Excellence In Sports Research Articles

Bidding for a lion's share: Singapore's Olympic medal aspirations through the Foreign Sporting Talent Scheme

As the country that currently provides the highest cash pay-out for an Olympic gold medal (Soh, 2013), it is clear that Singapore's government is committed to pushing for greater excellence in sports. However, in a small island state where participation rather than excellence has tended to be the function of sport, this objective appears problematic. A controversial scheme used to overcome this is the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme (FSTS), a sports labour migration innovation. This article discusses the scheme and contextualizes it in light of Singaporean government sports policy over the past two decades. It is argued that despite some public dissatisfaction, the Singapore government's objective to augment its Olympic medal capacity will lead to continuance, if not augmentation, of the programme. It is thus clear that tension between the PAP and Singaporean citizens will continue to grow unless a more efficient system for identifying and developing the local sporting talent pool is developed.

More of the same? Comment on “An integrated framework for the optimisation of sport and athlete development: A practitioner approach”

Gulbin and colleagues (Gulbin, J. P., Croser, M. J., Morley, E. J., & Weissensteiner, J. R. (2013). An integrated framework for the optimisation of sport and athlete development: A practitioner approach. Journal of Sports Sciences) present a new sport and athlete development framework that evolved from empirical observations from working with the Australian Institute of Sport. The FTEM (Foundations, Talent, Elite, Mastery) framework is proposed to integrate general and specialised phases of development for participants within the active lifestyle, sport participation and sport excellence pathways. A number of issues concerning the FTEM framework are presented. We also propose the need to move beyond prescriptive models of talent identification and development towards a consideration of features of best practice and process markers of development together with robust guidelines about the implementation of these in applied practice.

Can IGF-I polymorphism affect power and endurance athletic performance?

ObjectiveInsulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) plays a key role in exercise-associated muscle growth and development. The regulatory region of the promoter of the IGF-I gene is labile, but changes in this region were studied mostly in the elderly and in relation to pathological states. C-1245T (rs35767) is a genetic variation in the promoter region of the IGF-I gene. The minor allele T was found to be associated with higher circulating IGF-I levels, and possibly with increased muscle mass. The aim of the current study was to analyze the frequency distribution of C-1245T SNP in athletic and nonathletic Israeli populations. DesignOne hundred and sixty-five athletes (78 endurance-type athletes, and 87 power-type athletes) and 159 nonathletic healthy individuals participated in the current study. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral EDTA treated anti-coagulated blood using a standard protocol. Genotyping of the IGF1 C-1245T polymorphism was performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). ResultsWe found that the endurance and power athletes' allele and genotype frequencies were significantly different from those of the control group. Only 4.8% of the athletes were TT carriers, but none of the controls carried this genotype. The T allele was found to be more frequent in the top-level power athletes (international and Olympic level) compared to national level athletes, but such a difference was not found in endurance athletes. ConclusionOur findings suggest a possible contribution for the relatively rare IGF-I TT genotype to endurance performance, and in particular to power sport excellence in Israeli athletes.

An integrated framework for the optimisation of sport and athlete development: A practitioner approach

This paper introduces a new sport and athlete development framework that has been generated by multidisciplinary sport practitioners. By combining current theoretical research perspectives with extensive empirical observations from one of the world's leading sport agencies, the proposed FTEM (Foundations, Talent, Elite, Mastery) framework offers broad utility to researchers and sporting stakeholders alike. FTEM is unique in comparison with alternative models and frameworks, because it: integrates general and specialised phases of development for participants within the active lifestyle, sport participation and sport excellence pathways; typically doubles the number of developmental phases (n = 10) in order to better understand athlete transition; avoids chronological and training prescriptions; more optimally establishes a continuum between participation and elite; and allows full inclusion of many developmental support drivers at the sport and system levels. The FTEM framework offers a viable and more flexible alternative for those sporting stakeholders interested in managing, optimising, and researching sport and athlete development pathways.

