Sports Authorities Research Articles

Prevalence of Traumatic Dental Injuries among Contact Sport Practitioners in Northeast of Iran in 2012

Introduction: Contact sports may lead to dental injures, which may often be prevented by using mouthguards. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of traumatic dental injuries (TDI) in professional contact sport athletes and to determine the awareness regarding use of mouthguards in this group. Methods: A questionnaire containing a number of questions regarding the demographic data of participants, experiences of trauma and their behavior after that and use of mouthguard, was distributed amongst 100 contact sport athletes. Results: eighty athletes returned the questionnaire. The age range of most of the participants (44.2%) was between 20-30 .Also most of them had been practicing in contact sports for 1 to 5 years (37.3%). 26.2% of the athletes had experienced some sort of dental trauma. There was no significant difference between the injuries in males and females (p> 0.05). Luxation injuries were the most common type of TDI (47.7%), followed by crown fractures (42.1%) and avulsion (10.5%). 89.7% of athletes had already been informed about using mouthguards, however only 10.3% reported having used them. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, the rate of TDI among contact sport practitioners in Iran is high; however the use of mouthguards by athletes is low. Dentists and sports authorities should promote the use of mouthguards in contact sports to decreases the risk of dental trauma and tooth loss.

Comparison of Vertical Jump Performance of Male Hockey and Football Players

The present study was conducted on 30 male players (fifteen male hockey players; age: 16.80 ± 1.52 years & fifteen male football players; age: 16.13 ± 0.83 years) comprising of inmates of Sports Training Centre, scheme of Sports Authority of India and players training under the guidance of Punjab State coaches in Patiala (India). The experimental protocol developed by Bosco et al., (1983) and Mcguigan et al., (2006) were used to measure the vertical jump performance of male hockey and football players. Test of significance of the differences was applied and data was judged at 0.01 and 0.05 level of significance. The analysis of data shows that the male hockey players performed better in vertical jump test parameters like the squat jump flight time, squat jump height, counter movement jump height, counter movement flight time, Eccentric Utilization Ratio (EUR), Elasticity Index (EI) than the male football players. But male football players performed better in continuous vertical jump test (60sec) parameters like Peak Power (0-15sec), Peak Power (45-60sec) and Mean Power (0-60sec), as compared to male hockey players.

SEPARABILITY AND INSEPARABILITY OF SPORT AND POLITICS: THE REALITY IN AFRICA TODAY

INTRODUCTION:Interference is an act of coming in or hindering by a powerful body when either an unacceptable or acceptable situation is prevailing. The power dynamics stand to dominate the trajectory of the development for the benefit of those with power. Politics has been regarded as an external force that should not interfere with sport activities. Sociologists in Eshuys, Guest and Lawrence,(1987), Rowe (1995) in Amusa et al (2005), argue that the relationship between sport and orthodox politics is marked by a contradiction between denial of politics in sport and political mobilization of sport. Further to that, there is an existing and unresolved controversy between governments and sport administrators, many argue that politics has no place in sport and some say it is impossible to separate politics and sport.The constructive or positive use of sport in politics began with the ancient Greeks. Leading athletes were paid the equivalent of thousands of dollars to enhance the prestige of their city -states. In Rome, according to Davis, Kimmet and Auty (1986), political groups used charioteers to para de their political causes. During the Middle Ages, both in East and West, jousting and other ritualized sports tested the administrative strengths and loyalties of court retainers. Nineteenth century has seen sports and games used to encourage desirable social characteristics.The two, politics and sport seemed to cordially work together for the good of each other but a wave of change was precipitated by the Black September's Fedayeen smash into the Olympic Village by terrorists in 1972, (Davis et al, 1986). So the Munich massacre marked a paradigm shift that saw sport authorities agitating for the separation of sport and politics, as states wanted to take advantage of sport to settle their political misunderstandings. The competitive power with sport has been singled out by nations as a fertile ground and opportunity to demonstrate expression of political grievances. Nations have joined international sport bodies not for show-casing sport excellence only, but even for advancing political mirages. Consequen tly, sport has suffered and also benefited at times. However, sport sociologists have remained adamant that political interference is detrimental to sport development. Therefore, this study is motivated by this argument, thereby, elaborating the connectedness between sport and politics today, the bad side of political interference into sport and the way forward.Individual athletes have their careers been shuttered if their nations have been banned from participating in international sport events. For instance, the controversy over South African-born Zola Budd (Eshuys et al 1987:127) and whether she should have been issued with a British passport in order for her to compete for Great Britain, the Russian military presence in Afghanistan was protested by Brit ain and USA by asking sportsmen and women not to take part in Moscow in 1980, thus, sport became a weapon of foreign policy. Developing nations suffered economic under development once they are excluded from sport competitions globally, for example, South Africa during its apartheid rule until 1994. Sport could be used as a tool to bring political independence, development and fair practice of human rights by states to their people that is the goodness of the interference, but could be used by those privil eged to power to advance their minority supremacy, that is the worst side of it. With that note, this study aims to draw the reality on the ground, that is, the relationship between sport and politics and the way forward.STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM:Political interference finds expression in sport today as politicians demand appearance and their visibility during sport events. Sport authorities find themselves at cross -roads whether to avoid politicians during sport development in order to abide by sociological perspective or to include them for the development and success of sport, that leaves out an unanswered question, Is sport and politics mixable? …

