Tracing Olympic bio-citizenship: The implications of testing for ineligibility

Abstract

This paper explores how the regulation of fair play in sport informs understandings of elite athletes and contributes to a formation of citizenship, which I (rather simply) refer to as athlete-citizenship. These athletes constitute a transnational caste because of their status as exceptional bodies with distinct physical abilities. They are also subject to heightened public scrutiny and surveillance to ensure that their performances are not artificially manufactured or unfairly enhanced by ergogenic aids. These developments, I argue, not only affect athletes' subjectivity, but also their status as citizen-subjects. Various factors influence citizenship. Show more