Some people think that dangerous sports should be banned. Do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
Sample Answer
A school of thought holds that a prohibition should be placed on extreme sports. While acknowledging the valid reasoning behind this thinking, I do not hold this view.
Advocates of a blanket ban on dangerous sporting pursuits argue in favour of personal safety. Risky sporting activities, the likes of which range from bungee jumping to spelunking and cage-diving, these supporters fervently say, are often inextricably associated with irreversible damage, such as fatal injuries, permanent deformations, and even untimely death. Such injury levels and mortality rates, characteristic of extreme sports, may encourage reckless attempts owing to the inherent sense of adventure, thereby jeopardising personal safety, undermining trust in the local authority, and even encouraging undesirable behaviours among the public. The situation may further deteriorate when certain lethal incidents occurring at particular tourist destinations can tarnish their long-standing reputation, thereby discouraging tourists, lowering tourism-related revenue, and eventually rendering these attractions unpopular within the global travel map.
Despite legitimate defences underpinning a complete prohibition, such an all-encompassing legislative act may risk individual rights infringement. Opponents of restricting dangerous sports contend that individuals should be eligible for the autonomy to partake in whatever forms of personal endeavours, as long as their engagement neither interferes with the rights of others nor violates any implemented laws. These critics believe that such a right serves as a fundamental principle of most democratic and pluralistic societies the world over and under no circumstances should this democracy ideal be violated. This argument can further be strengthened by the ambiguity of the word ‘dangerous’ mentioned within ‘dangerous sports’. On close scrutiny, the extent to which a particular sport is defined as being dangerous varies from person to person and authority to authority. Granted, freediving and parachuting can rightly be banned in some municipal areas or states due to their substantial levels of risk; yet the same principle cannot be applied to swimming or bicycling even though there are those who ardently claim these two activities can be risky.
In conclusion, while proponents of a blanket ban on extreme sports can justifiably argue their case on personal safety and socio-economic grounds, such a swift and thorough legislative enactment can violate individual freedom and confuse the public as to the potential nuances associated with the definition of ‘dangerous sports’. Upon weighing both viewpoints, the optimal course of action is to implement a well-rounded legal framework concerning extreme sports, in which the levels to which banning begins to take action are clearly defined, alongside proper training and accreditation for participants. Only through such a comprehensive approach should these types of endeavour be better regulated, therefore preventing unwanted scenarios of fatality and mortality.
Vocabulary
| prohibition | sự cấm đoán |
| a complete ban | lệnh cấm hoàn toàn |
| a blanket ban | lệnh cấm toàn diện |
| valid reasoning | lý do hợp lý |
| viewpoint | quan điểm |
| dangerous sporting pursuits | hoạt động thể thao nguy hiểm |
| personal safety | an toàn cá nhân |
| irreversible damage | tổn hại không thể phục hồi |
| fatal injuries | chấn thương gây tử vong |
| permanent deformations | biến dạng vĩnh viễn |
| untimely death | cái chết bất ngờ |
| mortality rates | tỷ lệ tử vong |
| inherent sense of adventure | bản chất phiêu lưu |
| jeopardising personal safety | gây nguy hiểm cho an toàn cá nhân |
| undermining trust | làm suy giảm niềm tin |
| encouraging undesirable behaviours | khuyến khích hành vi không mong muốn |
| lethal incidents | sự cố chết người |
| tarnish their long-standing reputation | làm hoen ố danh tiếng lâu đời |
| global travel map | bản đồ du lịch toàn cầu |
| legitimate defences | lập luận hợp pháp |
| all-encompassing legislative act | đạo luật toàn diện |
| individual rights infringement | sự vi phạm quyền cá nhân |
| autonomy to partake | quyền tự chủ tham gia |
| fundamental principle | nguyên tắc cơ bản |
| democratic and pluralistic societies | xã hội dân chủ và đa nguyên |
| ambiguity of the word ‘dangerous’ | sự mơ hồ của từ “nguy hiểm” |
| socio-economic grounds | cơ sở kinh tế – xã hội |
| well-rounded legal framework | khung pháp lý toàn diện |
| comprehensive approach | cách tiếp cận toàn diện |
| fatality and mortality | tử vong và cái chết |