The Macaquitos Affair

From 1919 to 1921 sportswriters in a popular Buenos Aires tabloid gleefully unleashed an anti-Brazil campaign rooted in racial invective. This campaign ultimately provoked an international incident involving political and sports authorities, at the highest levels, in both Argentina and Brazil. This article uses this macaquitos affair to explore a larger pattern in which the nascent Argentine popular press disseminated negative racial portrayals of Brazil as a means of affirming a Euro-descended Argentine racial heritage. While this article highlights the mutually constructed notions of racial difference taking place on a transnational scale, it also emphasizes the centrality of mass media and soccer in both countries' efforts to claim racial success. In addition, the macaquitos affair lays bare ongoing conflicts between new, popular mass media of the 1912–30 period and the Argentine state, which in the macaquitos affair moved quickly to suppress these transgressive discourses of national identity.

Balancing between coordination, cooperation and competition? A mixed-method approach for assessing the role ambiguity of local sports authorities

ABSTRACTIn recent years, the subsidiarity principle has been underlined in Sport-for-All policies in countries such as Germany, Austria and Belgium. According to this organising principle, issues need to be handled by the lowest possible political and administrative level, and as close to the citizens as possible. The 2007 decree concerning Sport-for-All policies at the local level in Flanders (Belgium) clearly referred to this. It emphasised the decentralisation of the Sport for All policy, and highlighted the regulatory and coordinating role of local sports authorities. As a consequence, they may face conflicting roles of being coordinator, regulator and provider of mass sport at the local level. In this paper, a mixed-method approach is used to give a closer insight in the role perceptions of local sports authorities in Flanders, and their position towards private sport providers. The results show that local sports authorities consider the coordination and regulation of mass sport in their municipality as their primary task. Yet, it appears that private sport providers also perceive competition from local sports authorities. Moreover, a considerable number of the local sports authorities believe they can combine the roles of provider and coordinator. As there appears to be considerable goal ambiguity, it is necessary for local sports authorities to formulate clear goals. Referring to the principle of subsidiarity, it is argued that sports authorities should only intervene when (non-)profit sport providers are not able to achieve the desirable outcomes with regard to sport and the welfare agenda.

‘Preserving la difference’: the elusiveness of sex-segregated sport

Sport is founded upon a belief in dimorphic sex, dichotomous gender and segregated competition. To uphold these binaries, sport authorities repeatedly relied upon medico-scientific technologies to draw a line between men and women. However, all efforts to conclusively delineate sex failed. This paper details the IAAF’s and IOC’s use of anatomical examinations, chromatin assessments, DNA testing and hormonal analyses in their attempt to circumscribe womanhood. The history of these efforts illustrates the elusiveness of sex determination, as well an unwavering belief in its infallibility. All four approaches proved arbitrary, reaffirmed a false system of polarized sex/gender and discriminated against individuals who fell outside society’s two-sexed classification. By engaging gender, medical and sport scholarships, this paper shows how widespread social anxieties, medico-scientific ideologies and sporting norms coalesced, resulting in (unsuccessful) efforts to maintain separation. The history of sex/gender testing shows sex is indefinable, thereby suggesting sex segregation is impossible.

