NCERT Textbook: Ethics in Sports | Physical Education for Grade 9 PDF Download

 Page 1


8.1 IntroductIon It is now being increasingly realised that sports contribute 
to the  physical, psychological and emotional well-being of 
an individual. Sports play a significant role in healthy social 
development and interaction. It helps people learn how to set 
and achieve goals through discipline and hard work. It nurtures 
the development of decision-making and leadership abilities, 
while teaching people to manage both success and failure. 
Today, it has become one of the most popular activities being 
organised at regular intervals. In it’s true sense, sports means 
much more than just to compete in a few events organised at 
certain intervals for the highest honour of one’s state/country. 
Sports is a human activity that contributes to the holistic 
development of individuals. It is recognised as an individual 
activity which offers the opportunity for self-knowledge, self-
expression and fulfilment of personal achievement; skill 
acquisition and demonstration of ability; enjoyment, good 
health and well-being. Sports also engages us in a collective 
effort to pursue human excellence. It provides us an opportunity 
for social interaction. It is a source of pleasure, but more than 
that, sports inspires, brings cultures together, and can bridge 
social divides. Sports can enrich society and foster friendships 
between nations. Sports is also responsible for the application 
of rules and for  adherence to values such as mutual respect, 
solidarity and fair play.
Sports today, faces the pressures of modern society and 
new challenges. When sports events like Olympic games, 
Common-Wealth Games, Asian Games or those related to 
Cricket, Football, Volleyball, Tennis, Hockey or Badminton take 
place, millions of spectators, viewers on television, internet or 
listeners on radio become intensely engaged even though a 
selected few participate. 
Sports is primarily a competitive activity where winning is 
the be all and end all. Do you agree with this statement? Perhaps 
that is why, in this highly competitive sports environment, we 
quite often hear about unethical behaviour which includes 
cheating, bending the rules, doping, abuse of food additives, 
physical and verbal violence, harassment, sexual abuse and 
trafficking of young sportspersons, discrimination, exploitation, 
unequal opportunities, unethical sports practices, unfair 
Ethics in Sports
8
Page 2


8.1 IntroductIon It is now being increasingly realised that sports contribute 
to the  physical, psychological and emotional well-being of 
an individual. Sports play a significant role in healthy social 
development and interaction. It helps people learn how to set 
and achieve goals through discipline and hard work. It nurtures 
the development of decision-making and leadership abilities, 
while teaching people to manage both success and failure. 
Today, it has become one of the most popular activities being 
organised at regular intervals. In it’s true sense, sports means 
much more than just to compete in a few events organised at 
certain intervals for the highest honour of one’s state/country. 
Sports is a human activity that contributes to the holistic 
development of individuals. It is recognised as an individual 
activity which offers the opportunity for self-knowledge, self-
expression and fulfilment of personal achievement; skill 
acquisition and demonstration of ability; enjoyment, good 
health and well-being. Sports also engages us in a collective 
effort to pursue human excellence. It provides us an opportunity 
for social interaction. It is a source of pleasure, but more than 
that, sports inspires, brings cultures together, and can bridge 
social divides. Sports can enrich society and foster friendships 
between nations. Sports is also responsible for the application 
of rules and for  adherence to values such as mutual respect, 
solidarity and fair play.
Sports today, faces the pressures of modern society and 
new challenges. When sports events like Olympic games, 
Common-Wealth Games, Asian Games or those related to 
Cricket, Football, Volleyball, Tennis, Hockey or Badminton take 
place, millions of spectators, viewers on television, internet or 
listeners on radio become intensely engaged even though a 
selected few participate. 
Sports is primarily a competitive activity where winning is 
the be all and end all. Do you agree with this statement? Perhaps 
that is why, in this highly competitive sports environment, we 
quite often hear about unethical behaviour which includes 
cheating, bending the rules, doping, abuse of food additives, 
physical and verbal violence, harassment, sexual abuse and 
trafficking of young sportspersons, discrimination, exploitation, 
unequal opportunities, unethical sports practices, unfair 
Ethics in Sports
8
 Health and Physical Education — Class IX
means, excessive commercialisation, use of drugs in sports 
and corruption.
