The Moral Dimension of Fair Play in High-performance Sport

AbstractWithin the declaration attached to the conclusions of the European Council of December 2000, the main characteristics of sports as well as its social role in Europe were stated. Following the statement, by a series of decisions issued at the Union's level, the European Commission committed itself to more efficiently preventing and combating violence in sports. Despite the security measures prescribed by the European Commission, sports faces further threats and challenges within the European society, such as business pressure, exploitation of young athletes, doping, racism, violence and corruption. In the present paper, we intend to highlight the role and the moral dimension of fair play, in spite of all acts of violence and discrimination still occurring in some competition venues or during some major sports events. As a value of ethics, fair play remains one of the most important sport virtues generated ever and manifests itself during sports events, leading to exceptional behaviour which patterns its specific essence. The present paper assesses a series of behaviours in Olympic athletes who proved an exemplary spirit and fair play while participating in the 2012 Olympic Games in London