Open Categories in Sport: One Way to Decrease Discrimination
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216208%3A11510%2F20%3A10418820" target="_blank" >RIV/00216208:11510/20:10418820 - isvavai.cz</a>
Result on the web
<a href="https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=uorc3iEPkr" target="_blank" >https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=uorc3iEPkr</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17511321.2020.1772355" target="_blank" >10.1080/17511321.2020.1772355</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
Open Categories in Sport: One Way to Decrease Discrimination
Original language description
Jane English, a pioneer in feminist sport philosophy, mentioned one simple idea that has received insufficient attention, but its consequences are of great importance for decreasing discrimination in sport. English suggested that female athletes should be allowed to 'move up' to the male category and compete against male athletes if they wished to. She drew this strategy from boxing, in which boxers in lower weight categories can choose to 'move up'-to compete in a higher category (although this is not permitted in reverse-boxers cannot 'move down'). This strategy could be used in other sports and for other categories, but it is not often chosen. It would suggest that talented athletes do not always need 'category protection'-they do not need to be protected more than necessary, which raises the question of the justification of the category in the first place. On investigation, some justifications may have less to do with sport-rationality, than with reasons such as paternalism, ableism, ageism or sexism, or organizational reasons. I shall clarify the notion of 'categories' in sport, and distinguish four types of categories with respect to their openness: 'open' category, 'semi-open' category, 'closed' category, and 'overlapping' categories. This paper advocates the wider use of open and semi-open or at least overlapping categories (where possible), and it argues against the excessive use of closed categories-those made by prescribing set limits. The benefit is clear: athletes who are skilled enough to compete in the higher category should be allowed to 'move up', if they wish. With respect to sex/gender, this strategy would partly help to diminish the strength of the binary distinction, and so it can be considered a first and easy step towards a more integrated sport. Keywords
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
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OECD FORD branch
30306 - Sport and fitness sciences
Result continuities
Project
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Continuities
I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace
Others
Publication year
2020
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
Sport, Ethics and Philosophy [online]
ISSN
1751-133X
e-ISSN
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Volume of the periodical
14
Issue of the periodical within the volume
SI 4
Country of publishing house
GB - UNITED KINGDOM
Number of pages
17
Pages from-to
461-477
UT code for WoS article
000547936900001
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-85086456318