Scientific gains aid athletes but complicate fair play

By Ira Zunin

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Aug 11, 2012

~~<p>During a recent trip to visit our large family in Ireland, the entire clan was rooting for Katie Taylor, the homegrown boxing phenom, in her quest for Olympic gold. We watched Ethiopians and Kenyans dominate so many of the running events and Jamaica's Usain Bolt, still the fastest man in the world. We bantered about Michael Phelps' incredibly long torso, huge lung capacity, long arms and big feet and mused about the physical attributes conducive to championship swimming.</p>
<p>As the family debated state-of-the-art training strategies — informed by cutting-edge science including the latest in sports physiology — one of my young nephews proclaimed that "soon we will all be bionic or mutants." Indeed, advances in medicine have complicated the politics of fair play in the face of fierce competition with so much at stake. Gold-medal winners, particularly in high-profile events, stand to enjoy massive revenue from sponsors, ads and promotions.</p>
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During a recent trip to visit our large family in Ireland, the entire clan was rooting for Katie Taylor, the homegrown boxing phenom, in her quest for Olympic gold. We watched Ethiopians and Kenyans dominate so many of the running events and Jamaica's Usain Bolt, still the fastest man in the world. We bantered about Michael Phelps' incredibly long torso, huge lung capacity, long arms and big feet and mused about the physical attributes conducive to championship swimming.

As the family debated state-of-the-art training strategies — informed by cutting-edge science including the latest in sports physiology — one of my young nephews proclaimed that "soon we will all be bionic or mutants." Indeed, advances in medicine have complicated the politics of fair play in the face of fierce competition with so much at stake. Gold-medal winners, particularly in high-profile events, stand to enjoy massive revenue from sponsors, ads and promotions. Login for more...