Olympism as education: analysing the learning experiences of elite athletes

Barker, Dean,1977Gothenburg University,Göteborgs universitet,Institutionen för kost- och idrottsvetenskap,Department of Food and Nutrition, and Sport Science,Department of Food and Nutrition, and Sport Science, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden (author)

Olympic athletes are potentially the most visible exponents of Olympic values. How athletes learn values, however, has not captured the attention of those responsible for Olympic documentation or pedagogues. This paper examines how aspects of Olympism became relevant for three former Olympians during their athletic careers. Interview material suggested that: (1) inconsistencies within official expressions of Olympism mirror tensions in athletic experiences; (2) some claims concerning sport made in the Olympic Charter are simplistic and translate poorly to Olympic experiences that are multidimensional and complex; and (3) universal ethical principles have limited influence on how athletes conduct themselves. The results imply that pedagogues working with elite athletes should make discursive discontinuities in sport explicit, reflect on traditional views of sport education while acknowledging implicit learning, and approach questions of ethics from a specific and practice-oriented standpoint rather than a universal and principle-based one.

Barker-Ruchti, Natalie,1971Gothenburg University,Göteborgs universitet,Institutionen för kost- och idrottsvetenskap,Department of Food and Nutrition, and Sport Science,Department of Food and Nutrition, and Sport Science, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden(Swepub:oru)nbi (author)
Rynne, S. B.School of Human Movement Studies, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia (author)
Lee, J.School of Public Health, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia (author)
Göteborgs universitetInstitutionen för kost- och idrottsvetenskap (creator_code:org_t)

By the author/editor: Barker, Dean, 19 ...; Barker-Ruchti, N ...; Rynne, S. B.; Lee, J.

About the subject

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES: MEDICAL AND HEAL ...; and Health Sciences; and Sport and Fitnes ...

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