A New Method for Non-Invasive Estimation of Human Muscle Fiber Type Composition

BackgroundIt has been established that excellence in sports with short and long exercise duration requires a high proportion of fast-twitch (FT) or type-II fibers and slow-twitch (ST) or type-I fibers, respectively. Until today, the muscle biopsy method is still accepted as gold standard to measure muscle fiber type composition. Because of its invasive nature and high sampling variance, it would be useful to develop a non-invasive alternative.MethodologyEighty-three control subjects, 15 talented young track-and-field athletes, 51 elite athletes and 14 ex-athletes volunteered to participate in the current study. The carnosine content of all 163 subjects was measured in the gastrocnemius muscle by proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS). Muscle biopsies for fiber typing were taken from 12 untrained males.Principal FindingsA significant positive correlation was found between muscle carnosine, measured by 1H-MRS, and percentage area occupied by type II fibers. Explosive athletes had ∼30% higher carnosine levels compared to a reference population, whereas it was ∼20% lower than normal in typical endurance athletes. Similar results were found in young talents and ex-athletes. When active elite runners were ranked according to their best running distance, a negative sigmoidal curve was found between logarithm of running distance and muscle carnosine.ConclusionsMuscle carnosine content shows a good reflection of the disciplines of elite track-and-field athletes and is able to distinguish between individual track running distances. The differences between endurance and sprint muscle types is also observed in young talents and former athletes, suggesting this characteristic is genetically determined and can be applied in early talent identification. This quick method provides a valid alternative for the muscle biopsy method. In addition, this technique may also contribute to the diagnosis and monitoring of many conditions and diseases that are characterized by an altered muscle fiber type composition.

Non-invasive Estimation Of Muscle Fiber Type Composition In Elite Athletes

It has been established that excellence in sports with short and long exercise duration requires a high proportion of fast and slow twitch muscle fibers, respectively. Until today, the muscle biopsy method is still accepted as gold standard to measure muscle fiber type composition. Because of the invasive nature and high sampling variance of a muscle biopsy, it would be useful to develop a non-invasive alternative, which can be used as a tool for talent identification. PURPOSE: To develop a new and non-invasive estimation method of the fiber type composition in human muscles, based on proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) measurement of muscle carnosine content, a typical fast twitch metabolite. METHODS: A total of 160 healthy subjects volunteered to participate in this cross-sectional study. The 4 subgroups consisted of 83 untrained control subjects (47 males and 36 females), 12 talented young male track-and-field athletes, 51 active elite athletes (40 males and 11 females) and 14 male ex-athletes. The carnosine content was measured in the gastrocnemius medialis muscle by 1H-MRS. RESULTS: The muscle carnosine content was ∼30 % higher in explosive athletes (6.58 ± 0.92 mM), such as sprint runners, compared to a reference population (4.94 ± 1.43 mM), whereas it was ∼20 % lower than normal in typical endurance athletes (3.98 ± 0.64 mM), such as 3,000-marathon runners. Decathletes showed intermediate carnosine levels (5.32 ± 0.72 mM). When active elite runners were ranked according to their best running distance, a negative sigmoidal curve (R2=0.9874) was found between the logarithm of running distance and muscle carnosine content. Noteworthy is that the muscle carnosine concentration remained significantly different between ex-sprinters and ex-endurance athletes (5.11 ± 1.07 vs. 3.61 ± 0.81 mM; p=0.012), who had discontinued training for many years already. Moreover, a similar difference was observed in young talents between explosive (7.04 ± 2.49 mM) and endurance (4.90 ± 0.93 mM) athletes. This suggests that the muscle carnosine content is probably genetically determined. CONCLUSION:1H-MRS based muscle carnosine quantification is a new non-invasive method for the estimation of muscle fiber type composition. Supported by Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO 1.5.149.08)

Aromatherapy for sports and fitness

The article describes the use of aromatherapy for achieving excellence in sports and fitness. Aromatherapy is the science of holistic approach for taking care of the body and mind using...

A critical study of sports talent selection and promotion of sports participation, at young age

It has been a long drawn effort of the author to draw attention of the authorities to the importance and emphasis needed to be given to the question of most...

Action anticipation and motor resonance in elite basketball players

We combined psychophysical and transcranial magnetic stimulation studies to investigate the dynamics of action anticipation and its underlying neural correlates in professional basketball players. Athletes predicted the success of free shots at a basket earlier and more accurately than did individuals with comparable visual experience (coaches or sports journalists) and novices. Moreover, performance between athletes and the other groups differed before the ball was seen to leave the model's hands, suggesting that athletes predicted the basket shot's fate by reading the body kinematics. Both visuo-motor and visual experts showed a selective increase of motor-evoked potentials during observation of basket shots. However, only athletes showed a time-specific motor activation during observation of erroneous basket throws. Results suggest that achieving excellence in sports may be related to the fine-tuning of specific anticipatory 'resonance' mechanisms that endow elite athletes' brains with the ability to predict others' actions ahead of their realization.

