Discuss whether or not technology has created equality for participants in your chosen sport in the following areas:
a. Impact of drug testing -
Technology has helped create quality for all athletes in the sport of gymnastics by using drug testing to ensure that gymnast are not taking any substances that could potentially help them perform or train at a higher standard. Drug testing in gymnastics happens just like it would in any other elite sport, Gymnast are asked (at random) to take a urine sample witch is then taken for testing for any banded substances/drugs. In previous years, the technology in drug testing wasn't as good as it is today. In the past, gymnast have been stripped of their olympic medals due to cases of doping. At the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympic Games, Dong Fangxiao (china) was forced to give back her team bronze medal due to doping and Andreea Răducan (Romania) lost her title and gold medal for Olympic Individual All Around Champion as she tested positive in the drug test to. Today, the drug testing technology is a lot quicker and smarter meaning it is all testing before major events happen. These days, if gymnast are tested positive for doping, they will be disqualified from that competition and they will also be banned from participating in any kind of competition for 2 months after the drug test.
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c. Access to training techniques, equipment and clothing -
Technology has helped to make the access to training techniques, drills, equipment and clothing ideas/accessories extremely easy and do able for pretty much anyone needing to access this kind of information.
In the sport of gymnastics, there is a lot of techniques that coaches need to understand and access to help their athlete perform at the best of their ability. Skill, technique and rule books can be found online and the FIG (Federation of International) website as well as online at the national page for different countries such as http://www.gymnastics.org.au or https://usagym.org. The fact that information on technique, equipment and clothing is so easily accessible for all gymnast and their coaches around the world, makes this kind of technology being used extremely fair for everyone involved in the sport. |