Spor Bilimlerinde Bedensel Temsil Sorunu: Kadın Sporcular, Yaşam Evresi Temelli Sporculuk ve Para Spor Üzerine Kapsamlı Bir Derleme

Abstract

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı, spor biliminde görünmeyen bedenler sorununu kavramsal, metodolojik ve uygulamalı boyutlarıyla incelemektir. Çalışmada, literatürde hangi sporcu gruplarının eksik temsil edildiği, bu görünmezliğin hangi mekanizmalarla üretildiği ve söz konusu örüntülerin spor biliminde bilgi üretimi, politika geliştirme ve kanıta dayalı uygulamalar üzerindeki etkileri değerlendirilmiştir. Yöntem: Bu çalışma, kapsam incelemesi yaklaşımının mantığından yararlanan kapsamlı bir derleme olarak tasarlanmıştır. Spor biliminde eksik temsil sorununu ele alan hakemli yayınlar incelenmiş; özellikle kadın sporcular, gebe ve postpartum sporcular ile para sporculara odaklanan çalışmalar değerlendirmeye alınmıştır. İnceleme süreci; örneklem temsili, yazarlık ve editöryal görünürlük, klinik kanıt yapısı, politika desteği ve bedensel çeşitlilik eksenlerinde yapılandırılmış, heterojen çalışmalar tematik ve eleştirel sentez yaklaşımıyla bir araya getirilmiştir. Bulgular: Bulgular, spor biliminde görünmeyen bedenler sorununun birden fazla ve birbiriyle ilişkili mekanizma aracılığıyla üretildiğini göstermektedir. Kadın sporcuların spor ve egzersiz tıbbı araştırmalarında hâlen eksik temsil edildiği, erkek örnekleme dayalı kanıtın etkili klinik rehberlerin oluşumunda belirleyici olmayı sürdürdüğü belirlenmiştir. Gebe ve postpartum sporcuların kurumsal ve politik düzeyde sınırlı destek gördüğü, para sporculara ilişkin sağlık ve sarsıntı literatürünün ise parçalı bir yapı sergilediği saptanmıştır. Sonuç: Spor biliminde görünmeyen bedenler sorunu, yalnızca sayısal temsil azlığına indirgenemeyecek ölçüde epistemik ve kurumsal bir meseledir. Daha kapsayıcı bir spor bilimi için araştırma önceliklerinin, raporlama standartlarının, politika yapılarının ve kanıtın uygulamaya aktarım süreçlerinin yeniden değerlendirilmesi gerekmektedir. Bu çerçevede bedensel çeşitlilik, spor bilimi araştırmalarında merkezî bir unsur olarak ele alınmalıdır.

Keywords

• spor bilimi
• normatif beden
• bedensel görünmezlik
• kadın sporcular
• gebe ve postpartum sporcular
• para sporcular
• epistemik dışlanma
• kapsamlı derleme.

Bodily Representation Problems in Sport Sciences: A Comprehensive Review of Female Athletes, Life-Stage-Based Athletic Participation, and Para Sport

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the problem of invisible bodies in sport science from conceptual, methodological, and applied perspectives. In particular, the review sought to identify which athlete groups remain underrepresented in the literature, through which mechanisms this invisibility is produced, and how such patterns affect knowledge production, policy development, and evidence-based practice in sport science. Method: This study was designed as a comprehensive review informed by the logic of scoping review methodology. The review focused on peer-reviewed publications addressing underrepresentation in sport science, with particular attention to female athletes, pregnant and postpartum athletes, and para athletes. The analysis was structured around major themes including participant representation, editorial and authorship visibility, clinical evidence production, policy support, and bodily diversity. A thematic and critical synthesis approach was adopted in order to integrate conceptually related yet methodologically heterogeneous studies. Results: The findings indicate that invisible bodies in sport science emerge through multiple and interrelated mechanisms. Female athletes remain underrepresented in several domains of sport and exercise medicine research, while male-dominated evidence continues to shape influential clinical guidance. Pregnant and postpartum athletes appear to receive limited institutional and policy support, and para athlete literature remains fragmented across health and concussion-related topics. Collectively, these patterns suggest that invisibility in sport science is not merely a matter of low numerical representation, but also a consequence of how the “normative athlete body” has historically been constructed in research and practice. Conclusion: The review demonstrates that the problem of invisible bodies in sport science constitutes a broader epistemic and institutional issue. A stronger and more inclusive sport science requires not only greater representation of underrepresented groups, but also the reconsideration of research priorities, reporting practices, policy structures, and evidence translation processes. In this respect, bodily diversity should be treated as a central rather than peripheral concern in future sport science research. Keywords: sport science, normative body, bodily invisibility, female athletes, pregnant and postpartum athletes, para athletes, epistemic exclusion, comprehensive review.

Keywords

• sport science
• normative body
• bodily invisibility
• female athletes
• pregnant and postpartum athletes
• para athletes
• epistemic exclusion
• comprehensive review.

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