- Each week, two of our readers debate a hot topic in a showdown that doesn’t necessarily reflect their personal viewpoints
- This round, they argue whether sports like bungee jumping and skateboarding should be banned
Should extreme sports like snowboarding be banned? Photo: ShutterstockIf you are interested in joining future Face Off debates, fill out this form to submit your application.
For: Chloe Kwok, 15, Heep Yunn School
Extreme sports, such as snowboarding and mountain climbing, are gaining popularity all over the world. While these activities provide a sense of excitement, they can result in life-threatening injuries or even death.
Therefore, considering the unnecessarily high risks and cost to human life, extreme sports should be banned.
First, extreme sports have a staggeringly high risk of severe injury and death. Extreme sports cause more injuries and fatalities than traditional sports, such as football and swimming. Extreme sports, by their nature, involve high speeds, heights, and dangerous conditions that could result in fatal accidents.
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According to a BBC article from 2014, base jumping – similar to bungee jumping, except a skydiver jumps from a fixed point instead of a plane – has resulted in at least 180 deaths, while 197 people died from scuba diving between 1998 to 2009.
Even the tiniest mistakes and errors in judgment can lead to tragic consequences when taking part in extreme sports. When someone has an accident, emergency rescue and medical services are required, the costs of which are borne by society. The damage and financial loss could be prevented by avoiding extreme sports.
Furthermore, the ongoing medical costs can be staggering and lifelong in the most severe cases of spinal cord or traumatic brain injuries.
The high costs to public service – and the impact caregiving could have on one’s family and friends – mean it is unjustified to demand support to participate in such dangerous recreational activities.
Some say a person is free to participate in any sport they choose. This may sound right at first, but the technical flaw of this statement is that an individual’s freedom should not override the freedom, rights and well-being of society as a whole.
In other words, freedom has limits. When your freedom endangers or disturbs others, you have no right to exercise your freedom against the safety and security of other individuals.
Thus, if your participation in extreme sports could cause undue burden to others, you shouldn’t take part. Of course, everyone has their own beliefs. But society can only improve when everyone respects and protects others against unnecessary hardship.
Against: Emily Cen, 12, Independent Schools Foundation (Secondary)
When people think of extreme sports, they imagine the thrill of adrenaline rushing through the body, that split second of antigravity, and the gentle thud of your heart beating against your rib cage. Many find them electrifying and love the rush of these sports, while others are inclined to ban them because of the high risks of injury and death. But there are many benefits to extreme sports.
The main arguments against extreme sports focus on the increased risk of injury and death. It’s true that in extreme sports, such as windsurfing, paragliding, or even skateboarding or skiing, the risk of injury and death is higher than in traditional sports. However, it is still relatively low with the right equipment and safety measures.
Extreme sports are not risk-free for everyone, but they don’t always result in someone getting killed or seriously hurt. They can be enjoyed both competitively and leisurely with the proper safety measures and knowledge of the risks involved.
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According to a 2017 article in the Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research, in snow sports like skiing and snowboarding, the risk of injury is between two to four injuries per 1,000 participants – much lower than in traditional sports like rugby or football. This number has lowered in recent years, too, thanks to improvements in equipment, ski area design and maintenance.
Someone who participates in extreme sports already knows the risks and still chooses to participate, whether for the excitement or simply because they love the sport. Athletes are aware of the risks, so they train and take precautions to do what they truly love. If we can’t do what we love in life, what’s the point?
If we did ban extreme sports, not only would a ban be hard to regulate, as many of these activities take place in the middle of nowhere, but it would make these sports even more dangerous, as it would drive them underground.
These sports would still continue, just illegally and likely without the right precautions, training, and limited equipment, which increases the risk of serious injury and death.
Society allows people to do what they want as long as it makes them happy and does not affect others, so why should it be different for extreme athletes?