# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Insports Centers in Trumbull & Fairfield CT - Play inside on new turf fields and courts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Whether they like it or not, professional athletes are among the most prominent role models for the younger generations. All eyes are on these superstars, and many children will emulate their actions - whether they are good or bad.

As expected, some players handle this responsibility better than others. Here are five professional athletes who make great role models for your kids.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best soccer players in the world, and is often misportrayed as a bad person. Despite his poor reputation, Ronaldo is actually a class act off the field. In addition to donating millions of dollars to charities, hospitals, and medical patients, Cristiano refuses to get a tattoo so that he can donate blood without fear of contamination.

John Cena

You can argue that professional wrestlers aren't "real" athletes, but you can't deny the positive impact that John Cena has made over the course of his career. In fact, he currently holds the Make-A-Wish Foundation record (by a long shot) with more than 450 requests fulfilled.

Tim Tebow

Tim Tebow didn't have the most successful professional career, but that didn't stop him from becoming one of the best role models in all of sports. In a time where professional sports are filled with gloating, me-first players, Tebow only preached faith, gratitude, and hard work. He also founded the Tim Tebow Foundation, and has gone on multiple mission trips to help countries in need.

Clayton Kershaw

For the second year in a row, Clayton Kershaw is the highest-paid player in the MLB. Instead of buying a fancy new car or unnecessarily large house, he is putting a large portion of that money towards his charity, Kershaw's Challenge, which aims to provide support to underprivileged children.

Russell Wilson

Since entering the NFL in 2012, Russell Wilson has become one of the league's marquee players. As a passionate Christian, he believes it is his purpose to help those in need. He has done this through various acts of kindness, such as giving veterans his first class seat on a plane, or visiting the local children's hospital every week for the past four years.

Looking for a list of other professional athletes your kids can look up to? Check out Sportster's list of the Top 15 Athlete Role Models.

Insports Centers is southern Connecticut's premier indoor sports facility. With a full-sized turf field and multiple hardwood courts, we can accommodate any sport you can imagine. Visit our website for a list of upcoming leagues, clinics, and tournaments, or give us a call at (203) 268-1214.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
5 Professional Athletes Who Make Great Role Models - Insports Centers in Trumbull & Fairfield CT - Play inside on new turf fields and courts

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Whether they like it or not, professional athletes are among the most prominent role models for the younger generations. All eyes are on these superstars, and many children will emulate their actions - whether they are good or bad. As expected, some players handle this responsibility better than others.

# data[].attributes.body
From a very young age it is moulded into our mindset that sports people are role model figures who provide attributes of character, performance, work ethic and resilience from which to be imitated. It is the societal viewpoint  that if you are recognised as an elite athlete you acquire the persona of a role model. The highlighted articles truthfully uncover the stigma surrounding this sensitive topic. Furthermore, highlighted is the idea of self perception off the field or pitch that athletes maintain no moral obligations to be a role model for younger children.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Kay Ireland

Kay Ireland specializes in health, fitness and lifestyle topics. She is a support worker in the neonatal intensive care and antepartum units of her local hospital and recently became a certified group fitness instructor.

Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel's off-season behavior has raised questions about the appropriateness of using athletes as role models. Athletes work hard and stay fit, but that may not be enough to influence children for good. Too often, the dark side of athletes -- the steroid use, hard partying lifestyle and poor sportsmanship -- overshadows an athlete's ability to play the game. Before you urge your child to take after his favorite ball player, consider the pros and cons of the influence that athlete can have on your child and his life.

Video of the Day

A survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation provided clear answers as to how a professional athlete's sportsmanship was perceived by kids. Seventy four percent say it's common for a pro athlete to yell at a referee; 62 percent say that trash talking opponents is the norm; and 46 percent say it's not uncommon for athletes to take cheap shots at opponents. The same children agreed that it wasn't uncommon to see those same behaviors while playing sports among their peers. A spoiled-athlete mentality may teach children that it's OK to yell and fight to get what they want.

Athletes do teach children about the hard work that it takes to become the best at a given sport. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that almost 20 percent of children ages 6 to 11 are considered obese. This is due in part to sedentary, video game lifestyles. By looking up to their favorite athletes, children may be more inspired to hit the court, get outside and play to stay active. This can translate to an impeccable work ethic and a higher degree of fitness on and off the field.

It's no secret that some professional athletes use performance-enhancing drugs in order to get the edge on their opponents, and that can inadvertently affect the children who look up to them. The suspensions of New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez and a number of other baseball players for the use of banned performance-enhancing substances reflect the ongoing problem. After Mark McGuire admitted to setting the record for single season home runs in 1998 while on the steroid substitute androstenedione, sales increased 1,000 percent, according to "USA Today." Steroid and supplement use by professional athletes sends the message to children that it's OK to cheat as long as you're the best.

The lifestyle that athletes lead, depending on the athlete, can have a mixed effect on children. Some athletes work hard, provide for their families and participate in charity work for the community. Others concentrate on making money, living the high life and getting endorsement deals. The trick to finding an athlete role model for your child is to find one that you'd like your own child to be like when she becomes an adult. The athlete lifestyle can be fulfilling and happy or indulgent and ridden with scandal. Choose the one you'd like your own child to emulate.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Pros & Cons of the Influence of Sports Athletes on Kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel's off-season behavior has raised questions about the appropriateness of using athletes as role models. Athletes work hard and stay fit, but that may not be enough to influence children for good. Too often, the dark side of athletes -- the steroid use, hard partying lifestyle and poor sportsmanship -- overshadows...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
AAP/Tracey Nearmy

It has become a truism that professional athletes, whether they like it or not, "are" role models for others. Talented sportspeople hardly win every time, and sometimes they do not exemplify fair play. But many athletes convey attributes about performance, character and resilience that draw admiration from fans.

For the youthful, sports stars may prompt efforts to emulate tries, wickets, goals and baskets in backyards or parks. No surprise, then, that professional athletes are assumed to provide a "role model effect" for sport at community levels, whether by stimulating entry into organised activities or by catalysing ongoing participation.

However, researchers have been ambivalent or unconvinced about the efficacy of a "role model effect" in terms of sport engagement.

For example, the 2012 London Olympics - in which British athletes performed exceptionally well - were staged against the policy backdrop of a "participation legacy" - a concerted strategy to increase physical activity across the UK. Despite the headline performances of medal-winning British athletes, overall sport participation rates fell after the Games.

