An Ethical Framework for the Use of Horses in Competitive Sport: Theory and Function

Growing ethical concern about equestrian sport is reflected in publications by regulatory authorities, animal charities, and the lay press; and in government debate and social media. However, attempts by regulators and stakeholders to address ethical issues in equine sport have been discipline specific and ad hoc. Ethical frameworks can help stakeholders to make contextual decisions about what should or should not be done in a particular situation. However, when existing animal welfare frameworks and existing sports ethics frameworks are reviewed in this paper, it becomes clear that none provide us with a suitable or sufficient tool for considering ethical issues which can arise in situations where the athlete is a non-human, non-consenting participant. This paper presents the theoretical development of a novel ethical framework, with the aim of providing stakeholders with a tool which they might apply to the consideration of the ethical questions which inevitably arise in relation to (equestrian) sport. The derivation and limitations of the ethical framework are explained. The use of the framework will serve both to underwrite the continuation of the social license to use horses in sport and also to enable those within equestrian sport to critically assess existing and proposed practices and to make welfare-improving adjustments to practice if/where necessary. The theoretical framework as presented here is currently being practically tested and refined in consultation with industry stakeholders, and that research will be submitted for publication in due course.

Legal, Ethical, and Integrity Issues in Sports Industry

This chapter focuses on the issues of the sports industry. Since sport, in addition to its other aspects, is a fast-growing industry, the chapter considers the importance of sports industry for the sector as a whole. The chapter shows the basic elements of sports industry structure, together with the peculiarities of Russian sports industry legal support in general and in some particular directions. The authors give definitions of “sports industry,” “sports product,” “sports entertainment product,” “professional sports,” “professional athlete,” “sports ethics,” and “sports integrity.” Being a good basis for sports business development, the legislation of the Russian Federation in the sphere of legal services for business and commercial activities within the sports industry takes into account sports-specific features and its principal functions enabling professional sports sector to provide benefits to economy and society. However, there is still space for further development.

Ethics and sports, ethics in sports, sports ethics: Aspects of consideration of different authors

Ethics issues are an issue today wherever there is competition for profit. Contemporary registered sport is a social activity and is, therefore, one of the spheres in which the above-mentioned phenomenon is present. Sports ethics as a term in everyday life is understood as the unwritten rules of behavior of people in sports, and in this sense, it starts from the assumption of fair relations in all spheres of sports. Honesty is one of the basic human values, a characteristic that reflects righteousness, principality, loyalty to commitments, honesty. The opposite of this is lies, deceit, hypocrisy. Maintaining ethical rules (norms) enhances the moral influence of sport and the responsibility of all participants in the sport for their behavior and, thanks to the immense attractiveness of sport for the youth, it contributes to improving the moral climate among the youth. Practical research and theoretical work on the conditionality and connection between ethics and sport exist, but they are scarce to some degree. The paper deals with the phenomenon of sport and its connection with ethics, considering theoretical, research and professional papers, and outlining the essence of individual papers that are important for the study of this issue. They deal with the connection between ethics and sport in a certain way.

Agon and the significance of victory at the Ceremonial Games in Olympia

The ideology of one of the most important global sporting events of today, the modern Olympic Games, focused on participation rather than victory, promoting equality among participants rather than domination of the victors over the defeated, established ideal models of sportsmanship and sports ethics of today based on the values of ancient society. The subject of this paper refers to the agon and the significance of winning the Ceremonial Games in Olympia. The objective of the paper is to determine the significance of the victory at the Ceremonial Games in Olympia through a review of primary and secondary historical sources, as well as to point out the connection between the victory and the agon. The historical method and the method of theoretical analysis are both applied in the paper. The results of the research point to the fact that the Ceremonial Games in Olympia were shaped by the general Greek phenomenon of expressed competitiveness or agon, the concept of honourable rivalry in all spheres of social life, with the purpose of proving excellence and superiority over competitors, and which as such became the main driving force of the development of ancient Greek culture, on the foundations of which the entire Western civilization rests today.