ABSTRACT
High performance sports attract enormous popular attention and affect relations that are global and local, cultural and economic. In recent times, widely publicized incidents of unethical behaviour within high performance sports have led to scrutiny and debate. Such episodes have taken place in diverse settings, occurring across sporting and national borders. In Sweden, for example, an independent investigation into the state of gymnastics showed ‘ignorant, unethical and unhealthy’ (Stier, 2012, p. 21, personal translation) approaches to eating, weight issues and injury within women’s artistic gymnastics. The account prompted extensive public discussion and vocal calls for changes to the sport. A report released by the Australian Crime
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Commission on 7 February 2013 revealed the pervasive use of banned substances by Australian players across multiple sporting codes and competitive levels (ABC, 2013). It was found that athletes procure these substances illegally and that a number of sports clubs have connections to organized crime. In Germany, a largescale research project focusing on adolescent elite athletes revealed that injuries, growth-problems, overloading, eating-disorders and burnout were already affecting athletes aged 15 to 18 (Thiel et al., 2011). Cyclist Lance Armstrong’s admission of taking performance enhancing drugs is still having repercussions. Even if Armstrong continued to claim that he did not acquire an unfair advantage over his competitors, his actions have been referred to as the ‘most sophisticated, professionalized and successful program the sport has ever seen’ (CBS News, 2013).
