Der Dopingdiskurs der 1950er und 1960er Jahre in den Leitmedien Der Spiegel und Die Zeit

Doping and antidoping are socially constructed, evolving and historically contingent phenomena relying on actors agreeing about allowed and deviant behaviour. Therefore, public discourse about doping represents an important part of the history of doping and antidoping. Content analysis of doping discourse in German quality media Der Spiegel und Die Zeit in the 1950s and 1960s shows that public attention for doping was rather low even though awareness increased due to the politicisation of sport and the rise of anabolic doping. Doping does not appear as a particular pressing but solvable problem. Moreover, doping is not linked to West German sport. In ethical terms, doping is perceived negatively. Neither does there exist a general mistrust in the sport bodies nor are sport bodies or sport policy clearly and resolutely requested to act. Therefore, the well-known 1969 article by Brigitte Berendonk marks a qualitative turn in public doping discourse.     

Ethik, Natur und Doping im Sport

The question concerning criteria and reasons for prohibition of doping in sports addresses a current issue of sport sciences revolving around the concepts of nature and naturalness which has been discussed controversially for some time. Criticism concerning the conceptual incisiveness with which doping is designated as artificial, thus constituting an illegitimate form of enhancing sports performance, has led to the abolishment of a definition of its essence. Doping is currently defined pragmatically, i.e. as a violation against anti-doping regulations. Doping per se is what is prohibited. The fact that doping is defined normatively a priori raises doubts as to the ethical legitimacy of existing doping prohibitions and questions regarding criteria for including certain agents in the list of forbidden substances. Thus, as a symbol for a global halt to enhancement, prohibition of doping in sports and discussions on artificial performance enhancement are gaining importance in the field of biomedical ethics, i.e. in the debate on human enhancement and endeavours to perfect the human being through biotechnology.     

Entgrenzung von Bildung und Training im Nachwuchsleistungssport

The discussion about competitive sports in childhood and adolescence has always been impregnated with different ideologies, occupied by provocative specialist objects and dominated by seemingly irreconcilable opposing positions. These conflicts can be described by the terms rivalry, competition and performance as well as by the terms training and education. The terms training and education are relevant for this discussion because they highlight the fundamental differences between the basic positions of training and educational sciences in relation to the challenges of the implementation of youth competitive sports in a modern civil society. Considerations about the proportionality and necessity of delimitation and flexibility of youth competitive sports are affected by a human ontogenetic-based position (according to Wessel). The intensified educational discourse in recent years with all its contradictions, paradoxes and undesirable developments, is a suitable basis for a reorientation of youth competitive sports under the premise of education in day to day life (according to Rauschenbach).     

Validierung von neun Bewegungssensoren bei Kindern und jungen Erwachsenen

The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of one accelerometer and eight pedometers in schoolchildren and young adults under controlled experimental conditions and under free-living conditions over a 24-h period. The most accurate results under controlled conditions were obtained with a piezoelectric pedometer. For this device absolute deviations (median) ranged between 0.2 and 1.0% for children and between 0.2 and 1.4% for young adults. Absolute deviations for the accelerometer were 0.8–3.1% for children and 0.6–3.2% for adults. Motion sensors were more accurate with increasing walking speed. For several pedometers the absolute deviation exceeded 50% in tests with schoolchildren. These differing results illustrate that step counts from different motion sensors cannot be compared directly. Therefore, the validity and reliability of activity monitors should be examined carefully before being used in scientific research.     

Akute und chronische Effekte von Ausdauerbelastungen auf das Herz bei Sportlern, gesunden Normalpersonen und Patienten

Due to endurance exercise-induced increases of the cardiac biomarkers troponin and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), which are usually elevated in patients with acute myocardial infarction and heart failure and used in clinical practice as diagnostic tools in these diseases, the clinical and sportsmedical relevance of these exercise-induced increases was unclear. Therefore, the aim was to examine this topic systematically by consecutive studies. Considering the acute effects of endurance exercise, an intensity- and duration-dependent short-term elevation could be demonstrated in the majority of healthy athletes without pathological relevance. Considering the chronic effects of endurance exercise it could be shown that regular and competitive endurance exercise training induces an athlete??s heart with harmonic eccentric hypertrophy of the left and right ventricle, which also is not of pathological relevance. In conclusion it can be assumed from the results of these studies that acute and chronic endurance exercise is not harmful for the healthy heart.