Epilogue

It might be argued that today in global sport many of the historic battles for inclusion, such as those which are explored here, have now been won. There may still be residual prejudice directed at certain ethnic or racial groups, excluding them from full participation; there may be a generalized exclusion from international competition of some athletes from under-developed Third World countries due to lack of general resources, specific facilities and relative poverty and an inadequate diet, but in the Developed World, extraordinary gains have been made in sport by previously excluded or under-represented minorities. Indeed, to an extent discussion has now shifted from the struggle for inclusion to exploration (again) of the comparative and contrasting nature of the athletic and physiological abilities and merits of the various racial and ethnic groups. This has now become one of the most prominent and controversial issues in contemporary athletic performance. ¹