Cosmetic surgery is an emerging trend in the world of sports. Athletes are going to great lengths to get an advantage over the competition
Cosmetic surgery is an emerging trend in the world of sports. Athletes are going to great lengths to get an advantage over the competition
Everyone hears of actors, models and others from the glamour industry who have gone under the knife and had surgery to improve their looks and physique. However, the last decade has led to a surge in sports players wanting to go under the knife in an attempt to improve their agility, fitness levels and also their looks.
The latest victim is Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, who is so fed up with being impeded by her 34D "assets", that she has decided to opt for breast reduction surgery. She explains, "The breasts make me uncomfortable when I play. It's the weight that troubles me, affecting my ability to react quickly." Despite being just 17, and 317th in the world, Simona feels that this surgery will help enhance her performance by making her lighter and improve her chances of winning a Wimbledon title someday.
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Former national hockey player, national coach and brought to the public domain through the famous flick Chak de India, Mir Ranjan Negi, said, "The option of surgeries was available even then. Science has advanced to a great extent and we must use it our advantage. Even if liposuction is done in a controlled way, it helps players move faster and be fitter, especially in a game like hockey, where one needs to be fast."
This is a trend that started abroad. Prominent Manhattan cosmetic surgeons recently revealed that liposuction was being regularly performed on fitness trainers, professional athletes, and even body builders. Most sports have made the transition from being purely talent driven to power-packed action. In addition to being talented, players needed to be faster and more powerful. For example, tennis players needed to have less fat percentage but high muscle content in their body as opposed to long distance runners who required less fat percentage and more lean muscle. Removal of fat cells from an athlete's body could well improve performance by making them feel light on their feet and training could help improve speed and stamina.
Ace table tennis wizard Kamlesh Mehta agrees, "Cosmetic surgery is a new development in the world of sports.
But if science and technology are able to help sportsmen improve their fitness and overall performance without side effects, then there is nothing wrong with it. Maybe, it can help them lead a better life in future too. But I am dead against the use of steroids."
Leading sports medicine specialist Dr Dileep Nadkarni also feels the ban of drugs and anabolic steroids by the International Olympic Committee is the main reason for players turning to cosmetic surgery for improved performance. Fifteen Indian players have already been named for doping violations including discus thrower Seema Antil, badminton player Aparna Popat, weightlifters Karnam Malleshwari and Pratibha Kumari. This shows that players today are on the lookout for something extra to enhance their games. Since the committee has nothing against elective cosmetic surgery, athletes also opt for facial liposuction and abdominoplasty for those washboard abs, in order to gain confidence and look better. Apart from fitness, some can become popular in terms of their looks, increase their fan base and sign endorsement deals for advertising various products.
Badminton maestro Prakash Padukone says he would not advocate such a thing. He says, "I wouldn't advise any player to undergo liposuction. There are other ways of losing weight and adding the right amount of muscle mass with the help of exercise, diet and personal trainers. It is hard work and not a short-cut method. If players are willing to put in that much effort, they will still gain results. It is best if a sportsman remains natural."
For Prakash and some others alike, it is unimaginable to even think of sports players undergoing body contouring and the likes. But the truth is that famous names have undergone cosmetic surgery including the likes of ace athlete Bruce Jenner who broke the decathlon world record in the 1976 Olympic Games and underwent rhinoplasty (nose correction), facelift and facial corrective surgery 25 years ago because of a few surgeries that went wrong. Tiger Woods also recently underwent the laser eye correction to improve his vision. In 1999, Naserene Nasha, an Egyptian squash player had to undergo reconstructive plastic surgery on her face after a car accident. Surgeons also reveal that some Indian athletes are also opting for certain procedures if required, but don't want to admit it.
While some own up to it and others deny it to death, the fact remains that "plasitification" has already seeped into the world of sports in the same way that it has seeped into our mainstream lives.
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