Martial Arts and Doping (the case of Sambo)

[EN] Background. Today, the problem of doping is the most well-known negative phenomenon in modern sport, which has become widespread in response to its active commercialization. The majority of people would agree that doping issue has moral and ethical basis, therefore the educational component of anti-doping policies is most promising in achieving the desired result – doping-free sport. Research purpose. The study was aimed to investigate the peculiarities of the ideas sambo athletes may have about the problem of doping in modern sport. Materials and methods. The study involved 97 highly professional sambo athletes from 21 countries, namely Russia, Ukraine, Mexico, Japan, the USA, Canada, Cuba, Guatemala, Republic of Korea, Colombia, Paraguay, Venezuela, Peru, Brazil, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Uruguay, and Costa Rica. Results. A survey conducted among the professional sambo athletes, participants of the 2018 World Cup, made it possible to establish their knowledge about and their attitude to doping. It became known that 76.29% of the athletes were well familiar with the doping control procedure, while 23.71% were not. At the same time, 78.35% of the respondents believed that they knew their rights and responsibilities during the doping control procedure, and 21.65% of the athletes did not. 77.32% of the respondents knew the organizer of doping control and 22.68% did not. Conclusions. The analysis of the study results and WADA statistics give grounds to state that the problem of doping in modern athletes remains an urgent problem in professional sports, including sambo.S

Building European Safe Sports Together:a conceptual framework of transgressive behaviour

The (in)visibility of power in sports: we need a change! Cases of transgressive behaviours keep occurring due to social standards and norms formed by the sports community themselves. Through ongoing communication over time, these came to be seen as 'truths' and people are acting according to these 'truths' (e.g., coaches' dominance over athletes). As a result, individuals may gain or assert power based on the societal norms that are seen as absolute 'truths'. They believe their identity gives them authority over others and forces recognition of this power, leading to transgressive behaviour in sports. But is this actually the 'truth'? Project BESST's (Building European Safe Sports Together) framework helps individuals think and reflect about power's role in transgressive behaviour and safeguarding in sports. Comprehending interpersonal dynamics surrounding power relationships, transgressive behaviours in sports can be defined and understood universally. Achieving BESST requires a collective effort from all stakeholders at every level of the sports community, prioritising safety. To achieve this, we must change the power dynamics in the sports community's culture, empowering marginalised individuals and utilising power dynamics in relationships. A holistic approach is needed to build safe sports. It is about how people exhibit power, in which context it happens, over whom it happens, and its effects

How to ask sensitive questions in conservation: A review of specialized questioning techniques

Tools for social research are critical for developing an understanding of conservation problems and assessing the feasibility of conservation actions. Social surveys are an essential tool frequently applied in conservation to assess both people’s behaviour and to understand its drivers. However, little attention has been given to the weaknesses and strengths of different survey tools. When topics of conservation concern are illegal or otherwise sensitive, data collected using direct questions are likely to be affected by non-response and social desirability biases, reducing their validity. These sources of bias associated with using direct questions on sensitive topics have long been recognised in the social sciences but have been poorly considered in conservation and natural resource management. We reviewed specialized questioning techniques developed in a number of disciplines specifically for investigating sensitive topics. These methods ensure respondent anonymity, increase willingness to answer, and critically, make it impossible to directly link incriminating data to an individual. We describe each method and report their main characteristics, such as data requirements, possible data outputs, availability of evidence that they can be adapted for use in illiterate communities, and summarize their main advantages and disadvantages. Recommendations for their application in conservation are given. We suggest that the conservation toolbox should be expanded by incorporating specialized questioning techniques, developed specifically to increase response accuracy. By considering the limitations of each survey technique, we will ultimately contribute to more effective evaluations of conservation interventions and more robust policy decisions

The new front in the war on doping: Amateur athletes

The war on drugs is usually associated with criminal policies aimed at stemming consumption of drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and cannabis, less so with enhancement drugs like those used in sport. As drug use in sport, or doping, has become more visibly widespread, policies aimed at combating the issue have become more restrictive, intrusive, and harsh. In this article we draw new comparisons between the wider war on drugs and recent developments in sports anti-doping. We identify a growing trend towards criminalisation of traffickers and users, and associate that with another growing trend: the testing of amateur athletes. This article reviews the current anti-doping system, including the recent amateur policies, then considers of the results of one such program in amateur cycling. We then shift to consider the possible implications for amateurs of criminal doping laws and the recent debates about allowing medical exemptions for therapeutic use of banned substances. We show that drug use in sport can be understood as a new front in the war on drugs, with some extreme measures and many negative unintended consequences. To remedy this, we argue that amateur athletes require a separate anti-doping policy focused on minimising harms of use

The new challenge of sports nutrition: Accepting insect food as dietary supplements in professional athletes

