We have seen it in movies, the future in which we are able to look at genes, and manipulate them to create children good at sports, music or art. Now firms such as Genetic Technologies Limited claim to be able to determine if our children will be able to become elite athletes. Mail-order kits of less than $200 will use genetic samples taken from cells from the inside of the cheek. These will be used to determine the level of ACTN3, which is said to be an indicator for explosive bursts of energy required for sprints and weightlifting. After several days the test will come back with results that show if the child is made to be a superior athlete or not.
The reasons for developments of these tests lie with demands enforced by our current sports obsessed and competitive society. According to a commentary in Wednesday’s Journal of the American Medical Association “in the ‘winning is everything’ sports culture, societal pressure to use these tests in children may increasingly present a challenge to unsuspecting physicians.” Dr. Alison Brooks, a pediatrician and sports medicine specialist at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, expects to “see more of this, not less” in the future.