Media-Revenue Allocation in Formula One A Case for Competition Policy?

Two midfield teams competing in the FIA Formula One World Championship (motor racing), have reportedly lodged a formal complaint to the European Commission. They raise two concerns about violations of competition law. First, the system of allocating media revenues (predominantly from the sale of broadcasting rights) between the participating teams is allegedly unlawful and unfair because of non-performance related extra payments to some teams and a heavily front-biased performance-related distribution scheme. Second, the system of rule-making in F1 is unlawful and unfair because some teams have more influence on rules and rule-changes than others. According to the complainants, the commercial rights holder (CRH) abuses its power to benefit certain teams over others and forms a cartel with the favored teams as well as the governing sports authority in order to set the rules in an anticompetitive way for the complaining teams. This comment argues that an investigation into Formula One’s revenue and governance structure is justified since there is ample indication of anticompetitive arrangements.

Anti-Doping 'On Steroids': Bigger, Stronger and Faster

Anti-doping has evolved from a historically independent and un-coordinated movement to what is now a largely coherent and unified crusade, headed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and inclusive of global government, national government and sport authorities. The growth of anti-doping has not been limited to size but the scope has evolved as the WADA has consistently called for and successfully accrued more powerful weapons in the doping fight. While doping controls within sport have been successively ratcheted up (Hoberman, 2012) our attention here is with the recent expansion of anti-doping beyond the boundaries of sport to target the traffickers of performance and image enhancing drugs (PIEDs) through the use of criminal justice mechanisms.

El impacto de un evento deportivo mediano: percepción de los residentes de la comunidad de acogida (The impact of a medium-size sporting event: The host community perceptions)

El objetivo de este estudio es conocer las percepciones de los residentes de una ciudad sede sobre un evento deportivo de mediana escala, como es el Open 500 de tenis de Valencia, a través de la identificación de grupos cuya actitud hacia este evento sea similar. Después de la realización de la encuesta se aplicó un análisis factorial exploratorio que permitió agrupar la escala de 23 ítems en cuatro factores: impacto socio-cultural y deportivo, impacto en el desarrollo urbano y las infraestructuras, impacto socio-económico e impacto en la imagen y la promoción. En segundo lugar, se realizó un análisis clúster combinando métodos jerárquicos y no jerárquicos, que permitió encontrar tres grupos de residentes: Favorables, Moderados y Desfavorables. Finalmente se observaron las características del perfil y las diferencias entre los grupos de residentes. Los resultados mostraron que el grupo de ciudadanos favorable al evento era bastante reducido en comparación con los otros dos colectivos. También, se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en las variables relacionadas con el interés por el deporte, la asistencia al acontecimiento, el grado de afición por el tenis, el respaldo a la celebración del evento, el trabajo vinculado al sector del turismo o los eventos y la identificación con la política de eventos deportivos. Los resultados de este estudio proporcionan una información útil a los organizadores de eventos deportivos y autoridades para comprender y atender mejor las necesidades y demandas de los ciudadanos.Palabras clave: evento deportivo mediano, percepción de los residentes, impacto social, análisis clúster.Abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the residents perceptions of a city based on a medium-scale sporting event, such as tennis Open 500 Valencia, through the identification of groups whose attitude toward this event is similar. After completing the survey, an exploratory factor analysis was performed grouping the 23-item scale in four factors: socio-cultural and sports impact, infrastructure and urban impact, socio- economic impact and impact on the image and promotion. Second, cluster analysis was performed combining hierarchical and non-hierarchical methods, which allowed finding three groups of residents: Favorable, Moderate and Unfavorable. Finally, profile observed characteristics and differences between groups of residents. The results showed that the group of citizens with a favorable attitude towards the event was relatively small compared to the other two groups. Also, statistically significant differences were found in the variables related to the interest in the sport, event attendance, degree of fondness for tennis, supporting the event, the work related to tourism or events and the identification with sports events policy. The results of this study provide useful information for sports event organizers and authorities to understand and better meet the needs and demands of citizens.Key words: medium-scale sporting event, residents’ perceptions, social impact, cluster analysis.