There is, in short, no logical connection between sport fandom and sport exercise. What's more, the easy assumption that high-performance athletes "inspire" a generation of community-based sport participants is not only unfounded, it is bad policy. That point even applies to sportspeople who have reached the zenith of their profession. In one global survey:

... only 10% of the elite athletes have been inspired by other elite athletes in order to start with their current sport. Mostly they were encouraged by their parents (59%) and friends (28%) to practice their current sport.

Athletes as off-field role models

High-profile athletes are widely feted as public figures outside of sport, as happens with celebrities in other entertainment professions. In sport, though, such recognition is said to come with additional responsibilities, most notably in the assumption that athletes are (or must become) "role models in the community".

In a contractual sense, athletes are employees when representing their club during community events such as school visits, charity fundraisers, and the like. These are occasions when athletes are expected to promote their sport or to support an organisation aligned with their club.

Whether heartfelt or perfunctory, such actions may be construed as inauthentic, much "like the politician kissing a baby".

Beyond these official responsibilities, athletes would be naïve to expect the same level of privacy as someone without a public profile. So there is a trade-off, as happens with notable performers in other spheres of life, such as entertainers or politicians.

However, the off-field obligations of an athlete involve significant surveillance. They must notify a National Anti-Doping Authority where they are every day of the year, and must be available for drug testing from 6am to 11pm. A typical part of athlete contracts is the catch-all phrase of "bringing the game into disrepute", which in practice means that an employer can dismiss an employee for off-field conduct that it deems contrary to the interests of a club or a sport.

In these ways, the off-field expectations of athletes are couched in punitive terms.

Taking a more positive view, it is a common refrain that athletes are role models for, or even in, a wider community. However, this taken-for-granted assumption has not been accompanied by research to explore the efficacy of such claims. There appears to be profound differences between athletes' self-perception as off-field influencers.

NBA star Charles Barkley once declared that he was "not paid to be a role model", and that "parents should be role models". Barkley did not consider himself particularly virtuous as a person, but said that he was well equipped to "wreak havoc on a basketball court".

By comparison, some athletes have sought an off-field leadership role, particularly when their status as an athlete provides support to like-minded others.

Bachar Houli, an AFL footballer of Muslim faith, has actively sought to engage with the wider Islamic community, and to provide inspiration for Muslim kids who might want to engage in sport. This community engagement role has been supported by Houli's club, and complements his existing position as a multicultural ambassador for the AFL.

Dual role models?

More than 30 years after Barkley's declaration that he was unfit to be a role model, there is heightened expectation that all professional athletes, whether they like it or not, are role models both on and off the field. But is this a logical expectation?

As Feezell has argued, "we know about celebrated athletes' exemplary conduct in sport", but "there is nothing intrinsic to athletic participation that merits the status of being a moral exemplar" beyond that sport-specific role.

Clubs and leagues certainly have expectations that athletes will conduct themselves "appropriately" during their private lives. This is underpinned by sports' support for community-focused initiatives such as the White Ribbon Campaign (countering male violence against women) and the Plan B anti-drink-driving promotion.

But it is unclear why athletes have the skills or values to be positioned as custodians of virtue in such initiatives. The underlying assumption appears to be that sport imbues good character. As a consequence, athletes are thought to be "equipped" to exemplify positive character traits both in sport and during their private lives.

Athletes are very visible on the sport field, but much less noticeable outside it. If athletes actually function as role models beyond sport, the public needs some basis upon which to make assessments of their character. Herein lies a problem. As Feezell points out:

... most of us know very little about the athletes whose exploits we admire.

And, therefore, we are not in a position to know if or how they influence others in wider society. This leads to a further problem. The media typically "thrives on scandal and sensationalism", so stories about public figures "gone bad" are much more likely to appear in the press.

Player welfare managers at professional sports clubs find it very difficult to persuade the media to give prominence to "good deeds" by players; news editors are far more interested in detailing off-field misdemeanours.

Ultimately, then, when a small minority of athletes fails to live up to employer and community expectations, the wider sports profession is tranished as disreputable.

It is difficult to see, in a practical sense, how athletes function as community role models if little is known about them outside of sport, except where - as in the case of Houli - a role as social influencer is both sought and supported.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Athletes of influence? The role model refrain in sport

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It has become a truism that professional athletes, whether they like it or not, "are" role models for others. Talented sportspeople hardly win every time, and sometimes they do not exemplify fair play. But many athletes convey attributes about performance, character and resilience that draw admiration from fans.

# data[].attributes.body
Much to the disapproval of societal views and a vast array of fellow high ranking athletes, Nike took a major gamble unveiling this television commercial exploring and emphasising the fundamental disposition of an elite sports person.

This commercial brings to light combative ideologies of the sporting world. Charles Barkley said " I am not a role model I am a professional athlete, it is my job to play basketball rather then look after your kids". Illustrating the idea that an athlete's ability to catch touch down passes or make baskets has absolutely no correlation to role model validity but rather sporting ability does not automatically qualify you as a role model which in turn can reflect their actions and image through the public eye.

A strong belief is withheld that pro athletes are not the people children should be attempting to emulate at which it is the parents who maintain the obligation to be the sole role model. Players hold a duty to peak physical performance on the court or field who can trigger imitative behaviour. The big problem with this perception is yes parents have a critical role in shaping a children's behaviour and value's but many families are absent parents or with individuals unable to provide sound guidance. Children of all ages look up to athletes whether they like it or not.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Charles Barkley "I am not a role model"   Nike Air Commercial

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Charles Barkley features in a Nike Air commercial. "I am not a role model."

# data[].attributes.body
Sporting stars often embellish the persona of "role model" and utilise their power and public image to reinforce positive messages.

For instance Danny green a former world champion boxer was an advocate for the Cowards Punch campaign, highlighting the dangers to young men of heavy intoxication and violence acts. Many NFL football players have introduced college scholarships targeting troubled kids to break the pattern of criminalisation. Heavyweight Boxing Champion Lennox Lewis said on a public service announcement that "Real Men Don't Hit Women" he made a great contribution to young people's perception of what is embodied in true masculinity and Australian spin bowler Nathan Lyon heading the NSW campaign against drink driving.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
PLEASE NOTE: One Punch Campaign Australia supports Danny Green's Coward Punch Campaign be sure to check it out!! However we do not have direct contact or relationship with Danny

# data[].attributes.body
Violence both emotional and physical has long been recognised as a big part of sport. Overtime amplified coverage of violent episodes that take part on field could be a primary reason behind not only spectator violence but criminal acts of violence throughout society today.