These are just a few examples of what may go wrong with 
sports. There is not just one reason for these,  part of the 
problem is that people ignore ethics while making decisions. 
It is in this context that ethics occupy a critical place. In the 
present chapter we shall discuss various dimensions of sports 
ethics.  
8.2 What Is s ports EthIcs ? 
Before discussing various dimensions of sports ethics, it is 
important to understand the meaning of ethics.  Ethics, morals 
and values are used interchangeably in everyday language, 
though these terms are not synonyms. The concept of ethics is 
technically understood as a branch of philosophy that defines 
what is good for the individual and society and establishes the 
nature of obligations, or duties, that people owe themselves 
and to one another. But without going into the complexities of 
this concept, it is relevant to understand ethics as the practice 
of making principled choices between right and wrong: a code 
of conduct that guides human behaviour, a set of standards 
that guides our conduct. It is generally viewed as the system 
or set of rules, norms or laws by which attitudes and actions 
are determined to be either “right or wrong”. The fundamental 
problem of ethics is determining what constitutes proper 
conduct. It defines how individuals, professionals in different 
fields, organisations, associations, federation and corporations 
choose to interact with one another.  
In view of the above, sports ethics is a positive concept 
that guides human action in sports. It is defined as the code 
of conduct for promoting and ensuring healthy sporting 
practices. Sports ethics signifies not just a certain form of 
behaviour but also a particular way of thinking. It promotes 
fair play among children and young persons via educational 
and preventive measures and encourages the dissemination 
of good practices to promote diversity in sport and combat all 
forms of discrimination. 
Every child and young person has the right to play sport 
and games to gain satisfaction from the experience. The code 
of sports ethics applies to all levels of skills and commitment, 
recreational activities as well as competitive sport. It involves 
the elimination of all types of negative behaviour on and off 
the field. More importantly, it promotes equity and sporting 
excellence. 
Sports ethics is also focused on equity in sport which should 
be an expression of human excellence. It has two dimensions:
Box 8.1
Box 8.2
Ethics is much 
more than playing 
within the rules, 
as it covers notions 
such as friendship, 
respect for others 
and the sporting 
spirit.
Institutions and 
adults must be the 
guarantors of the 
right to play sport 
and games.
Page 3


8.1 IntroductIon It is now being increasingly realised that sports contribute 
to the  physical, psychological and emotional well-being of 
an individual. Sports play a significant role in healthy social 
development and interaction. It helps people learn how to set 
and achieve goals through discipline and hard work. It nurtures 
the development of decision-making and leadership abilities, 
while teaching people to manage both success and failure. 
Today, it has become one of the most popular activities being 
organised at regular intervals. In it’s true sense, sports means 
much more than just to compete in a few events organised at 
certain intervals for the highest honour of one’s state/country. 
Sports is a human activity that contributes to the holistic 
development of individuals. It is recognised as an individual 
activity which offers the opportunity for self-knowledge, self-
expression and fulfilment of personal achievement; skill 
acquisition and demonstration of ability; enjoyment, good 
health and well-being. Sports also engages us in a collective 
effort to pursue human excellence. It provides us an opportunity 
for social interaction. It is a source of pleasure, but more than 
that, sports inspires, brings cultures together, and can bridge 
social divides. Sports can enrich society and foster friendships 
between nations. Sports is also responsible for the application 
of rules and for  adherence to values such as mutual respect, 
solidarity and fair play.
Sports today, faces the pressures of modern society and 
new challenges. When sports events like Olympic games, 
Common-Wealth Games, Asian Games or those related to 
Cricket, Football, Volleyball, Tennis, Hockey or Badminton take 
place, millions of spectators, viewers on television, internet or 
listeners on radio become intensely engaged even though a 
selected few participate. 
