Filozofska istraživanja, Vol. 46 No. 1, 2026.
Izvorni znanstveni članak
https://doi.org/10.21464/fi46104
In the Shadow of Elite Sport – (Bio)ethical Challenges in Gymnastics Disciplines
Miloš Marković
; Sveučilište u Beogradu, Fakultet sporta i fizičkog vaspitanja, Blagoja Parovića 156, RS–11000 Beograd
*
Slobodanka Dobrijević
; Sveučilište u Beogradu, Fakultet sporta i fizičkog vaspitanja, Blagoja Parovića 156, RS–11000 Beograd
Sanja Mandarić
; Sveučilište u Beogradu, Fakultet sporta i fizičkog vaspitanja, Blagoja Parovića 156, RS–11000 Beograd
Matija Mato Škerbić
; Sveučilište u Zagrebu, Fakultet hrvatskih studija, Borongajska cesta 83d, HR–10000 Zagreb
* Dopisni autor.
Sažetak
The paper analyses gymnastics disciplines as a specific context of elite sport in which early specialisation, intensive training, and aesthetic demands generate a series of serious bioethical problems. The authors first describe the structural specificities of gymnastics and link them to the emergence of five groups of problems: eating disorders, hormonal imbalance and excessive physical exertion, the female athlete triad (including amenorrhoea), frequent and severe injuries, psychological burdens (fear, stress, abuse), and sociological difficulties such as social isolation and difficult post-career transition. Drawing on recent empirical research, they present the high prevalence of eating disorders, menstrual disorders, and chronic pain, as well as the normalization of pain, risky training regimens, and a culture of silence. Special attention is devoted to the relationship of coaches towards young female athletes, various forms of psychological and physical abuse, and the consequent undermining of the dignity and integrity of the sport. In the normative section of the paper, the authors employ formalism, conventionalism, and internalism to demonstrate that the described practices are not merely a medical or organizational problem, but a profound erosion of the intrinsic values of sport. The role of the Gymnastics Integrity Unit (GIU) and the concept of good governance are also analysed as attempts at an institutional response to these challenges. In conclusion, the authors advocate for an interdisciplinary bioethical framework and translational ethics as a necessary foundation for redefining practices in gymnastics, alongside the development of concrete preventive and supportive mechanisms.
Ključne riječi
gymnastics disciplines; sports bioethics; sport integrity; eating disorders; good governance; translational ethics
Hrčak ID:
351144
URI
Datum izdavanja:
20.9.2026.
Posjeta: 0 *