G., Rothwell M., and Ntoumanis N. (2020). The effects of the iPlayClean education programme on doping attitudes and susceptibility to use banned substances among high-level adolescent athletes from the UK: A clusterrandomised controlled trial. International Journal of Drug Policy, 82, 102820.

Ntoumanis N., Quested E., Patterson L., Kaffe S., Backhouse S. H., Pavlidis G., and Gucciardi D. F. (2021). An intervention to optimise coach-created motivational climates and reduce athlete willingness to dope (CoachMADE): a three-country cluster randomised controlled trial. British journal of sports medicine, 55(4), 213-219.

Pagé C., Bernier P. M., and Trempe M. (2019). Using video simulations and virtual reality to improve decisionmaking skills in basketball. Journal of sports sciences, 37(21), 2403-2410.

Park K. M., Ku J., Choi S. H., Jang H. J., Park J. Y., Kim S. I., and Kim J. J. (2011). A virtual reality application in roleplays of social skills training for schizophrenia: a randomized, controlled trial. Psychiatry research, 189(2), 166-172.

Pollard K. A., Oiknine A. H., Files B. T., Sinatra A. M., Patton D., Ericson M., and Khooshabeh P. (2020). Level of immersion affects spatial learning in virtual environments: results of a three-condition within-subjects study with long intersession intervals. Virtual Reality, 24(4), 783-796.

Powers M. B., and Emmelkamp P. M. (2008). Virtual reality exposure therapy for anxiety disorders: A metaanalysis. Journal of anxiety disorders, 22(3), 561-569.

Schroeder R. (1993). Virtual reality in the real world: history, applications and projections. Futures, 25(9), 963- 973.

Schutte N. S. and Stilinović E. J. (2017). Facilitating empathy through virtual reality. Motivation and emotion, 41, 708-712.

Spiegel J. S. (2018). The ethics of virtual reality technology: Social hazards and public policy recommendations. Science and engineering ethics, 24(5), 1537-1550.

Ziagkas E., Chaldogeridis A., Politopoulos N., Tsiatsos T., and Barkoukis V. (2020). A serious game against doping: Evaluation of game usability, ease and users’ enjoyment. Discobolul-Physical Education, Sport & Kinetotherapy Journal, 59.