Sports is primarily a competitive activity where winning is 
the be all and end all. Do you agree with this statement? Perhaps 
that is why, in this highly competitive sports environment, we 
quite often hear about unethical behaviour which includes 
cheating, bending the rules, doping, abuse of food additives, 
physical and verbal violence, harassment, sexual abuse and 
trafficking of young sportspersons, discrimination, exploitation, 
unequal opportunities, unethical sports practices, unfair 
Ethics in Sports
8
 Health and Physical Education — Class IX
means, excessive commercialisation, use of drugs in sports 
and corruption.
These are just a few examples of what may go wrong with 
sports. There is not just one reason for these,  part of the 
problem is that people ignore ethics while making decisions. 
It is in this context that ethics occupy a critical place. In the 
present chapter we shall discuss various dimensions of sports 
ethics.  
8.2 What Is s ports EthIcs ? 
Before discussing various dimensions of sports ethics, it is 
important to understand the meaning of ethics.  Ethics, morals 
and values are used interchangeably in everyday language, 
though these terms are not synonyms. The concept of ethics is 
technically understood as a branch of philosophy that defines 
what is good for the individual and society and establishes the 
nature of obligations, or duties, that people owe themselves 
and to one another. But without going into the complexities of 
this concept, it is relevant to understand ethics as the practice 
of making principled choices between right and wrong: a code 
of conduct that guides human behaviour, a set of standards 
that guides our conduct. It is generally viewed as the system 
or set of rules, norms or laws by which attitudes and actions 
are determined to be either “right or wrong”. The fundamental 
problem of ethics is determining what constitutes proper 
conduct. It defines how individuals, professionals in different 
fields, organisations, associations, federation and corporations 
choose to interact with one another.  
In view of the above, sports ethics is a positive concept 
that guides human action in sports. It is defined as the code 
of conduct for promoting and ensuring healthy sporting 
practices. Sports ethics signifies not just a certain form of 
behaviour but also a particular way of thinking. It promotes 
fair play among children and young persons via educational 
and preventive measures and encourages the dissemination 
of good practices to promote diversity in sport and combat all 
forms of discrimination. 
Every child and young person has the right to play sport 
and games to gain satisfaction from the experience. The code 
of sports ethics applies to all levels of skills and commitment, 
recreational activities as well as competitive sport. It involves 
the elimination of all types of negative behaviour on and off 
the field. More importantly, it promotes equity and sporting 
excellence. 
Sports ethics is also focused on equity in sport which should 
be an expression of human excellence. It has two dimensions:
Box 8.1
Box 8.2
Ethics is much 
more than playing 
within the rules, 
as it covers notions 
such as friendship, 
respect for others 
and the sporting 
spirit.
Institutions and 
adults must be the 
guarantors of the 
right to play sport 
and games.
Ethics in Sports 
 (a) Institutional: Discrimination based on 
criteria other than performance must be 
rejected, rules must be applied uniformly 
and without resorting to arbitrary decisions; 
 (b) Personal: There is a moral obligation to 
abide by the rules, in accordance with the 
principles of fair play. It tries to ensure that 
sporting excellence must be an expression 
of human excellence and performance 
and results should emerge from the 
deserved and meritorious development of 
individual talent. The codes of sports ethics 
documented by the Olympic Committee 
and other international and national sports 
bodies, governments, sports federations 
and associations, sports sponsoring 
concerns and specialised research institutions provide 
a comprehensive view of sports ethics. These clearly 
suggest that sports ethics is a set of standards that guide 
the conduct of all concerned with sports — the sports 
persons, trainers, referees, managers, administrators, 
parents, teachers, journalists, doctors and pharmacists, 
nutritional expert, sports sponsoring concerns, top level 
sportspersons who serve as models and even spectators. 
These ethical standards are universal and objective and 
are not based on subjective guidelines. They have been 
proven over time. 
