INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC ACADEMY 7th JOINT - IOA

Together with fair play, we also examined moral reasoning (which
will not be described in details due to the minimal statistical
importance of results) and the system of values. An elite sport
occupies a special position in sport and it is not subordinated or it is to
a lesser extent to stable social patterns and intrinsic logic of society. It
has its own structure and its own rules, regulations, values and its own
understanding of morality. Therefore, when we speak about values
connected with sport, it is important first to find out what kind of
value sport represents to any athlete. Sport is also a personal value that
can improve the most important characteristics of what an athlete
expects from sport. With an objective basis, sport has certain values,
which are independent from individual athletes however athlete's
needs and interests are at the same time the necessary condition of an
athlete to perceive something as a value (Tušak, Tušak 2001). From
that point of view we can understand why different athletes see sport
differently - it is because they have different interests, because they
appreciate certain values of sports competitions differently.
The research was set in accordance with the following objectives:
1. To find out predominating values, value orientations, value
types and their higher categories of values with Slovenian
olympic athletes.
2. To find out the level of fair play with regard to its different
factors.
3. To compare individual values and the factors of fair play
concerning to gender, age, collective or individual sports and
experience (years of training).
4. To compare olympic and recreational athletes in there values
and the factors of fair play.
METHOD
Participants
Forty-eight Slovenian athletes, who competed in the Olympic
games 2000 in Sydney, participated in this research. The participants
were 64% of all Slovenian athletes at these Games. There were twelve
sportswomen and thirty-six sportsmen. Ten of them competed in
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