To Protect the “Natural” Athlete: The Historical Linkages between Dope and Sex Control in International Sport
Kathryn Henne
PhD Candidate in Criminology, Law and Society
Graduate Emphasis Programs in Critical Theory and Feminist Studies
This paper explores the linkages between anti-doping regulation and “sex control” in international sport. Though the focus of each regulatory system is distinctly different, they share common origins as outgrowths of International Olympic Committee rules. Drawing upon archival research conducted at the Olympic Studies Centre in Lausanne, Switzerland, this analysis examines how early advocates approached the development of both dope and sex control. As these “moral entrepreneurs” (see Becker 1963) called for the implementation of scientifically valid measures to ensure fair competition based on athletes’ natural abilities, questions arise regarding the moral assumptions embedded within their practice. In exploring these justifications, this paper looks at the following questions: How does heteronormativity play out within these fields? Further, how do these technocratic regimes influence interpellations of the body within sport and physical culture, particularly our understandings of the categories, “athlete” and “fair play”?
A light lunch will be served
RSVP bbaliga@uci.edu by October 21st, 2009GFE presentation by Kate Henne |