8.3 s ports EthIcs : s tandards What are sport ethics or standards? Commonly described as 
six pillars of fair play, Standards are integral elements of all 
sports activities, sports policy and management, and apply to 
all levels of ability and commitment, including recreational as 
well as competitive sports. These are: trustworthiness, respect, 
responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. 
8.3.1 Trustworthiness
•	 Always pursue victory with honour. 
•	 Demonstrate and demand integrity. 
•	 Observe and enforce the spirit and letter of the rules. 
•	 Do not engage in or tolerate dishonesty, cheating, or 
dishonourable conduct.  
8.3.2 Respect
•	 Treat the traditions of the sports and other participants 
with respect. 
a ctIvIty 8.1
•	 Gather information from the 
literature on sports regarding 
the codes of sports ethics 
developed, documented and 
issued by various sports bodies 
at global and regional levels. 
•	 Collect such codes of sports 
ethics documented by 
government and sports bodies 
in India. 
•	 Compare the international and 
Indian codes of sports ethics.
Page 4


8.1 IntroductIon It is now being increasingly realised that sports contribute 
to the  physical, psychological and emotional well-being of 
an individual. Sports play a significant role in healthy social 
development and interaction. It helps people learn how to set 
and achieve goals through discipline and hard work. It nurtures 
the development of decision-making and leadership abilities, 
while teaching people to manage both success and failure. 
Today, it has become one of the most popular activities being 
organised at regular intervals. In it’s true sense, sports means 
much more than just to compete in a few events organised at 
certain intervals for the highest honour of one’s state/country. 
Sports is a human activity that contributes to the holistic 
development of individuals. It is recognised as an individual 
activity which offers the opportunity for self-knowledge, self-
expression and fulfilment of personal achievement; skill 
acquisition and demonstration of ability; enjoyment, good 
health and well-being. Sports also engages us in a collective 
effort to pursue human excellence. It provides us an opportunity 
for social interaction. It is a source of pleasure, but more than 
that, sports inspires, brings cultures together, and can bridge 
social divides. Sports can enrich society and foster friendships 
between nations. Sports is also responsible for the application 
of rules and for  adherence to values such as mutual respect, 
solidarity and fair play.
Sports today, faces the pressures of modern society and 
new challenges. When sports events like Olympic games, 
Common-Wealth Games, Asian Games or those related to 
Cricket, Football, Volleyball, Tennis, Hockey or Badminton take 
place, millions of spectators, viewers on television, internet or 
listeners on radio become intensely engaged even though a 
selected few participate. 
Sports is primarily a competitive activity where winning is 
the be all and end all. Do you agree with this statement? Perhaps 
that is why, in this highly competitive sports environment, we 
quite often hear about unethical behaviour which includes 
cheating, bending the rules, doping, abuse of food additives, 
physical and verbal violence, harassment, sexual abuse and 
trafficking of young sportspersons, discrimination, exploitation, 
unequal opportunities, unethical sports practices, unfair 
Ethics in Sports
8
 Health and Physical Education — Class IX
means, excessive commercialisation, use of drugs in sports 
and corruption.
These are just a few examples of what may go wrong with 
sports. There is not just one reason for these,  part of the 
problem is that people ignore ethics while making decisions. 
It is in this context that ethics occupy a critical place. In the 
present chapter we shall discuss various dimensions of sports 
ethics.  
8.2 What Is s ports EthIcs ? 
Before discussing various dimensions of sports ethics, it is 
important to understand the meaning of ethics.  Ethics, morals 
and values are used interchangeably in everyday language, 
though these terms are not synonyms. The concept of ethics is 
technically understood as a branch of philosophy that defines 
what is good for the individual and society and establishes the 
nature of obligations, or duties, that people owe themselves 
and to one another. But without going into the complexities of 
this concept, it is relevant to understand ethics as the practice 
of making principled choices between right and wrong: a code 
of conduct that guides human behaviour, a set of standards 
that guides our conduct. It is generally viewed as the system 
or set of rules, norms or laws by which attitudes and actions 
are determined to be either “right or wrong”. The fundamental 
problem of ethics is determining what constitutes proper 
conduct. It defines how individuals, professionals in different 
fields, organisations, associations, federation and corporations 
choose to interact with one another.  
