Class Activity: Technology and HUMANITY

We have been reading a number of perspectives on how technology intersects and has historically intersected with our instincts about humanity and human nature. This activity will prompt us to explore some of those ideas further by thinking about the case of doping in the Olympics. Each group will take on the role of the body of the International Olympic Committee charged with making decisions about doping. Each group has a different case study. Your task is to determine whether and how the case study transgresses the boundaries of fair play as you understand them. Be prepared following the discussion to present your conclusions to the class.

International Olympic Committee, Case Report #1 (Technological Doping)
Desmond is a Canadian decathlete. His training regime is carefully calibrated so he can maintain his performance across a variety of events. He trains in an altitude tent to increase his red blood cell production and lung capacity. He takes advantage of the most recent advances in materials science so that he can use more efficient poles for the pole vault and can throw javelins that create less friction with the air. His custom shoes use special soles that are designed to dissipate as little energy as possible, giving him more bounce off the track.

A complaint has been filed against Desmond, charging that his training practices and equipment violate the spirit of the Olympic competition. You are the committee charged with arbitrating this claim and determining whether it violates the Olympic spirit of fair play. Assume that no restrictions are currently in place and that your decision will serve as precedent for future cases.

Discuss:
-        What standards should be in place to enforce “the spirit of competition”?
-        Do this individual’s practices violate that spirit?
-        Why?
-        How would you compare these practices to other types of activities that might violate the spirit of competition? What makes them similar or sets them apart?

International Olympic Committee, Case Report #2 (Physiological Doping)
Azucena is a Peruvian swimmer. In addition to her rigorous training regime she uses human erythropoietin (EPO), which is a hormone occurring naturally in the human body that stimulates red blood cell production. Azucena believes that because she is simply supplementing a hormone that her body produces naturally, that she is within the spirit of the Olympic anti-doping rules and that taking EPO simply allows her to compete on the same plane as other athletes who are endowed with higher natural EPO levels.

A complaint has been filed against Azucena, charging that her use of EPO violates the spirit of the Olympic competition. You are the committee charged with arbitrating this claim and determining whether it violates the Olympic spirit of fair play. Assume that no restrictions are currently in place and that your decision will serve as precedent for future cases.

International Olympic Committee, Case Report #3 (Chemical Doping)
Charalambos is a Greek wrestler. In an effort to get an edge over his competition he consumes a number of artificial chemical substances to give him a psychological and physiological edge. These include: beta-blockers to ease anxiety; diuretics that help him make weight; painkillers and NSAIDs that help him recover from minor training and competition injures; and methylphenidate (Ritalin), which helps him focus before and during a match.

A complaint has been filed against Charalambos, charging that his use of these substances violates the spirit of the Olympic competition. You are the committee charged with arbitrating this claim and determining whether it violates the Olympic spirit of fair play. Assume that no restrictions are currently in place and that your decision will serve as precedent for future cases.

International Olympic Committee, Case Report #4 (Genetic Doping)
Karoline is a Norwegian cross country skier. She does not use any performance enhancing substances. Her training regime consists of long races through the Norwegian wilderness and a high protein diet with plenty of reindeer meat and lutefisk. However, Karoline’s genome was manipulated so that she would have the traits of a champion cross-country skier. Her stride length is unparalleled and she has a lung capacity equaled only by the Sherpa people of Nepal.

A complaint has been filed against Karoline, charging that the genetic engineering that imbued her with these advantages violates the spirit of the Olympic competition. You are the committee charged with arbitrating this claim and determining whether it violates the Olympic spirit of fair play. Assume that no restrictions are currently in place and that your decision will serve as precedent for future cases.