GLOBAL MEDIA ON THE SPOTLIGHT: AN ANALYSIS THROUGH OLYMPIC BID BOOKS

O objetivo deste estudo é identificar e discutir as construções discursivas que envolvem as operações midiáticas em três livros de candidatura oficiais: Londres 2012, Rio 2016 e Madrid 2020. A análise do discurso foi conduzida baseada em uma compreensão de discurso que é atenta ao papel que desempenham as autoridades esportivas (aquelas responsáveis pela elaboração dos livros de candidatura); o público-alvo destes livros (membros executivos do Comitê Olímpico Internacional); e as circunstâncias em que o texto é produzido, circulado e comunicado (a candidatura de uma cidade a sediar os Jogos Olímpicos). Em geral, os discursos analisados refletem uma tendência para a homogeneidade no complexo global da mídia esportiva reproduzem as complexas relações de reciprocidade entre a mídia e as organizações esportivas.

Protecting sport from itself: a critical analysis of the 2013 Australian Crime Commission’s Report into Crime and Drugs in Sport

The following paper provides a critical analysis of the 2013 Australian Crime Commission’s Report into Organised Crime and Drugs in Sport. The paper argues that the Commission’s Report follows a familiar policy narrative in presenting sport as in crisis and in need of fixing. The Report seeks to reinforce the value of sport for Australian society and nationhood and severely critiques sports administrators for not upholding these values. The Report is particularly scathing of the work of sports scientists and some medical practitioners with respect to maximizing performance enhancement through apparently unethical methods. While the content of the Report may be familiar in its underlying anti-doping message, the Report also enters into the complex and sometimes contradictory issue of legitimate versus illegitimate methods of performance enhancement. It is argued that while the Report can be seen as another step in the longer-term trend towards greater governmental control over sport, it is also demonstrative of how power is devolved rather than taken by central government. The Report leaves sports authorities, coaches and teams with a challenge whereby they must use the best sports science and technology available to them but at the same time cannot be seen to be too reliant upon sports scientists and associated medical specialists.

Condemning and condoning: Elite amateur cyclists’ perspectives on drug use and professional cycling

BackgroundSports doping is condemned by sports authorities and by society at large. Cycling has a particularly infamous relationship with sports doping, especially at professional level. Using interviews with elite amateur cyclists, this paper examines how cyclists close to, but not within, the ranks of professional cycling perceive the relationship between cycling and doping. MethodsEleven elite amateur cyclists from Melbourne were interviewed with regards to their experiences as cyclists, use of training technologies, supplements and other substances, and their attitudes to doping in sport, especially cycling. ResultsInterviewees described how their training schedule is extremely demanding and frequently necessitates the use of substances such as caffeine, anti-inflammatory medications, and energy boosters. Some distanced themselves and their use of supplements and substances from doping and condemned such practices as unethical and objectionable. Others appeared to empathise with professional cyclists’ use of doping substances given that they rely on cycling for their income and made comparisons between doping and their own licit (not WADA-prohibited) substance use. ConclusionsThe perception of professional cycling as a sport intimately tied to drug taking places those nearest to professional cycling into a practical and moral predicament. Our interviews suggest that while elite amateur cyclists do not appear supportive of drug deregulation in sport they are not necessarily fully supportive of current anti-doping policy.