In view of the above, sports ethics is a positive concept 
that guides human action in sports. It is defined as the code 
of conduct for promoting and ensuring healthy sporting 
practices. Sports ethics signifies not just a certain form of 
behaviour but also a particular way of thinking. It promotes 
fair play among children and young persons via educational 
and preventive measures and encourages the dissemination 
of good practices to promote diversity in sport and combat all 
forms of discrimination. 
Every child and young person has the right to play sport 
and games to gain satisfaction from the experience. The code 
of sports ethics applies to all levels of skills and commitment, 
recreational activities as well as competitive sport. It involves 
the elimination of all types of negative behaviour on and off 
the field. More importantly, it promotes equity and sporting 
excellence. 
Sports ethics is also focused on equity in sport which should 
be an expression of human excellence. It has two dimensions:
Box 8.1
Box 8.2
Ethics is much 
more than playing 
within the rules, 
as it covers notions 
such as friendship, 
respect for others 
and the sporting 
spirit.
Institutions and 
adults must be the 
guarantors of the 
right to play sport 
and games.
Ethics in Sports 
 (a) Institutional: Discrimination based on 
criteria other than performance must be 
rejected, rules must be applied uniformly 
and without resorting to arbitrary decisions; 
 (b) Personal: There is a moral obligation to 
abide by the rules, in accordance with the 
principles of fair play. It tries to ensure that 
sporting excellence must be an expression 
of human excellence and performance 
and results should emerge from the 
deserved and meritorious development of 
individual talent. The codes of sports ethics 
documented by the Olympic Committee 
and other international and national sports 
bodies, governments, sports federations 
and associations, sports sponsoring 
concerns and specialised research institutions provide 
a comprehensive view of sports ethics. These clearly 
suggest that sports ethics is a set of standards that guide 
the conduct of all concerned with sports — the sports 
persons, trainers, referees, managers, administrators, 
parents, teachers, journalists, doctors and pharmacists, 
nutritional expert, sports sponsoring concerns, top level 
sportspersons who serve as models and even spectators. 
These ethical standards are universal and objective and 
are not based on subjective guidelines. They have been 
proven over time. 
8.3 s ports EthIcs : s tandards What are sport ethics or standards? Commonly described as 
six pillars of fair play, Standards are integral elements of all 
sports activities, sports policy and management, and apply to 
all levels of ability and commitment, including recreational as 
well as competitive sports. These are: trustworthiness, respect, 
responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. 
8.3.1 Trustworthiness
•	 Always pursue victory with honour. 
•	 Demonstrate and demand integrity. 
•	 Observe and enforce the spirit and letter of the rules. 
•	 Do not engage in or tolerate dishonesty, cheating, or 
dishonourable conduct.  
8.3.2 Respect
•	 Treat the traditions of the sports and other participants 
with respect. 
a ctIvIty 8.1
•	 Gather information from the 
literature on sports regarding 
the codes of sports ethics 
developed, documented and 
issued by various sports bodies 
at global and regional levels. 
•	 Collect such codes of sports 
ethics documented by 
government and sports bodies 
in India. 
•	 Compare the international and 
Indian codes of sports ethics.
 Health and Physical Education — Class IX
•	 Do not engage in or tolerate disrespectful conduct, 
including verbal abuse of opponents and officials, 
taunting and inappropriate celebrations. 
•	 Win with grace and lose with dignity. 
8.3.3 Responsibility
•	 Be a positive role model on and off the field. 
•	 Safeguard your health. Know what you’re putting in 
your body. Just because a substance is legal or natural 
doesn’t mean it’s permitted or safe in health context. 
•	 Take responsibility and educate yourself about issues 
of anti-doping. It’s up to you to comply with anti-doping 
policies. 
8.3.4 Fairness 
•	 Adhere to high standards of fair play. 
