Sport Always Courts Controversy

Description

Undoubtedly, the role of an athlete at any major sports competition – including the Olympic and Paralympic Games – is to do their very best to excel within their sport, to beat their personal best, set world records, triumph over their adversaries and ultimately win a place on the winners’ Podium. However, some people argue that athletes are also role models and that they have a social responsibility too. We consider examples from the recent Vancouver 2010 Games that illustrate how perceived negative behaviours by athletes caused a flurry of press coverage and negative reporting. Clearly, the focus of the world is not only on sport, but on all of the actions of Olympic and Paralympic athletes.