Background: The dietary supplements market is growing, and their use is increasing among professional athletes. Recently, several new protein supplements have been placed in the marketplace, including energy bars enriched with insect flour. Edible insects, which are rich in protein content, have been promoted as the food of the future and athletes could be a reference sample for their continued emphasis on higher protein demand. The present study investigated the potential motivations to accept an energy protein bar with cricket flour, among a group of selected Italian professional athletes. A second aim was also to measure how an information treatment about the benefits of edible insects would have impact on acceptance. Methods: 61 Italian professional athletes (27 females) completed a structured questionnaire regarding supplements and eating habits, food neophobia, nutrition knowledge, willingness to taste edible insects and the associated factors. A question about sports endorsement was also posed at the end of the survey. Results: all subjects consumed supplements, generally recommended by medical personnel, even though their general knowledge of nutrition was poor (47.8%). Our main results shown that on a seven-point Likert scale, the protein content (5.74 ± 1.01) and the curiosity about texture (5.24 ± 0.98) were the main drivers to taste the cricket energy bar; whereas the feeling of disgust (5.58 ± 1.08) justified the rejection of tasting insects. In addition, the level of food neophobia increases with age (p < 0.05) and reduces willingness to endorse the cricket bar (p < 0.05). Male athletes (4.47 ± 1.69) were more likely to endorse the product than females (3.3 ± 1.49). An increase in willingness to taste was observed after the information treatment (z = 4.16, p < 0.001). Even though the population under investigation is unique, it is important to mention that this study involves a relatively small and convenience sample, and therefore generalizability of the results should be done with caution

Non-ideal Critical Realism Analysis on the Ethical Positions of Secular Doctors Towards Human Genome Editing

Human genome editing could be used to improve human intelligence, appearance, and physical strength. The ethical issues posed by the technology are causing public concern. Secularism views efforts to find moral truth do not depend on supernatural authority. The existence of a secular minority in Indonesia is considered an anomaly in public discourse and is left behind in the morally critical policy-making deliberations on genome editing regulations. The research explored Indonesian secular doctor’s view of human genome editing. This qualitative research used a non-ideal critical realism approach through in-depth interviews and literature review. Secular doctors say that human genomic editing has no different weight from other artificial selection. After conducting a risk-benefit analysis through moral calculus, secular doctors generally have positions and attitudes that support the research and implementation of human genomic editing technology

Bio-prospecting of Medicinal Bio-resources from the Kenyan Biodiversity: Reflections on Governance as the Missing Link - A Review Article

Medicinal biodiversity has since times immemorial served as one of the richest sources of bio-prospecting leading to the discovery of novel drugs for mankind globally. However, in Kenya, despite the Country being known to be a mega biodiversity hotspot, bio-prospecting has not been very successful mainly due to lack of effective institutional and legal frameworks. This article reviews the policy and legislation instruments governing medicinal biodiversity in Kenya in order to identify their weaknesses and strengths and come up with recommendations for effective economic exploitation of the Country’s’ mega diverse resource. The methodology employed was a qualitative content analysis of relevant biodiversity legislations in Kenya. Results reveal that there has been governance gaps as far as bio-prospecting activities in Kenya are concerned which has rendered the Country’s mega biodiversity vulnerable to bio-piracy at the expense of the poor  local communities who are the traditional knowledge owners. There is need to review the current pieces of legislation on medicinal biodiversity and work towards developing a strong National bio-prospecting policy together with an implementation plan. These are important to inform the overall national development agenda, in tandem with Vision 2030. Some of the policies were found out dated and rather obsolete and not serving the current interests and ambitions of the Country. There is therefore a need to revisit the policy and legislative instruments because they will continue frustrating bio-prospecting activities.  Moreover, we recommend the creation of a National Institute to coordinate and harmonize the legislations and National policies on medicinal biodiversity to seal loopholes, avoid conflicts and contradictions being experienced in the current legislative and policy frameworks. Keywords: Bio-prospecting; Bio-piracy; Governance; Kenya; Medicinal biodiversity DOI: 10.7176/JHMN/60-05 Publication date:March 31st 201

Imagining Chinatown : 'Broken Blossoms' (1919) in Britain

Before the Second World War, the majority of London’s modest Chinese population –consisting of approximately 900 people – resided in Limehouse, the East part of the city. The popular discourse saw Chinatown as synonymous with an exotic underworld filled with opium dens and exotic indulgences; a place where respectable Englishwomen were threatened by the lechery of Chinese men, and where less respectable Londoners could indulge in their vices. In this paper, I examine cultural texts that validated and reinforced the image of Limehouse as a place existing outside of Anglo-Saxon norms, where, to quote HV Morton, ‘queer things happen in a mist of smoke.’ Placing my focus on the ways in which Chinese community was represented in the popular media, I combine the analysis of Broken Blossoms (1919) and London (1926) with the critical opinions expressed by film editors and contemporary movie-goers. I also investigate the threat of miscegenation, usually inherent to the representation of Limehouse in the popular press. London Evening News, for example, encouraged their readers to pity ‘degraded’ white women who fell for ‘the Yellow Man.’ In line with the 1920s’ rhetoric of eugenics, other newspapers suggested that wives of immigrants living in London’s Chinatown were declining physically – gradually acquiring Chinese-like features – and mentally, as a result of their morally transgressive behaviour. Was Limehouse represented in universally pejorative terms, and, if so, what kind of social forces made such narratives reverberate

Sport and the social contract

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo