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;
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