By Saxon Cheng
Forget about kids playing a sport to be with their mates and having fun. Now American companies are marketing DNA test kits to parents, to determine if their kids are genetically built to excel in a particular sport.
The companies say their DNA scans can help families decide which sports ankle biters are most likely to win and help score a university scholarship,
Time magazine reported. The tests can also predict kids who are prone to heart problems and concussions.
But the boffins at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are outraged that one company that markets Sports X Factor is still selling its kits without FDA clearance.
"Genetic testing can't measure the passion a young person has for an activity," said Larry Lauer, director of coaching education and development at Michigan State University's Institute for the Study of Youth Sports. "While someone might be predisposed to be successful in a certain
sport, it doesn't mean they're going to enjoy it or want to work hard at it."
Overly ambitious parents who probably never made it themselves in the sporting world may use the results to push their children into a sport they don't enjoy and away from one they do.
"This is really disturbing," Lainie Friedman Ross, a paediatrician and bioethicist at the University of Chicago, told the
Washington Post. "Sports and physical activity should be fun for kids. It shouldn't be, 'You're going to be the world's greatest
athlete' or 'Give up now, kid, because you won't have a chance' because of your genes."
To develop into a successful athlete, Lauer said it comes down to timing, being injury-free and training hard consistently.
RALPH tried a number of sports as a kid, but as an adult we excelled at boat races at the pub.
Your say: Do you think these sporting gene test kits will be a help or hindrance?
