One of the main goals of sport is competition. Winning is so important to some people that they'll do anything to become No1, including taking banned or illegal substances.
Some people say sporting-goods manufacturers have taken this desire to win too far, with technology, rather than skill, becoming the dominant element of sporting success. The following are a few examples of how technology has changed the performances of recreational and professional athletes.
Golf has been greatly affected by technology. One of the more controversial changes has been to drivers. No longer made with rigid faces, these clubs are constructed of advanced materials such as titanium that give them a spring-like effect.
This aerospace technology affects how efficiently energy, in the form of velocity, is transferred from the club to the ball, making the ball travel further. It's called the coefficient of restitution (COR). Although these tools make the golfer happy, the the game's governing bodies - the US Golf Association (USGA) and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrew (R&A) - view them as a violation of an equipment rule 'disallowing the clubface to have the effect at impact of a spring'.
The COR of a club that doesn't spring - such as one made with most forms of steel - is about .780. In 1988, the USGA drew the line at .830 for drivers, and the R&A followed in 2002, saying it would apply the USGA's .830 limit for the 2002 British Open, and then for all players and competitions by 2008.
Tennis is another sport where technology has had a major impact. The stiffer carbon-fibre racquets used today reduce arm vibration, and the larger heads increase the surface area with which to hit the ball. It means amateur players don't have to be as fit, and don't have to spend as much time honing their skills. And it's helped professionals make their game so powerful that some people feel pro tennis is becoming too fast, making it much tougher to return a serve.