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The latest in athletic performance enhancing techniques

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by DocTalk, Jan 4, 2007.

  1. DocTalk

    DocTalk Active Member

    http://www.nature.com/news/2007/070101/full/070101-1.html#B2

    So here's the scoop. If geneticists have discovered new muscle groups and learn how to turn them on with genetic engineering, so that they can be trained and thus enhance performance, is it illegal?

    No answer on my part. Just the latest in performance enhancing potentials that will be available in the not too distant future.
     
  2. Football_Bat

    Football_Bat Well-Known Member

    I remember reading an enterprise piece about a year and a half ago on gene doping. Pretty prescient story. The question is, how do you catch it?
     
  3. RokSki

    RokSki New Member

    One thing's for sure, someone's already using it or trying to use it. Football B, great question, how do you catch it?
     
  4. DocTalk

    DocTalk Active Member

    WADA says that they have gene testing techniques available for Beijing in 2008, but the big ethical question should be:

    Is it wrong to maximize performance by accessing genes that I already have. Or do we look at athletic performance only in the context of luck that certain people have been breed with a specific skill set to maximize athletic output.

    OR

    Is gene accessing any different than steroids or other drug that allows an athlete to train harder and longer
     
  5. Gomer

    Gomer Active Member

    Great topic. I've always thought that the only reason something is illegal is because it does us harm. You make it illegal because it's dangerous. (And yes, I realize there are a lot of 'dangerous' things that are legal).

    So, if research is done on gene testing that shows it to be a safe and effective way of increasing performance, I'd lean towards allowing it.

    Big problem there, of course, is that only rich people (countries) could afford the technology, which would be unfair to those without it.

    Until there was any proper testing done, it wouldn't be ethically right or fair to allow it.
     
  6. Beef03

    Beef03 Active Member

    I think it shouldn't be allowed. For me athletics should be about using your god-given talents. Sure some have that better gene set to put them in a position to be among the athletic elite, where others are more intelligent, etc. It would be like NASCAR teams being allowed to drop in whatever size engine they want. Putting in Nitrous would be using your steroids. The game is to use what you've got to the best of you're ability.

    Just my 2 cents
     
  7. Idaho

    Idaho Active Member

    Playing devil's advocate

    isn't intelligence (the science behind tapping into the genes we already have) a god-given talent? wouldn't using that god-given talent to better utilize other god-given talents be OK then?
     
  8. Beef03

    Beef03 Active Member

    Let me rephrase that then: god-given athletic ability.

    Basically sans scientific enhancement: whether it be through steroids or genetic engineering. Compete with what you got, not what science gave you. To me, besides it being a helath risk (for the roids and amphetamines and other PEDs, anyways), it's a competive balance thing as not everyone will have access to these cutting edge scientific procedures
     
  9. Idaho

    Idaho Active Member

    The scientists aren't giving you extra genes. Just tinkering with the formula to bring your hidden talents (or genes, if you prefer) to the forefront.

    To use the NASCAR analogy. They're helping you shift into a gear you didn't know existed because your stick shift was labeled up to 5 instead of 6.
     
  10. Beef03

    Beef03 Active Member

    It is still a level that otherwise would not be attainable, or very difficult to attain, without the use of scientific engineering. Same with steroids. Could Barry Bonds get to his size without the use of performance enhancing drugs? he'd have to live in a gym but yeah it is possible, and would likely take a lot longer to get to this point that it did in realty.
     
  11. Idaho

    Idaho Active Member

    How about wearing glasses/contact lenses?

    What about taking ADHD medication?

    aren't those just ways to artificially improve on the natural state?
     
  12. Beef03

    Beef03 Active Member

    To me there is a difference between legitimate medication or something like glasses, and taking performance enhancing drugs. You're taking an otherwise perfectly good body (in the case of athletes it's quite often an extremely good body) and using science to make it better, using otherwise unneccesary or elective procedures.
     
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