Society a reflection of how sporting stars conduct themselves on the field and off the field.

Today, it has almost become a cultural norm to look to elite sporting stars for guidance and a recognisable identity at which to basis our selves from. High level sporting athletes are projected as extremely influential people and in the modern age, depending on the sport and the individual are imitated throughout society by means of the ways they exert themselves in the public eye. How an elite sports people conduct themselves through actions and beliefs, hold the potential to influence a large audience regardless. Sporting stars who engage in violence on the field or in the arena who are not subject to penalty through governing officials or club set a standard the violent act becomes recognised as the normal.

It is clearly attributable that many kids and young adults both male and female are mirroring the behaviour of role model athletes both on field and of the sporting field.

A recent survey  undertaken by the Kaiser Family Foundation provided a clear overview of how projected sportsman  was perceived by kids. It is clearly evident that the vast majority of kids find taking cheap shots at opponents, yelling and swearing at officials and producing mass violence on the sporting field to be the cultural norm. Many have found this behaviour to also be emulated by fellow peers.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
With the most recent Olympics and now Major League Baseball marred by reports of the use of banned performance-enhancing drugs, a new nationwide survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation examines the influence of sports figures in kids' lives today. Based on telephone interviews with a randomly selected national sample of 1,500 children ages 10-17 years old (and 1,950 parents), the survey found that many American kids are mirroring the behavior of famous athletes - the good and bad - both on and off the field.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Kaiser Family Foundation National Survey of Kids (and Their Parents) About Famous Athletes as Role Models

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
With the most recent Olympics and now Major League Baseball marred by reports of the use of banned performance-enhancing drugs, a new nationwide survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation examines the influence of sports figures in kids' lives today.

# data[].attributes.headline
Amplified coverage of sport violence responsible for the way people act   

# data[].attributes.subject
Amplified coverage of sport violence responsible for the way people act   

# data[].attributes.body
Highlighted episodes of violence are being used to draw crowds and spectators, in which acts of violence go unpunished which can be reflected throughout society as being normal practise.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
I know this is a risky venture, since most readers are used to short, concise sports reporting or opinion, but I am going to give it a shot anyway.

This is a piece I wrote about some causes for violent and aggressive behavior in and at sporting events.

I am presenting it here in three parts and I hope you all find the time to gain some knowledge on this subject.

It has been said of sport, "It does not create the conditions for war, but it does maintain the possibility of those conditions, and adds its own efficiency to the other forces which produce a social order in which trails of strength are seen as part of the natural course of things" (Holt, 2000, p. 88). George Orwell (1950) once made the observation, "Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence; in other words it is war minus the shooting." Competitive sports such as football, basketball, and baseball may involve aggressive tactics, but actual violence is considered to fall outside the boundaries of good sportsmanship. Contact sports, such as American football, ice hockey, rugby football, boxing, mixed martial arts, wrestling, and water polo involve certain levels of physical violence, but include restrictions and penalties for excessive and dangerous use of force. The overt physical actions that take place in sports can be described as both aggression and violence (Kerr, 2002, p. 68). These actions take place for many reasons, and can become dangerous to those participating in the sport, as well as spectators of the competition. These aspects of physical interaction between players/fans has been subdivided into two separate types of action (Brink, 1995). In describing the rugby union, Brink (1995) does a good job of highlighting the difference between the two types of aggression and violence:

Because the game is so relentless by its very nature, the borders between the permissible and the inadmissible are not always very clear-cut. Both are inherently violent. But surely the distinction between hard play and foul play lies in the resort of the latter to violence of an underhanded, malicious, treacherous kind. It is a condition of foul play that is not supposed to come to light, to be exposed, because it is not directed to the enfolding of the game but to the private goals of rage or revenge, to 'get at' a specific opponent, to 'prove' oneself. It foregrounds the individual, not the team. (p. 29)

In Brink's quote, the terms 'permissible ' and 'hard play' refer to acts of violence within the laws of rugby union. Conversely, 'inadmissible' and 'foul play' refer to acts of violence outside the laws of the game. (Kerr, 2002, p. 70) While trying to define aggression, behavior with intent to injure has been given great emphasis by some: (Tenenbaum, Sacks, Miller, Golden, & Doolin, 2000, p. 317)

Aggression is defined as the infliction of an adverse stimulus, physical, verbal, or gestural, upon one person by another. Aggression is not an attitude, but behavior and, most critically, it is committed with the intent to injure (LeUnes & Nation,1989). (Tenenbaum, Stewart, Singer, & Duda, 1997, p. 1)

Physically aggressive acts, like blocking in American football, regular tackles in rugby, and body checks in ice hockey, can be ferociously violent actions yet be both within the rules of the games and not intended to injure. In addition, this critical element of intent to injure is controversial and not as all encompassing as Tenenbaum et al. (2000; and some others e.g., LeUnes & Nation, 1989) claim (Kerr, 2002, p. 70).

Violent and aggressive action outside the rules and regulations of game play, and the punishment regulated for such acts, is clearly apparent in the outcome of Marty McSorley's slash to Donald Brashear. The then Boston Bruin slashed then Vancouver Canuck Donald Brashear with a heavy blow from his stick on the side of his face. Brashear fell to the ice and the back of his head struck the ice, causing a grade three concussion and a grand malls seizure. Brashear was not near the puck at the time McSorley's unsanctioned violent act took place. In addition to receiving a one-year ban from playing, McSorley was prosecuted in a British Colombia court and found guilty of "assaulting Donald Brashear with a weapon, a hockey stick." The guilt verdict was based on the judge's decision that "Brashear was struck as intended" (p. 70). deciding 'intent' is an clear process, it is the subjective meaning of the particular behavior to the individual concerned that is important and, therefore, the only person who really knows whether or not there was any intent to injure is the person who carried out the action (Russell, 1993; Smith, 1983). Based on an interview with McSorley, Kennedy (2000) pointed out that McSorley was aiming his blow at Brashear's shoulder to provoke a fight and that he never meant to hit Brashear in the head. "'Yes I meant to slash him,' says McSorley, 'did I mean to hurt him with my stick? No.'" (Kennedy, 2000, p. 60). Video evidence confirms that his blow first struck Brashear on the shoulder before making contact with his face. Thus, although this was an act of unsanctioned aggression, if what McSorley said is true, it was not undertaken with the intent to injure. This aspect of violence and aggression creates an atmosphere of 'I didn't mean it' actions possibly being passed over as accidental, which could be extremely dangerous and unfair to the victim of the violent/aggressive act.

