The four-minute mile, The Thriller in Manila, “They think it’s all over”. We all have our own favourite sporting moment forever imprinted on our memories. The drama, the glory, the feats of skill and athleticism, keep the world hooked to both playing and watching sport in all its many forms. In the new issue of Overseas, out today, we look why at the high ideals of inclusion, equality, and fair play are what make sport so universal.
The recent Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast placed these ideals at the centre of the event, with the largest ever programme of para-sports included in the main schedule, with 40% more para-athletes competing than in Glasgow four years ago. The 2018 Winter Paralympics in PyeongChang also gave athletes who specialise in snow sports a chance to compete. In the issue, I speak to Grace Brulotte, founder of Fernie Adaptive Ski, about the provisions for para-skiers in Canada and the enjoyment disabled people can glean from snow sports.
The Gold Coast in April also saw equal medal opportunities for women and men at the games for the first time. A laudable achievement, which sadly isn’t met everywhere in the professional sphere. While most sports are played by both genders, in some cases the pay gap at the professional level remains wide. Abi Millar explores what can be done to promote equality in participation and pay in sport.
Of course, these high ideals of inclusion, equality and fair play can sometimes come under threat as the rewards of winning become so great. Sport is big business after all; the adulation, the prestige, and the money can all contribute to sportspeople crossing that ethical line and deciding to dope. Ross Davies looks into the ongoing fight against doping, the public’s changing perception of elite sport given the frequent revelations of doping across a wide number of disciplines and asks if public confidence will ever be restored in our sporting heroes.
Read all this and more below.
