Abstract
Individual athletes, coaches and sports teams seek continuously for ways to improve performance and accomplishment in elite competition. New techniques of performance analysis are a crucial part of the drive for athletic perfection. This paper discusses the ethical importance of one aspect of the future potential of performance analysis in sport, combining the field of biomedicine, sports engineering and nanotechnology in the form of ‘Nanobiosensors’. This innovative technology has the potential to revolutionise sport, enabling real time biological data to be collected from athletes that can be electronically distributed. Enabling precise real time performance analysis is not without ethical problems. Arguments concerning (1) data ownership and privacy; (2) data confidentiality; and (3) athlete welfare are presented alongside a discussion of the use of the Precautionary Principle in making ethical evaluations. We conclude, that although the future potential use of Nanobiosensors in sports analysis offers many potential benefits, there is also a fear that it could be abused at a sporting system level. Hence, it is essential for sporting bodies to consider the development of a robust ethically informed governance framework in advance of their proliferated use.
Highlights
Performance analysis is an essential element of elite sports success, whereby teams and coaches continuously strive for ways to improve performance and maximise opportunities for success
This paper discusses the ethical importance of one aspect of the future potential of performance analysis in sport, combining the field of biomedicine, sports engineering and nanotechnology in the form of ‘Nanobiosensors’
Performance analysis is an essential training and competitive tool for any elite athlete, ensuring that they continue to attain essential marginal gains through reflective feedback practices. It is a continually evolving practice, incorporating fields such as sports engineering and biomedical research to ensure that athletes receive cutting edge technology to allow for greater levels of analysis and feedback
Summary
Performance analysis is an essential element of elite sports success, whereby teams and coaches continuously strive for ways to improve performance and maximise opportunities for success. The ethical importance of one aspect of the future potential of performance analysis in sport, combining the field of biomedicine, sports engineering and nanotechnology in the form of the ‘Nanobiosensors’ is critically discussed here. This innovative technology has the potential to revolutionise sports, enabling real time biological data to be collected from athletes that can be electronically distributed. Whilst the future use of Nanobiosensors in sports analysis offers many potential benefits, there is genuine concern that it could be misused at a sporting system level It is essential for international sporting bodies to reflect critically on the need for a robust ethical framework in advance of their proliferated use
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