In attempting to produce a satisfactory definition of aggression and violence in sport, it is necessary to take into account the special status that sanctioned aggression and violence hold in sport, which distinguishes them from aggression and violence in most other contexts (Kerr, 2002, p. 71). Another definition of aggression and violence in sports as regards to the agreement for competition is:

In general, aggression can be seen as unprovoked hostility or attacks on another person which are not sanctioned by society. However, in the sports context, the aggression is provoked in the sense that the two opposing teams have willingly agreed to compete against each other. Aggression in team contact sports is intrinsic and sanctioned, provided the plays remain permissible within the boundaries of certain rules, which act as a kind of contract in the pursuit of aggression (and violence) between consenting adults (Kerr, 1997, p. 115-116).

Kerr (2002, p. 72) goes on to argue that, "controversial as it may sound", it should be reemphasized that sanctioned violence and aggression are a necessary part of team contact sports, and those who take part know that there are risks of physical injury and sometimes even death. This is similar to participation in other types of risk sport (e.g., skiing, snowboarding, motorcycle racing; Chirivella & Martinez, 1994; Cogan & Brown, 1998; Kerr, 1991; Zuckerman, 1983) where athletes also participate in spite of the high level of risk involved (Kerr, 2002, p. 72). Perceptive sports psychologists will recognize that sanctioned aggression and violence are a primary source of players' excitement, pleasure, and satisfaction and thus a major factor in their motivation for participation (Kerr, 1997; Novak, 1976; Russell, 1993). This argument was not made to exonerate unsanctioned aggression and violence but to understand the real nature of these sports (Kerr, 2002, p. 72).

Another argument on the cause of violence and aggression in sports is that socialization (i.e.; a learned response) is to blame (Nucci & Young-Shim, 2005). Socialization can take place through participation in sports since sports provide a microcosm for living and society. The structure of social relations in sports influences the participants' development of social skills. Researchers have striven to answer whether sports provides a positive outlet for, or teaches and reinforces, aggression (Nucci & Young-Shim, 2005). Human beings cannot live a fulfilling life in isolation, and can have more effective and healthy lives through association with others. This means that human beings must somehow learn how to live together. Socialization can take place through participation in sports since sports provide learning environments where participants have the opportunity to learn competition, cooperation, role-playing and discipline regarding rules, regulations, and goals (Bloom & Smith, 1996). In this sense, sports can be seen as a laboratory of human experience. The structure of social relations in organized sports can give participants experience in various roles and group interaction, and contribute to the development of social characteristics that integrate them into existing larger social structures (Nucci & Young-Shim, 2005).

Unfortunately, a "win-at-all-costs" philosophy has often led to unethical and aggressive behaviors, impacting negatively and destructively on the development and well being of young athletes and of society at large. Researchers (e.g.; Arms, Russell, & Sandilands, 1979; Bredemeier, Weiss, Shields, & Cooper, 1986; Ewing, Gano-Overway, Branta, & Seefeldt, 2002; Guivernau & Duda, 2002; Terry & Jackson, 1985) have striven to answer whether sports provide a positive outlet for an instinctive drive of aggression or whether sport teaches and reinforces aggression through the highly competitive nature of many sport settings (Nucci & Young-Shim, 2005).

Proponents of instinct theory such as Freudians argue that aggression is instinctive, and that vigorous physical activities provide cathartic benefits by releasing the pent-up emotions of participants. Sloan (1979, p.23) wrote, "Catharsis or reduction of aggression level will occur either by participating in an aggressive act or vicariously through watching acts of aggression by others. Thus, they [pent-up emotions] must be relieved periodically or erupt, producing catharsis in wither case (Nucci & Young-Shim, 2005). Minninger (1948) argued that competitive games provide a medium through which aggressive tendencies are discharged. Johnson and Hutton (1955) used the House-Tree-Person test to determine the cathartic effects of a combative sport by testing eight college wrestlers approximately three weeks before season, and again the morning after the competition. The findings revealed a cathartic effect as a result of competition (Nucci & Young-Shim, 2005).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Violence and Aggression in Sports: An In-Depth Look (Part One)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
I know this is a risky venture, since most readers are used to short, concise sports reporting or opinion, but I am going to give it a shot anyway. This is a piece I wrote about some causes for violent and aggressive behavior in and at sporting events...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Australian Institute of Criminology - Violence in sport

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
While sporting violence on the part of participants and spectators is less frequent and less severe in Australia than in many countries, it remains grounds for concern. Wenn describes the causes of sports related violence and identifies the major issues, with reference to the findings of the Sport and Recreation Ministers' Council Task Force on Violence in Sport.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The use of doping has spread from elite sports to include recreational sport and the growing "fitness movement." It is now being practiced particularly by young and early middle aged people who are unhappy with their body image. Androgenic anabolic steroids seem to be most commonly used, followed by various types of stimulants.

At the EuroScience Open Forum 2016 in Manchester Professor Arne Ljungqvist, Honorary Member of the International Olympic Committee, Former Vice President of the Word Anti- Doping Agency and Honorary Life President of the International Association of Athletics Federations will discuss doping in Olympic Sports. Due to recent identification of certain steroid metabolites that remain in the body long time after steroid intake (so called "long- term metabolites"), a large number of samples collected at the Beijing and London Games have yielded positive results when analyzed again. This may lead to retroactive sanctions of many athletes, and is a good example of the importance of scientific progress in the fight against doping.

There are several new sources of doping substances. They include the markets of largely unregulated and adulterated nutritional supplements and of unapproved pharmaceuticals. Professor Hans Geyer from Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln is an expert in this field.

Doping raises complex issues that cut across science, ethics, and sports governance. Professor Mike McNamee from Swansea University will discuss this complexity, and the interplay of philosophy and science that is required in order to carry out an anti-doping policy effectively and ethically.

Professor Carl Johan Sundberg from Karolinska Institutet, member of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) gene doping panel will present how the development of gene and cell therapy, and possibly gene editing, poses a clear risk that more refined methods will come into use. Over the last decade, considerable efforts have been made to find detection methods for gene doping with the first WADA approved test to be employed in the Rio Games.

Cite This Page:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
gene therapy; sports medicine; birth defects; genes; human biology; medical topics; pharmacology; cancer

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Doping in sports and society: a growing problem

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The use of doping has spread from elite sports to include recreational sport and the growing "fitness movement". It is now being practiced particularly by young and early middle aged people who are unhappy with their body image. Androgenic anabolic steroids seem to be most commonly used, followed by various types of stimulants.