•	 Ensure that teams and athletes play by the rules and 
treat others fairly. 
•	 Anything that gives an unfair advantage violates the 
spirit as well as the integrity of the sport.  
8.3.5 Caring
•	 Demonstrate concern for others. Never engage in careless 
behaviour that could injure yourself or others. 
•	 Help the team by encouraging your teammates. 
•	 Never tolerate unhealthy or dangerous conduct by your 
teammates. Encourage your teammates to make healthy 
choices and be prepared to report any dangerous 
behaviour. 
8.3.6 Citizenship  
•	 Play by the rules. Sports is defined by the rules. These 
rules may be yours or your team’s or your teacher’s. 
•	 Follow the spirit of the rules. Resist the temptation of 
gaining an advantage by bending the rules. Take pride in 
your performance while abiding by the rules. You have 
worked too hard to throw it away by cheating.   
•	 As a member of a community, whether in a team, in 
a classroom, or with a family, think how your choices 
impact other community members. 
8.4 r EsponsIBIlIty for o BsErvancE of s ports EthIcs  
The responsibility to ensure observance of sports ethics 
belongs to all those who are directly or indirectly, associated 
with sports and especially those who influence and encourage 
the involvement and participation in sports. These include:  
•	 Governments at all levels, including the agencies working 
with governments.  
a ctIvIty 8.2
Write a report about 
your own experience 
on sports ethics 
regarding any 
competition held in 
the neighborhood or 
at the school level.
Page 5


8.1 IntroductIon It is now being increasingly realised that sports contribute 
to the  physical, psychological and emotional well-being of 
an individual. Sports play a significant role in healthy social 
development and interaction. It helps people learn how to set 
and achieve goals through discipline and hard work. It nurtures 
the development of decision-making and leadership abilities, 
while teaching people to manage both success and failure. 
Today, it has become one of the most popular activities being 
organised at regular intervals. In it’s true sense, sports means 
much more than just to compete in a few events organised at 
certain intervals for the highest honour of one’s state/country. 
Sports is a human activity that contributes to the holistic 
development of individuals. It is recognised as an individual 
activity which offers the opportunity for self-knowledge, self-
expression and fulfilment of personal achievement; skill 
acquisition and demonstration of ability; enjoyment, good 
health and well-being. Sports also engages us in a collective 
effort to pursue human excellence. It provides us an opportunity 
for social interaction. It is a source of pleasure, but more than 
that, sports inspires, brings cultures together, and can bridge 
social divides. Sports can enrich society and foster friendships 
between nations. Sports is also responsible for the application 
of rules and for  adherence to values such as mutual respect, 
solidarity and fair play.
Sports today, faces the pressures of modern society and 
new challenges. When sports events like Olympic games, 
Common-Wealth Games, Asian Games or those related to 
Cricket, Football, Volleyball, Tennis, Hockey or Badminton take 
place, millions of spectators, viewers on television, internet or 
listeners on radio become intensely engaged even though a 
selected few participate. 
Sports is primarily a competitive activity where winning is 
the be all and end all. Do you agree with this statement? Perhaps 
that is why, in this highly competitive sports environment, we 
quite often hear about unethical behaviour which includes 
cheating, bending the rules, doping, abuse of food additives, 
physical and verbal violence, harassment, sexual abuse and 
trafficking of young sportspersons, discrimination, exploitation, 
unequal opportunities, unethical sports practices, unfair 
Ethics in Sports
8
 Health and Physical Education — Class IX
means, excessive commercialisation, use of drugs in sports 
and corruption.
These are just a few examples of what may go wrong with 
sports. There is not just one reason for these,  part of the 
problem is that people ignore ethics while making decisions. 
It is in this context that ethics occupy a critical place. In the 
present chapter we shall discuss various dimensions of sports 
ethics.  