American Football Helmet for Preventing Concussion, a Literature Review

This paper reviews the studies that have been conducted on the performance of the American football helmet in preventing concussion. The review will also guide us to understand what problems still exist and what research directions we should take. Throughout the history of sports, injuries limiting the career life of the athletes have been the leading concern of the sport authorities. These injuries are more extensive in sports in which athletes are in severe contact with each. Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, concussion, widely occurs in American football because of the frequent strokes to players’ heads. Concussion includes several types of neurological dysfunctions such as headache, dizziness, confusion, blurred vision, delayed reaction time and etc. Lots of the studies have focused on understanding the concussion and improving the protective performance of the helmet, so that the dose of the injury in players is reduced. Researches in this area can be classified as two major methods: experimental studies and Finite Element Modeling (FEM) simulations. In experiments, researchers have tried to record head impacts or reconstruct the severe collisions using the game videos in the laboratory conditions. They have used the Hybrid III dummy in order to study the effects of the different impact parameters such as direction, velocity, region of the head being hit and etc. These studies have been done by analyzing the dynamic responses of head including linear acceleration (LA), rotational acceleration (RA), and different head injury criteria like Head Injury Criteria (HIC) and Gadd Severity Index (GSI). Mentioned impact parameters have been also examined using FEM simulations. Researchers have applied the results of experimental tests including linear and rotational acceleration in order to study the brain deformation responses to different types of impacts. In this regards, brain deformation responses like maximum principal strain have been considered and analyzed using the head injury and concussion thresholds.

Standardized Test System of Health-related Physical Fitness for Thai College Students

This paper presents a computer-supported system for promoting exercise and building the standard scores of physical fitness tests for college students. This system will help a university to investigate and determine the health - related physical fitness norms for the health of the students at that university. The tests are based on the physical fitness tests of the Sports Authority of Thailand. In experiments, the system was deployed at King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok (KMTNB). The data from the samples’ self-reported health were recorded and analyzed. The descriptive statistics - means and standard deviations - showed the results of the tests and allowed the determination of the gender-based health-related physical fitness norms for the health of the student samples. The system was practically used with the large number of users and convenient for both students and their supervisors. The results also revealed KMUTNB students today lack of exercise when the physical fitness of the students at KMUTNB was compared with that of the general population.

Drug abuse in sports and doping

Drug is defined as a substance that alters the physiological processes of the body which is used for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of disease. Abuse denotes injudicious or irrational application. The use of performance-enhancing drugs is probably the major problem facing sport today. Despite intense efforts by sporting bodies and the medical professionals to eliminate the problem, drug taking to enhance sport performance remains widespread. No player should gain an unfair advantage over other players by using an unethical substance or method. The use of drugs may also be extremely dangerous to the health of players. Drug testing programs have been established by amateur and professional sports authorities to promote a safe and fair competitive environment. Clinicians who treat athletes should be familiar with the commonly abused substances and doping methods DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bmj.v43i1.21379 Bangladesh Med J. 2014 January; 43 (1): 46-50

The Organization and Regulation of Full Contact Martial Arts: A Case Study of Flanders

To date, martial arts involvement is often described in controversial terms. While some studies report increased anti-social behavior as a result of martial arts involvement, other findings refer to a more positive social and personal development. This paradox has resulted in an ambiguous public discourse on their value and legitimacy as socially accepted sports, often leading to a dichotomization between “good” and “bad” styles of martial arts. Up until now however, there has been a lack of empirical proof that this “good versus bad” perspective divides along the lines of specific martial arts styles. Consequently, the distinct moral and medical concerns regarding the effects of involvement in harder martial arts—combined with their increased popularity, as well as their perceived positive outcomes for specific target groups—have resulted in a growing demand among policy makers to develop (or rethink) their strategy towards the regulation and support of these sports. By means of a case-study approach, the present paper discusses some of the key issues regarding the regulation of a number of full contact martial arts (e.g., kickboxing, Muay Thai, MMA), which are considered to be problematic for (sport) authorities, and which confront sports policy makers in Flanders. In describing the Flemish case, this paper aims to highlight the need to develop a sound martial arts policy that can provide a legitimation base for the provision and organization of full contact martial arts, which have become increasingly popular in recent years.

Second to fourth digit ratio is a predictor of sporting ability in elite Indian male kabaddi players.

