Vol. 28 No. 300 (2023)
Genetics and Sport
Many physical educators and coaches place great importance on genetics, since the hereditary component influences many physical traits that determine the athletic ability of people, such as strength, muscle fiber type, aerobic capacity, height and flexibility. However, there are also contextual factors that play an important role in the development of sporting potential, such as training, diet, motivation, and equipment.
Genetics can also help optimize performance, contributing to the development of safe sports practice, by evaluating the risk of a hereditary disease associated with sudden death in athletes. For this, there are different types of specialized tests that study different aspects of the genetic profile of each person and can guide the most appropriate guidelines for each case.
But at the same time, given the advances in these studies, the risk that can be glimpsed is that, under the Gattaca criteria, a system of discrimination and exclusion could be established in all levels of sport that prevents the participation of athletes like Messi (short height), Pelé (flat foot), Michael Phelps, Mireia Belmonte, Mo Farah, Dennis Rodman (asthmatics), and many more, who, although they were not benefited by the genetic lottery, at the cost of effort, perseverance , family and community support and other incentives, managed to express their talent despite bodily and organic limitations. Ultimately, genetics alone do not determine a phenomenon as complex as athletic performance, but rather interact with the environment to create a wide variety of possible outcomes.
Tulio Guterman - Director, May 2023
Published:
2023-05-08