# data[].attributes.body
Drug abuse occurs across all levels of sporting competition and across all sports, it has erupted from elite levels to recreational use and a growing "fitness movement". Doping and substance abuse is now being particularly targeted by young men and women who may be unhappy with performance or body restrictions. Reinforced by elite world class athletes who are regularly doping are emphasising to all those who look up to them and society that drug abuse is acceptable.

Drug use can be linked to the lifestyle portrayed by such role models. The lifestyle that is portrayed by some athletes can have mixed effects upon children. Athletes can be riddled with scandal, abusive, over indulgent or convey zero regard for their place as a role model.

doping is no longer an issue ‘owned’ by sport. It has become a much wider societal issue that carries significant dangers to public health, and therefore requires a global response.

Professional athletes exercise use of banned substances to maintain a competitive edge over their competition which in turn effects the children who view them as "role model".

Recent suspensions of New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez and other baseball players reflects this sediment of its ok to partake in illicit drug abuse if your the best. Drug abuse is also encouraged throughout some sporting events primarily body building where there are categories specifically for natural and unnatural competitors. A far bigger influx of unnatural contenders has been recognised as those who dope are a lot bigger and it is emphasised. This sends the wrong message to society and young people everywhere, that drug abuse is feasible and should be practised to achieve maximum results.

However, many agencies and sporting codes have set standards in regard to drug and substance abuse. The UFC is a recognised fighting organisation whom puts athlete health first by imposing harsh penalties on those who partake or bring the brand into repute.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Russia has become the first country in sporting history to be banned from sending athletes to an Olympic games for doping, in a move the Kremlin has argued represents a western conspiracy to humiliate the nation.

On Tuesday, the International Olympic Committee, the games organisers, responded to revelations of "systemic" doping by the country's sportspeople by barring the Russian Olympic Committee from attending the Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in February next year.

The decision means that no athletes will be permitted to compete under the Russian flag and the country's officials will not be allowed to attend.

In an attempt at compromise, the IOC said Russian athletes deemed to be "clean" would be able to appear - but only under a neutral banner. This means Russia's "uniform, flag and anthem" will not appear at the event.

Russia deputy prime minister Vitaly Mutko, a close ally of Mr Putin and the former minister for sport, has also been banned from participating in all future Olympics. Mr Mutko is helping to orchestrate the football World Cup taking place in Russia next year.

The IOC's decision came late on Tuesday night in Russia but even before the announcement Russian officials had threatened to boycott the event if its sportspeople were forced to compete as neutrals.

Thomas Bach, IOC president, said Russia's doping programme represented "an unprecedented attack on the Olympic Games and sport".

"This is a proportionate sanction for the manipulation and failure of the [doping] system."

Mr Bach said: "An Olympic boycott has never achieved anything ... and I don't see a reason for a Russian boycott because we allow the clean Russian athletes to participate [in order] to show there are clean athletes in Russia."

Alexander Zhukov, head of Russia's Olympic committee, said the decision was a "tragedy" for Russia's athletes and accused other countries of doping while going unpunished.

"What should [Russian athletes] feel, being punished without any evidence of their guilt, when they will be forced to watch the events on TV where their foreign colleagues who legally take doping substances with all sorts of doctor's permissions are competing? Nothing but offence and disappointment," he said.

Russian athletes were divided on whether to attend. Figure skater Evgenia Medvedeva said she would not participate under a neutral flag. "I'm proud of my country, it's a huge honour for me to represent it at the Games. It gives me strength and inspires me when I perform," she said.

But ice hockey star Ilya Kovalchuk said Russia's team needed to compete. "Refusing means surrender! All clean athletes should go. It'll be the last games for many, and they won't have a chance to go to the Olympics again," said Mr Kovalchuk, who is 35.

The Kremlin did not immediately comment on whether it would permit Russian athletes to compete under a neutral flag.

The IOC made its decision after an investigation into Russian involvement in doping found the country had failed to clean up its sporting system.

In recent years, the country has faced revelations that its anti-doping officials helped athletes take performance-enhancing drugs, while government and security officials assisted in the cover-up of failed tests.

Russia's ban had been considered inevitable in Olympic circles over the past few weeks.

Last month, the World Anti-Doping Agency rejected an appeal by Rusada, Russia's anti-doping authority, to be reinstated into the world body and deemed compliant with global testing standards. That decision meant Wada believed Russia could not be trusted to properly test its athletes.

The IOC also corroborated the findings of a Wada investigation, led by Richard McLaren, a Canadian law professor, unravelling years in which Russian anti-doping officials helped athletes to take performance-enhancing drugs, with the strategy directed by government ministers.

The extraordinary findings even suggested that the FSB, Russia's secret service and successor to the Soviet-era KGB, worked to remove the caps from urine sample bottles which were previously thought to be tamper-proof, in order to swap dirty samples for clean ones.

Russia has strongly disputed the findings, questioning the legitimacy of information provided by whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov, who ran Moscow's anti-doping laboratory during the Sochi winter games in Russia in 2014. Mr Putin had wanted to use the Sochi games as a coming-out party for the nation, spending a reported $51bn to stage the event.

Last month, the IOC backed Mr Rodchenkov - who has gone into hiding in the US as part of a witness-protection programme - by describing him as a "truthful witness."

Before the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, the IOC declined to impose a blanket ban on Russian athletes, leaving it to individual sports federations to decide whether the country's competitors were clean. This meant 271 of Russia's original 386-strong team were able to compete.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Russia has become the first country in sporting history to be banned from sending athletes to an Olympic games for doping, in a move the Kremlin has argued represents a western conspiracy to humiliate the nation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Lance Armstrong has been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and given a lifetime ban by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA).

The US cyclist opted not to contest USADA drugs charges, saying he is tired of fighting the allegations. He strongly denies doping.

Lance Armstrong

Born: Plano, Texas

Tour de France: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 (22 individual stage wins)

World Championships road race: 1993

Battle with cancer: Diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1996. The disease spreads through his body. Launches Lance Armstrong Foundation for Cancer. Declared cancer-free in 1997 after brain surgery and chemotherapy.

Retirement: Announces he will retire after the 2005 Tour de France, which he wins. Angered by drug allegations against him, Armstrong announces in September 2008 he will return to professional cycling. In June 2010, he reveals via Twitter that the 2010 Tour de France will be his last. On 16 February 2011, Armstrong announces retirement again.