Background:To determine the 2D:4D ratio in elite Indian male kabaddi players and compare them with non-athletes.Objectives:Our study was undertaken to find out a possible relation between digit ratio and sporting ability of male kabaddi players. This study also gives an insight into the possible ethnic differences between Indian sports personnel and other populations.Patients and Methods:Both right and left hands of 33 male kabaddi players attending training camp at the Bangalore regional centre of Sports Authority of India were scanned. Lengths of second and fourth digits were measured and their ratio calculated. Age, weight, height and body mass index matched subjects (25 males) who did not participate in any sports formed the control group.Results:A highly significant difference was found in 2D:4D ratios of both the hands with Kabaddi players having a lower ratio compared to their controls. There was no statistically significant difference in 2D:4D (Δ r-l) between Kabaddi players and controls.Conclusions:Kabaddi is an intermediate sport not requiring a high level of endurance but at the same time requires masculine traits because of combating nature of the game. 2D:4D ratios can be used as reliable additional criteria when screening for prospective players to be inducted into the team.

Sex Testing and the Maintenance of Western Femininity in International Sport

During the Cold War, women from Eastern Europe excelled in international sport. Rather than applauding the successes of these female athletes, many in the Cold-War-West responded with suspicion, contempt and derision. Armed with rumours and anecdotes, the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) implemented sex testing in 1966, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) followed suit two years later. Despite the introduction of a compulsory sex/gender control, many continued to lament the muscular physiques of the Cold-War-Eastern victors. The known and suspected sex test ‘failures’ from North Korea, the Philippines, Poland, the Soviet Union and Spain served to exacerbate the fears of gender fraudulence. As global dynamics shifted, however, so, too, did the anxieties in sport. When women from the People's Republic of China dominated the international sports scene in the 1990s, many in the geographic-West again doubted the authenticity of the achievements and called for a return to gender verification. A decade later, the international plights of Indian athlete Santhi Soundarajan and South African runner Caster Semenya convinced the IAAF and the IOC that such a reestablishment was necessary. Using the ‘colonial/modern gender system’ framework, this article explores the political and racialised sex/gender concerns medical professionals and sport authorities possessed, which led to the establishment, abandonment and reintroduction of sex testing/gender verification in elite sport. Through these three phases of sex testing/gender verification, the IAAF and the IOC reaffirmed a binary notion of sex and privileged white, Western gender norms.

Mechanical Power of Leg Extensor Muscles in Male Boxing Players

The present study was conducted on nineteen male boxing players (age: 16.37±1.34 years) comprising of inmates of Sports Training Centre and Centre of Excellence scheme of Sports Authority of India, training at NS NIS Patiala (India). The aim of the study was to find the status of mechanical power variables of leg extensor muscles in male boxing players and to find the relationship between them. The experimental protocol developed by Bosco et al (1983), Mcguigan et al (2006) were used to measure the mechanical power variables of leg extensor muscles in male boxing players. Karl Pearson‘s coefficient of correlation was calculated with the help of SPSS version 9.0 software. The results of this study indicate that there was a highly significant correlation between the squat jump flight time, squat jump height, countermovement jump height, countermovement flight time, Eccentric Utilization Ratio (EUR), Elasticity Index (EI) and peak power (0-15sec), peak power (45-60sec) and Mean Power (0-60sec).

Advances in The Detection of Designer Steroids in Anti-Doping

The abuse of unknown designer androgenic anabolic steroids (AAS) is considered to be an issue of significant importance, as AAS are the choice of doping preference according to World Anti-doping Agency statistics. In addition, unknown designer AAS are preferred since the World Anti-doping Agency mass spectrometric identification criteria cannot be applied to unknown molecules. Consequently, cheating athletes have a strong motive to use designer AAS in order to both achieve performance enhancement and to escape from testing positive in anti-doping tests. To face the problem, a synergy is required between the anti-doping analytical science and sports anti-doping regulations. This Review examines various aspects of the designer AAS. First, the structural modifications of the already known AAS to create new designer molecules are explained. A list of the designer synthetic and endogenous AAS is then presented. Second, we discuss progress in the detection of designer AAS using: mass spectrometry and bioassays; analytical data processing of the unknown designer AAS; metabolite synthesis; and, long-term storage of urine and blood samples. Finally, the introduction of regulations from sports authorities as preventive measures for long-term storage and reprocessing of samples, initially reported as negatives, is discussed.