Effects of exercise on visual performance of female rugby players

Visual performance is an important factor in sport excellence. Over the past few years, aspects like hand-eye co-ordination, visual reaction time and their relation to eye exercises have been addressed frequently. Theories maintain that visual involvement varies according to the environmental demands, and that athlete's visual characteristics therefore vary according to the sports in which they specialise, have also been covered. It is well known that environmental demands are matched by task-specific motor response. The extension of this theory shows that visual ability can affect both motor learning and performance, and that the nature of the visual involvement will vary according to environmental demands. The purpose of this study was to determine if exercise will improve the visual performance of female rugby players, in order to achieve maximal results on the sports field. Twenty female rugby players aged 19 to 24 were chosen as subjects. In order to evaluate the effect of sport vision specific exercises on hand-eye co-ordination, a pretest - post-test experimental groups design was adopted for the study. The pre-exercise and post-exercise values of the subjects in the control and experimental groups were pooled to determine the averages and differences. From the results, it can be seen that there was an improvement in the performance of the subjects who were exposed to the specific exercises. This study could assist in advocating a theoretical framework and providing an empirical data base to guide and evaluate future research.

Relationship between locus of control, sense of coherence, and mental skills in Swedish elite athletes

Differences in competitive performance at the elite level are often attributed more to mental factors than merely inequalities in physical or technical prowess. Many elite athletes consequently engage in regular mental skills training, but some reach a higher standard than others. One suggestion is that trait characteristics may to some extent influence both the acquisition and use of mental skills. Our purpose was therefore to investigate whether or not a relationship could be detected between trait measures related to personal control and mental skills. A total of 198 individual elite athletes completed inventories measuring locus of control, sense of coherence, and mental skills. Results revealed that individuals with an internal locus of control and a high sense of coherence consistently displayed significantly higher scores on 9 out of the 12 mental skills measured by the Ottawa Mental Skills Assessment Tool‐3 than did athletes scoring lower on the two trait inventories. Findings suggest that individuals who perceive their world to be controllable, manageable, and meaningful have more developed mental skills. The cross‐sectional design does, however, preclude causal inferences, but sport psychology consultants and coaches may still want to consider these findings when tailoring mental skills training programs for individual athletes desiring to achieve performance excellence in elite sports

The Role of Sport Pedagogy in the Preservation of Creativity, Exploration of Human Limits, and Traditional Virtue

Organized sport in school settings is endangered by political circumstances beyond the control of educators. Three lines of defense are offered to counter the marginalization of the role of sport and sport pedagogy in our system of education. First, a fundamental contribution to society in pursuing sport excellence is to preserve the seriously playful environment of childhood, a precondition for creativity to blossom. Second, sport performances are about more than just in situ achievement; they contribute to our understanding of humans at their limits. Third, the environment of sport is one in which traditional virtues, often unable to find acceptable outlets in modem life, can be explored and examined. Sport pedagogy, when undertaken as a form of scholarship that nurtures these three contributions, is a legitimate act of social concern by those who take part in it.

Sports Competition and International Capitalism

The extreme competitiveness in American sports limits the possibility of mass citizen participation. Highly competitive sports are not enjoyable for most participants, except the very best, and sports facilities are often only available to these same select few. In any event, sports participation is often seen as impossible by most citizens since they do not measure up to the image of sports superstars found in the mass media. Also, rampant competition often leads to high levels of sports violence and a dehumanization of both competitors and spectators. Such sports competition based on individual excellence is not found in China where collective, nationwide excellence and breadth of participation are emphasized. The widespread ethic of individual excellence and individual competition in sports seems to be a product of international capitalism, since both international capitalism and the sports empire are dominated by the same groups of people and com petitive sports serve the interests of international capitalism very well.

Sex Differences in Response to School Failure

Boys have difficulties in learning far more often than girls. While girls' relatively more advanced cognitive development may account for some of this difference, the present questionnaire study of 222 grade school children shows that sex differences In emotional response to failure could amplify the effect. Failing girls have the alternative of pleasing the teacher by good behavior, a so-called feminine attribute, whereas most failing boys have to resort to excellence in sports or leadership, qualities which are less valued and not readily accessible in the classroom. Failing girls' acceptable social behavior receives the teacher's approval, whereas failing boys behave antisocially, which further discredits them with the teacher, setting up a vicious cycle.