A Theoretical Perspective on Understanding Ethical Principles in Sports

Abstract

Physical education as well as sports is human activity that supports holistically the development of individuals. Sport is recognized as an individual activity that provides the opportunity for self-knowledge, self-expression and fulfillment of personal achievement. Sport support skill acquisition and demonstration of skill, a joyful life, a well-being state and a good health. Moreover, sport also involves us in a collective effort to pursue human excellence, giving us the real opportunity for social interaction. Followed by discipline, sport becomes a source of pleasure, but more than that, sport brings inspiration to individuals, brings them together through their cultures and differences, for a common purpose, thus creating bonds where previously there were social divisions. Besides all its attributes, from a social-constructionist paradigm, sport can contribute to the prosperity of society and can stimulate friendships between nations, at the same time calling for co-responsibility. Starting from responsibility as a social value, we thus understand how sport is the environment responsible for the application of rules and for adherence to moral and ethical values, such as respect for the dignity of the person, in a reciprocal way, solidarity, equity, fairness, transparency. The present paper comes to briefly approach, from a theoretical point of view, the importance of ethics at the level of sports, and to highlight those ethical values ​​(through a selection of ethical principles) on which the sport practice is based, through the lens of international specialized literature.