8.2 What Is s ports EthIcs ? 
Before discussing various dimensions of sports ethics, it is 
important to understand the meaning of ethics.  Ethics, morals 
and values are used interchangeably in everyday language, 
though these terms are not synonyms. The concept of ethics is 
technically understood as a branch of philosophy that defines 
what is good for the individual and society and establishes the 
nature of obligations, or duties, that people owe themselves 
and to one another. But without going into the complexities of 
this concept, it is relevant to understand ethics as the practice 
of making principled choices between right and wrong: a code 
of conduct that guides human behaviour, a set of standards 
that guides our conduct. It is generally viewed as the system 
or set of rules, norms or laws by which attitudes and actions 
are determined to be either “right or wrong”. The fundamental 
problem of ethics is determining what constitutes proper 
conduct. It defines how individuals, professionals in different 
fields, organisations, associations, federation and corporations 
choose to interact with one another.  
In view of the above, sports ethics is a positive concept 
that guides human action in sports. It is defined as the code 
of conduct for promoting and ensuring healthy sporting 
practices. Sports ethics signifies not just a certain form of 
behaviour but also a particular way of thinking. It promotes 
fair play among children and young persons via educational 
and preventive measures and encourages the dissemination 
of good practices to promote diversity in sport and combat all 
forms of discrimination. 
Every child and young person has the right to play sport 
and games to gain satisfaction from the experience. The code 
of sports ethics applies to all levels of skills and commitment, 
recreational activities as well as competitive sport. It involves 
the elimination of all types of negative behaviour on and off 
the field. More importantly, it promotes equity and sporting 
excellence. 
Sports ethics is also focused on equity in sport which should 
be an expression of human excellence. It has two dimensions:
Box 8.1
Box 8.2
Ethics is much 
more than playing 
within the rules, 
as it covers notions 
such as friendship, 
respect for others 
and the sporting 
spirit.
Institutions and 
adults must be the 
guarantors of the 
right to play sport 
and games.
Ethics in Sports 
 (a) Institutional: Discrimination based on 
criteria other than performance must be 
rejected, rules must be applied uniformly 
and without resorting to arbitrary decisions; 
 (b) Personal: There is a moral obligation to 
abide by the rules, in accordance with the 
principles of fair play. It tries to ensure that 
sporting excellence must be an expression 
of human excellence and performance 
and results should emerge from the 
deserved and meritorious development of 
individual talent. The codes of sports ethics 
documented by the Olympic Committee 
and other international and national sports 
bodies, governments, sports federations 
and associations, sports sponsoring 
concerns and specialised research institutions provide 
a comprehensive view of sports ethics. These clearly 
suggest that sports ethics is a set of standards that guide 
the conduct of all concerned with sports — the sports 
persons, trainers, referees, managers, administrators, 
parents, teachers, journalists, doctors and pharmacists, 
nutritional expert, sports sponsoring concerns, top level 
sportspersons who serve as models and even spectators. 
These ethical standards are universal and objective and 
are not based on subjective guidelines. They have been 
proven over time. 
8.3 s ports EthIcs : s tandards What are sport ethics or standards? Commonly described as 
six pillars of fair play, Standards are integral elements of all 
sports activities, sports policy and management, and apply to 
all levels of ability and commitment, including recreational as 
well as competitive sports. These are: trustworthiness, respect, 
responsibility, fairness, caring and citizenship. 
8.3.1 Trustworthiness
•	 Always pursue victory with honour. 
•	 Demonstrate and demand integrity. 
•	 Observe and enforce the spirit and letter of the rules. 
•	 Do not engage in or tolerate dishonesty, cheating, or 
dishonourable conduct.  
8.3.2 Respect
•	 Treat the traditions of the sports and other participants 
with respect. 
a ctIvIty 8.1
•	 Gather information from the 
literature on sports regarding 
the codes of sports ethics 
developed, documented and 
issued by various sports bodies 
at global and regional levels. 
•	 Collect such codes of sports 
ethics documented by 
government and sports bodies 
in India. 
•	 Compare the international and 
Indian codes of sports ethics.