The International Cycling Union (UCI), the world governing body, is yet to say if it intends to follow USADA's lead.

It previously backed Armstrong's bid to challenge USADA powers over the sport.

USADA said Armstrong's decision not to fight the charges against him triggered the lifetime ban and led to his results dating back to 1 August 1998 being erased.

He won the Tour de France in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005.

Armstrong retired from cycling in 2005 but returned to the sport between 2009 and 2012.

USADA says 10 of Armstrong's former team-mates are prepared to testify against him.

On Monday, he failed in his attempt to block the charges in a US federal court. He claimed USADA was acting beyond its remit and had offered "corrupt inducements" to other riders to testify against him.

"If I thought for one moment that by participating in USADA's process, I could confront these allegations in a fair setting and - once and for all - put these charges to rest, I would jump at the chance," said Armstrong.

Media playback is not supported on this device

Armstrong, who survived testicular cancer prior to his record-breaking Tour wins, said he would now be focusing on working with his cancer charity.

In a statement USADA claimed it had clear evidence that Armstrong had taken performance-enhancing drugs.

It alleges he used banned substances, including the blood-booster erythropoietin (EPO), steroid and blood transfusions, as far back as 1996.

Doug Ulman, president of the Lance Armstrong Foundation

"I have spoken to [Armstrong]. He is out doing a mountain bike ride right now.

"The support from our sponsors, donors and cancer sufferers has been overwhelming since the news broke.

"Donations are up this year on last and today on yesterday."
(Speaking on BBC Radio 5 live)
"The evidence against Lance Armstrong arose from disclosures made to USADA by more than a dozen witnesses who agreed to testify and provide evidence about their first-hand experience and/or knowledge of the doping activity of those involved in the USPS Conspiracy as well as analytical data," the statement read.

"As part of the investigation Mr Armstrong was invited to meet with USADA and be truthful about his time on the USPS team but he refused."

Throughout the case, the UCI had challenged USADA's jurisdiction over the sport, and has the option of appealing against the ruling to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

However, it stated earlier on Friday it would not take action until it had received details from USADA explaining why Armstrong should lose his titles.

Earlier John Fahey, chief of the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada), said Armstrong's seven Tour de France titles should be "obliterated" following his decision not to contest the doping charges against him.

In a statement following USADA's decision, Wada said it would continue to monitor the process.

The Tour de France organisers said they would wait for an outcome in any stand-off between USADA and the UCI before taking action.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Lance Armstrong 'stripped' of Tour de France titles and banned

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Lance Armstrong has been stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and given a lifetime ban by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). The US cyclist opted not to contest USADA drugs charges, saying he is tired of fighting the allegations. He strongly denies doping.

# data[].attributes.body
Anti doping agencies protect fellow elite athletes from the harm they can cecum to from individuals exercising substance abuse.

Sport is a microcosm of society, and playing or competing in sport makes people better characters, and fosters the right values.

For the anti-doping community, doping threatens the very integrity of what remains so important: clean, fair sport competed on a level playing field; that is, sport that allows talent and dedication to prosper, not sport that involves the use of prohibited substances or methods.

Doping in the sporting arena needs also to be heavily monitored and those found to be guilty should be criminally punished not just suspended or terminated as society will soon believe it to be the norm, that can go in punished.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
USADA has tools and tips to help athletes at all levels navigate their anti-doping rights and responsibilities.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
MIAMI (Reuters) - New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs in an interview with federal agents probing a Florida anti-aging clinic at the center of baseball's doping scandal, the Miami Herald reported on Wednesday.

The admission, if true, represents an about-turn for Rodriguez who has repeatedly denied the use of banned substances from the Miami-area Biogenesis clinic, even as he concluded last week a one-year suspension by Major League Baseball for violating the sport's doping program.

But speaking to federal authorities in January, Rodriguez, known in the baseball world as A-Rod, admitted to buying and using hormone-filled syringes and creams from the clinic, the Herald reported, citing a 15-page summary of the meeting.

His New York-based attorney, Joseph Tacopina, would not comment on the report, saying, "Grand jury secrecy law, which appears to have been violated, prevents me from answering one way or the other."

The slugger, a three-time American League Most Valuable Player, told authorities he first met the clinic owner when trying to lose weight in the summer of 2010 and struggling with a knee injury, the newspaper said.

Under his direction, Rodriguez injected human growth hormones into his stomach to help with "sleep, weight, hair growth, eyesight and muscle recovery," the Herald reported.

Rodriguez confessed to using various testosterone-laced products, the paper said, including lozenges known as "gummies."

Rodriguez, 39, was recently reinstated by the Yankees and may move from third base to first base in the coming season.

His return could be overshadowed by court disclosures from one of sport's biggest doping scandals, which has tarnished some of baseball's top players and continues to haunt a sport that vowed to clean up after widespread steroid use in past decades.

The Herald gained access to the documents as prosecutors pursue criminal charges against the clinic's owner and six others tied to the scandal, including Rodriguez's cousin Yuri Sucart.

Prosecutors said Rodriguez, one of baseball's best-paid players, gave Sucart a total of $900,000 in late 2013 after Sucart's lawyers threatened the baseball star, saying Sucart would reveal he was Rodriguez's "steroid mule," according to court records filed last week.

Sucart introduced Rodriguez to the owner of the defunct clinic, Anthony Bosch, who gave him tips on how to evade doping tests, the Herald reported.

The latest report matched comments by Bosch in an interview on CBS' "60 Minutes" in January in which he described providing performance-enhancing products, including gummies to Rodriguez.

Ron Berkowitz, Rodriguez's agent, could not immediately be reached for comment. Major League Baseball had no comment on the article.

A spokeswoman for the Miami field office of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration denied knowledge of the report. Federal prosecutors also declined to comment.

Bosch, who ran the clinic where prosecutors allege professional athletes paid as much as $12,000 a month for performance-enhancing drugs, pleaded guilty last month to conspiracy to distribute testosterone.

Additional reporting by David Adams; Writing by Letitia Stein; Editing by Mary Milliken and Peter Cooney

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
judicial process / court cases / court decisions

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Yankees star Alex Rodriguez reportedly admits to doping

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
MIAMI (Reuters) - New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs in an interview with federal agents probing a Florida anti-aging clinic at the center of baseball's doping scandal, the Miami Herald reported on Wednesday.

# data[].attributes.body
Deviant behaviour occurs on all sporting levels and across all sporting codes and is recognised as behaviour that goes against the norms of society.

