Protection of Children in Competitive Sport

Abstract

Sport for children -although a popular and healthy free-time activity in general -under certain circumstances can be harmful. This article explores how children engaged in elite sport may suffer from health problems, lack of education and limited or no free time. Furthermore, it considers the ways through which they may be exploited by their training and competing environments and how their right to freedom of association is often limited. Adopting a human rights approach, this contribution seeks to examine national as well as international measures to protect child athletes. An analysis of existing regulation identifies shortcomings and is followed by suggestions on how to improve child protection in elite sport.

Ethical Codes in Sports Organizations: Classification Framework, Content Analysis, and the Influence of Content on Code Effectiveness

“…For instance, codes can provide guidelines for conflict-handling in a sports club (Holt et al 2012). We also consider children's rights in sports as a theme: the belief that every child should have the opportunity to compete in an appropriate environment, without experiencing unhealthy pressure from parents and/or coaches, and with attention for the child's autonomy and the parental concern for the child's well-being (Weber 2009;Petersen 2010;Sagar and Lavalee 2010;Hartill 2013). The theme ''inclusion'' emphasizes that efforts should be undertaken to make sports accessible for disabled persons and persons that in other ways encounter barriers to engage in sports (Boxill 2003;McNamee 2010;Fitzgerald and Stride 2012).…”

Coping With Growth in Adolescent Elite Sport

“…Coaches also work in a system of structures and constraints in which their future employment may depend on children's performances." (p. 118-119) Structural changes are therefore crucial if ethical guidelines (see Brackenridge & Rhind, 2010;Weber, 2009) or juridical frameworks (see David, 1999) are to be effective in limiting early specialization and profit orientation in youth sport. Furthermore, we consider the counseling of sport organizations as a precondition to establishing codes of conduct that prioritize the healthy development of youth athletes.…”

“…This development is, however, questionable. While general sport participation may play a positive role in the healthy development of youths (FIMS & WHO, 1998;Kay, 2009), high-performance sport involves health risks for underage athletes such as injuries, burnout, or disordered eating (Brackenridge & Rhind, 2010;Donnelly, 1993;Martinsen, Bratland-Sanda, Eriksson, & Sundgot-Borgen, 2010;Weber, 2009). Furthermore, the healthy development of young elite athletes may be compromised by problematic training and living conditions (Brackenridge, Fasting, Kirby, & Leahy, 2010;Donnelly & Petherick, 2004), or abusive coach-athlete relationships (Gervis & Dunn, 2004).…”

An analysis of British Newspaper Coverage of the Teenage Swimming Gold Medallists at the London 2012 Olympics

“…As childhood disappears, so does the child's view of play. (Postman in Morrison, 2012, p. 469) Weber (2009) picks up this theme of the unwelcome pressure put upon high-profile young sports stars by the media. She explains how:…”