Competitive sport is today about winning and training to win. Many athletes are professionals, with careers managed by teams of specialist staff working towards the ultimate goal of world-class, medal-winning performances.

This entry-level text offers new students a comprehensive introduction to the phenomenon of the pursuit of excellence in sport, covering the key issues and talking points including:

• the history and tradition of sporting excellence
• comparisons of elite high-performance sport programmes in Australia, the USA, East Germany and...

Competitive sport is today about winning and training to win. Many athletes are professionals, with careers managed by teams of specialist staff working towards the ultimate goal of world-class, medal-winning performances.

This entry-level text offers new students a comprehensive introduction to the phenomenon of the pursuit of excellence in sport, covering the key issues and talking points including:

• the history and tradition of sporting excellence
• comparisons of elite high-performance sport programmes in Australia, the USA, East Germany and...