Enhancing disabilities: transhumanism under the veil of inclusion?

Technological developments for disabled athletes may facilitate their competition in standard elite sports. They raise intriguing philosophical questions that challenge dominant notions of body and normality. The case of 'bladerunner' Oscar Pistorius in particular is used to illustrate and defend 'transhumanist' ideologies that promote the use of technology to extend human capabilities. Some argue that new technologies will undermine the sharp contrast between the athlete as a cultural hero and icon and the disabled person that needs extra attention or care; the one exemplary of the peak of normality, human functioning at its best, the other representing a way of coping with the opposite. Do current ways of classification do justice to the performances of disabled athletes? The case of Oscar Pistorius will be used to further illustrate the complexities of these questions, in particular when related to notions of normality and extraordinary performances. Pistorius' desire to become part of 'normal' elite sport may be interpreted as an expression of a right to 'inclusion' or 'integration', but at the same time it reproduces new inequalities and asymmetries between performances of able and dis-abled athletes: we propose that if one accepts that Pistorius should compete in the 'regular' Olympic Games, this would paradoxically underline the differences between able and disabled and it would reproduce the current order and hierarchy between able and disabled bodies. © 2010 Informa UK, Ltd

Gender Diversity in Sport Leadership: A Review of United States of America National Governing Bodies of Sport

This article examines the gender diversity within the governance structures of the National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs) that fall under the remit of the United States Olympic Committee. This article employs Kanter’s (1977) theory of Critical Mass to examine female representation within leadership positions held in NGBs. By categorising female representation into one of Kanter’s four groups; Uniformed, Skewed, Tilted and Balanced, the article examines whether female inclusion in leadership has any impact on the NGB achieving gender membership benchmarks. Data were obtained from the USOC’s Diversity and Inclusion Scorecard. The results indicate that females are largely under-represented in leadership roles within NGBs. However, the data indicates a positive correlation between female representation in the leadership structure of NGBs, and the ability of the NGB to achieve female membership benchmarks. The study concludes that as well as supporting the ethical case for female representation, the findings highlight a clear business performance case for greater gender diversity