There are many different theories on what causes a person to perform deviant behaviour, including biological, sociological as well as psychological explanations.  Psychological explanations of deviant behaviour come mainly from three theories: psychoanalytic theory, cognitive development theory, and learning theory.

All humans have natural drives and urges that are repressed in the unconscious. Additionally, all humans have criminal tendencies. These tendencies are curbed, however, through the process of socialisation.

Learning theory is based on the principles of behavioural psychology, which hypothesises that a person’s behaviour is learned and maintained by its consequences or rewards. Individuals thus learn deviant and criminal behaviour by observing other people and witnessing the rewards or consequences that their behaviour receives.

For instance when children see sporting athletes partaking in doping or violent activity with no consequence they would be more likely to follow. Sporting stars can deter deviant behaviour by conducting themselves better on the field and portraying more integrity or discipline as which children can learn.

# data[].attributes.body
Sport is an important part of everyday life we learn basic principles of hard work, mateship and responsibility. Sport is plagued with corruption scandals that revolve around large sums of money.

Its not uncommon to read about corruption, doping scandals, violence, match fixing, gambling and even sexism.  Corruption can be found in an imaginable area of sport. The main areas match fixing, embezzlement or misusing sports funds, corruption in the hosting of games, corruption in changing sports results, corruption in transfers of money and even corruption in the election of governing bodies.

The Australian Government has  reformed and introduced current legislation to combat the threat of evolving sports corruption.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
AUSTRALIA'S top sporting codes have been rocked by revelations that organised crime is behind the increasing use of banned performance-enhancing drugs by ''multiple athletes'' across sporting codes and possible attempts to fix matches and manipulate betting markets.

The heads of all the main professional and participation sports expressed shock after being briefed on a 12-month investigation by the Australian Crime Commission that found professional sport in Australia was ''highly vulnerable to organised crime infiltration''.

Plays of the week

Police are pursuing evidence that some coaches, sports scientists and support staff at clubs have orchestrated or condoned the use of banned drugs and that organised crime figures distributed the drugs.

The probe, code-named Project Aperio, revealed personal relationships between professional athletes and organised criminal identities and groups that might ''have resulted in match fixing and the fraudulent manipulation of betting markets''.

It has emerged that one potential case of match fixing in an unspecified sport is already being investigated. There is also evidence that one sporting club doped an entire team with a group of performance-enhancing drugs called peptides.

The investigation found ''clear parallels'' between what it uncovered and the investigation by the US anti-doping agency into disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong. ''The difference is that the Australian threat is current, crosses sporting codes and is evolving,'' a report concluded.

The commission chief executive, John Lawler, said on Thursday he was hopeful criminal charges would be laid but refused to be drawn on which individuals, clubs or codes were being investigated or when inquiries by state and federal police would be completed.

Federal ministers urged those with knowledge of unethical or illegal behaviour to come forward, saying co-operation may lead to less severe sanctions. ''Don't underestimate how much we know and, if you are involved in this, come forward before you get a knock at the door,'' said the Justice Minister, Jason Clare, adding that the revelations would disgust sports fans.

Mr Clare said ''multiple athletes'' from a number of clubs were suspected of using or having used performance-enhancing drugs and club officials had been identified as ''administering, via injections and intravenous drips, a variety of substances".

The government has introduced legislation to increase the powers of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority so that those who refuse to co-operate will be liable to civil penalties.

Sporting codes have agreed to establish integrity units to deal with doping; to call on their athletes to co-operate with investigators; to share information across codes; and to show ''zero tolerance'' for support staff involved in ''peddling inappropriate substances''.

James Sutherland, the chairman of the Coalition of Major Professional and Participation Sports, said the sports would leave ''no stone unturned'' to restore integrity to sport.

The AFL chief executive, Andrew Demetriou, vowed to increase resources to combat a new generation of performance-enhancing drugs known as peptides that have similar effects to anabolic steroids, and the NRL immediately said it had employed a former Federal Court judge, Tony Whitlam, to set up an integrity compliance unit.

But the president of the World Anti-Doping Agency, John Fahey, said sporting codes would need to respond to the challenge. ''The organisations themselves have to ask a lot of these questions of themselves.''

The former head of ASADA, Richard Ings, said: ''This is not a black day in Australian sport, this is the blackest day.''

Big sponsors have already signalled their concern at the commission's findings. The chief executive of Telstra, David

Thodey, which recently paid $50 million for the five-year naming rights of the NRL, said he would look at the detail of the report. ''Our brand image is very tightly tied up with those who we sponsor so if there is untoward behaviour that we don't agree with we make our position very clear.''

The independent senator Nick Xenephon called for an immediate suspension of sports betting: "These extraordinary findings require an urgent response to protect the integrity of sporting codes.''

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
'This is the blackest day in Australian sport'

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
AUSTRALIA'S top sporting codes have been rocked by revelations that organised crime is behind the increasing use of banned performance-enhancing drugs by ''multiple athletes'' across sporting codes and possible attempts to fix matches and manipulate betting markets.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
PARRAMATTA'S season has effectively been ended this morning, with the scandal-ridden club docked 12 competition points by the NRL and fined $1 million, as the NRL today said it needed to "take a stand" against the club's systematic cheating of the salary cap.

The decision instantly relegates the Eels to languish near the foot of the NRL competition.

In addition, the NRL has cancelled the registration of five officials at the club: Chairman Steve Sharp, Deputy Chairman Tom Issa, Director Peter Serrao, CEO John Boulous and football boss Daniel Anderson.

The NRL has also toughened its response to the Eels compared with the original provisional sanctions proposed in May, with the club's currently favourable for and against points differential now revoked. The NRL has also dropped its offer to suspend $250,000 of the $1 million fine proposed in the provisional sanctions.

The move follows revelations in The Daily Telegraph today of alleged new discussions in board meetings about rorting the salary cap that occurred as recently as February.

NRL CEO Todd Greenberg has talked tough on the responses of the so-called Gang of Five to the provisional sanctions, saying that there had been a failure to "take responsibility" for the club's industrial-scale salary cap rorts first unveiled by The Daily Telegraph in March.

"While each made points worthy of consideration, there was insufficient information in those responses to warrant any change to the penalties originally proposed in the breach notices," Mr Greenberg said.

"The overall impression that I got from the responses is that no one at the club has taken responsibility for the deliberate, systemic and blatant breaches of the salary cap. We have to take a stand to demonstrate that the NRL will not tolerate contraventions of the salary cap which plays such a crucial role in giving us one of the closest competitions in Australian sport."

