For many, elite sport is the quintessential human endeavour. It drives ferocious competition, captures unconditional tribal loyalty, and rewards the victors with fame and fortune. As the Olympic motto declares, the limits of human performance are there to be tested – faster, higher, stronger. But what would happen if the boundaries were not just pushed, […] … learn more→

A chatbot is an artificial intelligence-based assistant that communicates in real time with users via text or voice messages. Although they perform well in conversations and are able to respond immediately, in addition to possessing a greater amount of information, they are quantifiably worse than real teachers on several pedagogical dimensions. In an area as practical as physical-sports […] … learn more→

Technological advances have changed the relationship to the world and to human relationships . In a society of the image, marked with the seal of individualism, it is now a question of investing in an infinitely perfectible “capital” body , and one to be preserved. There has been an increase in maintenance and fitness activities since the health crisis, and more […] … learn more→

Although sport is often touted as a vehicle for positive experiences, many investigations into sporting cultures – particularly high performance sport – have highlighted how predatory or abusive behaviour by coaches can emerge and be tolerated. The potential for (and reality of) abuse in youth sport is based on various factors. This includes the reputation […] … learn more→

Now that the beginning of the school year is approaching, it is time for parents to decide what extracurricular activities our children will do. Will they continue with the swimming lessons? Or do we better target them for math reinforcement? It is normal that, in these circumstances, we doubt if we are not saturating the little ones […] … learn more→

Two weeks before the start of the Tokyo Olympics, a state of emergency has been declared by the Japanese government in its latest attempt to contain the spread of COVID-19. It’s another setback for these Olympics, which have already been postponed for a year and will now go ahead without any spectators. With concerns that the Tokyo […] … learn more→

The petition presented to parliament last week calling for trans women to be excluded from women’s sport is simply the latest round in a difficult and volatile global debate. Organised by Save Women’s Sport Australasia, the petition challenges Sport New Zealand’s “draft guiding principles for the participation of transgender players in sport” for failing to consult widely enough. […] … learn more→

Less than a decade after 18-year-old Kobe Bryant got drafted into the NBA in 1996, the league made all players spend at least one year in college or playing overseas before they could enter the professional basketball league. That rule may be about to be rescinded, paving the way for today’s star high school players to […] … learn more→

1. Will this measure bring new opportunities for student athletes? I think that remains to be seen. For the few college superstars in football and mens’ basketball, there will potentially be more marketing opportunities at the large-scale level, such as national and international endorsement deals, camp appearances and apparel contracts. For others, there may be […] … learn more→

When high schools compete against each other in sports, often the winner is not the school with the best talent, it’s the one with the most financial resources to help develop and support its athletes. Perhaps nowhere is that stark reality more evident than in Des Moines, Iowa. From 2009 through 2018, football teams at […] … learn more→