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Fastest, Highest, Strongest: A Critique of High-Performance Sport


Fastest, Highest, Strongest: A Critique of High-Performance Sport

Hardback by Beamish, Rob; Ritchie, Ian (Brock University, Canada)

Fastest, Highest, Strongest: A Critique of High-Performance Sport

£150.00

ISBN:
9780415770422
Publication Date:
28 Jun 2006
Language:
English
Publisher:
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:
Routledge
Pages:
208 pages
Format:
Hardback
For delivery:
Estimated despatch 9 - 14 May 2024
Fastest, Highest, Strongest: A Critique of High-Performance Sport

Description

Fastest, Highest, Strongest presents a comprehensive challenge to the dominant orthodoxy concerning the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport. Examining the political and economic transformation of the Olympic Movement during the twentieth century, the authors argue that the realities of modern sport require a serious reassessment of current policies, in particular the ban on the use of certain substances and practices. The book includes detailed discussion of: * The historical importance of World War II and the Cold War in the development of a high-performance culture in sport * The changing Olympic project: from amateurism to a fully professionalized approach * The changing meaning of "sport" * The role of sport science, technology and drugs in pursuing ever-better performance * The major ethical and philosophical arguments used to support the ban on performance-enhancing substances in sport. Fastest, Highest, Strongest is a profound critical examination of modern sport. Its straightforward style will appeal to under- and post-graduate students as well as scholars of sports ethics and history, policy makers and all those interested in the changing nature of sport.

Contents

1. From de Coubertin's Dream to High-Performance Sport: The Shifting Dynamics of Olympic Sport 2. Steroids: Nazi Propaganda, Cold War Fears, and 'Androgenized' Women 3. 'Sport,' German Traditions, and the Development of 'Training' 4. From Stalingrad to Helsinki: The Development of German Sport Systems 5. 'Something had altered in the faces of the pigs ...' The Convergence of Sport in the GDR and FRG 6. Ethics Reconsidered: The Spirit of Sport, the Level Playing Field, and Harm to the Athlete. Conclusion: The Brave New World of High-Performance Sport

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