In full, the NRL has imposed the following penalties:

* The Eels will be docked 12 competition points from today. In addition, all differential points (for and against) accumulated by the Eels in the first nine rounds will be revoked.

* The club will be fined the maximum penalty of $1 million.

* The "Gang of Five" have had their registrations cancelled.

* The Eels will be stripped of its Auckland Nines title won earlier this year. There will be no official winner for 2016.

The tough final decision follows rancorous dealings between the Eels and the NRL since the initial breach notice. Club officials have drawn on $400,000-plus in Leagues Club members' funds in a failed NSW Supreme Court challenge to the NRL's right to suspend its officials.

Mr Greenberg did say he sympathised with Eels fans, coach Brad Arthur and the players _ who beat the Roosters on the field on Friday night, and have performed impressively in difficult circumstances this year.

But he added that the code had to take "a strong stand to preserve the integrity of the salary cap and the competition".

"We would hope that, in the long term, this will help make the club stronger and ensure there is no repeat of the salary cap breaches which have plagued the club over the last six years."

Mr Greenberg said the Parramatta club now had to make one of the biggest decisions since it was founded in 1947.

"It can appeal the decision, which is its right, or it can accept this decision and turn Parramatta into the powerhouse club it should be. It is my view that it is time for the club to move on and do the right thing by Brad Arthur, the players and the fans."

Mr Greenberg said the review had taken longer than originally anticipated because it affected the livelihoods and reputations of people in the game.

In particular, the NRL did not take lightly its decision to de-register a club legend like Steve Sharp, who had been a long time member of the Parramatta family.

Mr Greenberg said that, with this phase of the investigation completed, the NRL will now focus on improving the governance and operations of the Parramatta club. He said the NRL was ready to provide any resources and expertise needed by the club. "We have not intervened in the running of the club during this investigation because our priority was to give everyone involved a fair hearing," Mr Greenberg said.

"But it is imperative that we help rebuild the club so it has a strong Board and strong management into the future.

"We note that there are currently several proposals for extraordinary general meetings at the club and we would urge members to support a Board and management group which is focussed on making the Eels a strong, successful team.

"The time for in-fighting and factionalism is over. The members have a chance to clear the decks and rebuild the club and we will be encouraging them to do so.".

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
PARRAMATTA'S season has effectively been ended this morning, with the scandal-ridden club docked 12 competition points by the NRL and fined $1 million, as the NRL today said it needed to "take a stand" against the club's systematic cheating of the salary cap.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Valcke was relieved of his duties until further notice, the international governing body of soccer said.

The organization's brief statement to the media said FIFA's ethics committee will investigate the series of allegations involving Valcke, the No. 2 man in FIFA after President Sepp Blatter.

The claims, reported in several major international newspapers, come from a sports marketing company consultant, Benny Alon, who said that Valcke and FIFA agreed to provide tickets to World Cup matches in 2014 that were sold on the black market for much more than their face value.

"Jerome Valcke unequivocally denies the fabricated and outrageous accusations by Benny Alon of alleged wrongdoing in connection with the sale of World Cup tickets," said attorney Barry Berke. "Mr. Valcke never received or agreed to accept any money or anything else of value from Mr. Alon. As has been reported, FIFA entered into an agreement with Mr. Alon's company, JB Sports Marketing. That agreement and FIFA's subsequent business dealings with Mr. Alon were vetted and approved by FIFA and its legal counsel."

The decision comes as investigations continue into allegations that bribery helped determine the hosts of past and upcoming World Cups.

FIFA has been embroiled in scandal since a grand jury in the United States indicted 14 people, including nine top FIFA officials, on corruption charges in May. Federal prosecutors have alleged that FIFA officials took more than $150 million in bribes to provide "lucrative media and marketing rights" to soccer tournaments.

The U.S. indictment accuses Jack Warner, FIFA's former vice president and a member of parliament in Trinidad and Tobago, of taking a $10 million bribe to vote for South Africa to host the 2010 World Cup. The indictment says South Africa was willing to pay $10 million to the Caribbean Football Union "to support the African diaspora" in exchange for Warner's and two other conspirators' votes to put the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, instead of Morocco. The South African bid committee has denied any impropriety in the payment.

Valcke has strenuously denied any wrongdoing in connection with the $10 million payment.

Swiss investigators are also looking into the controversial 2018 and 2022 World Cup bidding process, which saw Russia and Qatar come out as the victors, respectively.

Valcke, 54, has been FIFA's secretary general since 2007, following three years as the director of marketing and television. His duties include the group's finances and the organization of the World Cup. Valcke, a Frenchman, was expected to leave his post in February when Blatter steps down.

CNN's Pierre Meilhan contributed to this report.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
fifa secretary general is suspended - cnn

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
FIFA secretary general is suspended - CNN

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Valcke was relieved of his duties until further notice, the international governing body of soccer said. The organization's brief statement to the media said FIFA's ethics committee will investigate the series of allegations involving Valcke, the No. 2 man in FIFA after President Sepp Blatter.

# data[].attributes.body
It is clear, for example, that issues such as doping are driven by far more than just athletes’ desire to win. The corporatisation of sport and financial interests of a diverse set of organisations means that winning is big business for many. In elite cycling, for example, the financial rewards associated with victory were so powerful that a win-at all costs attitude was adopted – nothing was off the table in terms of achieving an edge setting a standard for people to follow within society.

Many within the system accepted doping as normal practice and a requirement to be able to merely compete, let alone be victorious. It is alleged that those complicit included, for a period, the majority of competitors, doctors, therapists, coaches, team managers, directors and even sponsors. At the higher levels of the system, it can be argued that governing bodies are aware and even take drastic measures to evade the issue.

The network of people and organisations was tightly bound together by financial incentive. Financial gain likely lies at the heart of most of the sporting scandals in recent history.

# data[].attributes.body
Improving drug controls might stop one drug, but driven by the same financial and production pressures, another new and undetectable drug will emerge. Allowing the use of performance-enhancing drugs to create a more level playing field won’t work either. The financial rewards are so powerful that the playing field will simply never be level. Those with more financial power and a need for bigger returns will find better ways of enhancement.

In cases of corruption, removing corrupt governing body officials may work for a while, but eventually the massive financial incentives will create new corruption, either at the same level or elsewhere in the system. With component fixes, sports systems will be able to adapt, driven again by the same pressures.