The question of eligibility for international sporting representation (ISR) has become increasingly contentious. In this paper we argue that the current ISR regulations are outdated and problematic. Sporting governing bodies ought to ignore citizenship as a criterion for ISR, and instead ISR should be based on a normative account of national belonging which would operate primarily on grounds of early socialisation and long-term residency. This approach would avoid many of the pragmatic and moral pathologies of ISR, and would utilise sports potential in promoting a liberal and progressive understanding of national ties.

Whilst the relationship between money and success in elite sport is acknowledged, the exact nature, extent and implications of this relationship is one that has not been carefully examined. In this paper we have three main aims. Firstly, to provide empirical evidence of the extent that money buys success in the English Premier League. Secondly, to evaluate this evidence from a sports ethics perspective, and, finally, to discuss potential solutions to the problem. We argue that the evident performance advantage teams gain through financial investments is contrary to the spirit of sport as it undermines athletic excellence and the 'sweet tension of uncertainty of outcome' that is central to good competition. Consequently, financial investments in elite football ought to be regulated and controlled. We argue, however, that current attempts to do so (via Financial Fair Play Regulations) are inadequate as they focus on issues concerning financial health, rather than the health of the game in terms of spirit and fairness.

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Nationality, citizenship and eligibility have become increasingly relevant in sport, especially under current conditions where there is an increasing number of players who change their 'allegiances' for international sporting purposes. While it is reasonable to link such trends to wider processes of globalisation and accelerated migratory flows, it is also evident that national sporting representation is subject to the venal power of commercialism. The concern is that national representation has developed into a more strategic, planned and economically driven activity that involves the overt collusion of national governing bodies and individual athletes. This paper evaluates the moral status of current international sporting representation (ISR) rules and practices as they relate to the Olympics. By drawing on de Coubertin's notion of 'sincere internationalism ' and Walsh and Guilianotti's (2007) work on hyper-commercialisation in sport, we will attempt to demonstrate how some of the current practices and regulations of ISR are ethically problematic. We conclude that current ISR regulations are drawn too loosely and need to be amended in order to limit the moral pathologies identified. Our critique is informed by empirical data collected from members of the Welsh sports practice community. ResumenLa Nacionalidad, la ciudadanía, y la elegibilidad se han vuelto más y más importantes para el deporte, especialmente bajo las condiones actuales donde hay un número cada vez mayor de jugadores que cambian sus «lealtades» por motivos deportivos internacionales. Mientras que es razonable el conectar tales tendencias a procesos más amplios de globalización y de flujos migratorios acelerados, también es evidente que la representación nacional deportiva está sometida al poder venal del comercialismo. La inquietud es pues que la representación nacional se ha convertido en una actividad más estratégica, más planificada, y motivada de manera más económica que implica la colisión patente de las federaciones y consejos nacionales con los atletas individuales. El artículo evalúa el estatus moral de las reglas y prácticas internacionales de representación deportivas (ISR) [siglas en inglés] vigentes y su relación con las olimpiadas. Basándonos en la noción de Coubertin del «internacionalismo sincero» y la publicación de Walsh y Guilianotti (2007) sobre la hipercomercialización en el deporte, intentaremos demostrar cómo algunas de las prácticas y regulaciones actuales de ISR son problemáticas éticamente. Concluímos que las regulaciones actuales de ISR han sido desarrolladas de manera demasíado poco rígida y que necesitan ser corregidas para poder limitar las patologías morales identificadas. crítica está basada en datos empíricos obtenidos a partir de miembros de la comunidad deportiva galesa. ZusammenfassungNationalität, Staatsangehörigkeit und Zugangsberechtigung haben wachsende Bedeutung im Sport, insbesondere unter den gegenwärtigen Bedingungen, d. h. bei einer wachsenden Zahl von Spielern, die ihr «Zugehörigkeitsgefühl'' gegen e...

Despite cultural and statutory changes, including significant investment in Welsh medium education, latest census data show a drop in the percentage of Welsh speakers. Moreover there is a concern that many of those who are able to speak Welsh are not using it -the language is not 'alive'. The Welsh Language Commissioner has identified sport as a space where Welsh can be used, encouraged and promoted. The aim of this study was to investigate whether community sport clubs can provide a space to encourage the use of Welsh. Using qualitative methods we found that strategies to promote Welsh in sports clubs are potentially divisive. The dominant and 'operational' language of many community sport clubs is English.Increasing the use of Welsh in these clubs risks excluding non-Welsh speakers, but ignoring the language denies Welsh speakers the opportunity to participate in Welsh.

In their recent contribution to JPS, Gleaves and Llewellyn argue on lusory and ethical grounds that elite sporting competition should cease to be predicated on competitions between nations. From a lusory perspective, they argue that inter-national sports' limitation on who can compete (due to it being based on national and cultural criteria) undermines some of the central principles of elite sport, such as athletic supremacy and merit. From an ethical perspective, they argue that international sport is categorically unethical because the national and cultural narratives that frame such contests are inherently untruthful and inauthentic. In this article, we challenge Gleaves and Llewellyn on both these grounds and argue that national identity and representation are worthy values that can be achieved through sport, and that inter-national sport, far from being categorically unethical, has the potential to stimulate meaningful cultural conversations, both within and between national communities.

Despite cultural and statutory changes, including significant investment in Welsh medium education, latest census data show a drop in the percentage of Welsh speakers. Moreover there is a concern that many of those who are able to speak Welsh are not using it -the language is not 'alive'. The Welsh Language Commissioner has identified sport as a space where Welsh can be used, encouraged and promoted. The aim of this study was to investigate whether community sport clubs can provide a space to encourage the use of Welsh. Using qualitative methods we found that strategies to promote Welsh in sports clubs are potentially divisive. The dominant and 'operational' language of many community sport clubs is English.Increasing the use of Welsh in these clubs risks excluding non-Welsh speakers, but ignoring the language denies Welsh speakers the opportunity to participate in Welsh.