 Health and Physical Education — Class IX
•	 Do not engage in or tolerate disrespectful conduct, 
including verbal abuse of opponents and officials, 
taunting and inappropriate celebrations. 
•	 Win with grace and lose with dignity. 
8.3.3 Responsibility
•	 Be a positive role model on and off the field. 
•	 Safeguard your health. Know what you’re putting in 
your body. Just because a substance is legal or natural 
doesn’t mean it’s permitted or safe in health context. 
•	 Take responsibility and educate yourself about issues 
of anti-doping. It’s up to you to comply with anti-doping 
policies. 
8.3.4 Fairness 
•	 Adhere to high standards of fair play. 
•	 Ensure that teams and athletes play by the rules and 
treat others fairly. 
•	 Anything that gives an unfair advantage violates the 
spirit as well as the integrity of the sport.  
8.3.5 Caring
•	 Demonstrate concern for others. Never engage in careless 
behaviour that could injure yourself or others. 
•	 Help the team by encouraging your teammates. 
•	 Never tolerate unhealthy or dangerous conduct by your 
teammates. Encourage your teammates to make healthy 
choices and be prepared to report any dangerous 
behaviour. 
8.3.6 Citizenship  
•	 Play by the rules. Sports is defined by the rules. These 
rules may be yours or your team’s or your teacher’s. 
•	 Follow the spirit of the rules. Resist the temptation of 
gaining an advantage by bending the rules. Take pride in 
your performance while abiding by the rules. You have 
worked too hard to throw it away by cheating.   
•	 As a member of a community, whether in a team, in 
a classroom, or with a family, think how your choices 
impact other community members. 
8.4 r EsponsIBIlIty for o BsErvancE of s ports EthIcs  
The responsibility to ensure observance of sports ethics 
belongs to all those who are directly or indirectly, associated 
with sports and especially those who influence and encourage 
the involvement and participation in sports. These include:  
•	 Governments at all levels, including the agencies working 
with governments.  
a ctIvIty 8.2
Write a report about 
your own experience 
on sports ethics 
regarding any 
competition held in 
the neighborhood or 
at the school level.
Ethics in Sports 
•	 Sports-related organisations including sports federations 
and governing bodies, sports sponsoring concerns, 
physical education associations, coaching agencies and 
institutes, medical and pharmacological professions and 
mass media. 
•	 The commercial sector, including sports goods 
manufacturers and retailers, sponsoring concerns and 
marketing agencies; and 
•	 Individuals including  parents, teachers, coaches,  
referees, officials, sports leaders, physical education 
expert, administrators, journalists, doctors and 
pharmacists and those role models who have achieved 
levels of sporting excellence and fame; those who work on 
a voluntary or on a professional basis. Individuals may 
also have responsibilities in their capacity as spectators. 
Each of these institutions and individuals have a 
responsibility and a role to play. This code of sports ethics 
is addressed to each one of them. This can be effective if all 
involved in sports are ready to take on the responsibility 
identified in the code.  
8.4.1 Government
Government has the following responsibilities:
•	 to encourage and follow ethical standards in all areas of 
society where sports are conducted; 
•	 to improve controls with regard to integrity and ethics in 
funding of amateur and leisure sport; 
•	 to stimulate and support those organisations and 
individuals who have demonstrated ethical principles in 
their sports-related activities; 
•	 to cooperate in promoting and monitoring the 
implementation of the code of sports ethics; 
•	 to empower and encourage physical education and 
sports teachers and instructors to promote sports ethics 
in school curricula and refer to the positive contribution 
of sports to humankind and society;  
•	 to commit in preserving the integrity of sports under 
threat especially from match fixing, trafficking in young 
sportsperson and illegal betting; 
•	 to support, as far as possible, all initiatives aimed at 
promoting sports ethics, particularly among youths, and 
encouraging institutions to make sports ethics a central 
priority; 
•	 to continue to promote, in cooperation with the sports 
movement, the promotion and monitoring  of the 
prevention of racism, xenophobia (hatred and fear of one 
another) and racial intolerance in sport;