Coaching ethics – acquiring knowledge on preventing sexual violence in sport

This paper delves into the work of genealogy of ethics in which Foucault (1997) explains the key differences between moral as a code of prescriptive values and rules of action and ethics as the manner in which one ought to constitute oneself as an ethical subject of his/her own actions. Bearing this in mind, this paper also explores the ways in which workshops for coaches working on sexual violence in sport would instead of being prescriptive, take into account the four aspects of Foucault’s ethics.  The coaches within the workshops had to reflect on the following types of questions related to the four aspects of self-constitution: (i) The ethical substance: What part of oneself should be subjected to ethical work on the self? (ii) Mode of subjection: What are the rules which one needs to adhere to? What is considered as ethical within these rules? (iii) Ethical work: In what practices should one engage to become an ethical being? (iv) Telos: What is the goal of the ethical work?