Black and Asian Athletes in British Sport and Society

'Patrick Ismond has written an original, powerful and engaging book. In doing so he makes an important contribution to our understanding of the messy interactions between race and sport in British society. Drawing on a wealth of innovative research on black and Asian athletes he helps us to see both the importance of the individual experiences and the wider cultural and social processes that shape them. The result is a book that will become a standard reference for students of race and sport.' - John Solomos, City University, London 'A welcome newcomer. Its innovation is in the use of empirical data in the form of interviews with athletes of Asian and African-Caribbean origin and having a focus broader than merely elite athletes...interesting and illuminating... will be helpful to students in fields as diverse as sociology, history and cultural studies, yet its readability is such that it is worthy of a wider audience.' - The Times Higher Education Supplement 'Ismond very capably teases out the complex and diverse ways that class, gender, ethnicity and 'race' intersect in the respective sporting lives of black and Asian athletes...It is a well written account with plenty of seminar-discussion friendly quotations by the athletes. The text is a worthy addition to the small but growing literature on the critical sociology of sport and 'race'.' - Ian McDonald, Ethnic and Racial Studies

PATRICK ISMOND lectured in the areas of sociology and mass communications at Bath Spa University College, and the University of the West of England between 1995 and 2001. He has published on issues of racism, ethnicity and identity in sport, and on the media opportunities for minority ethnic cable television companies. He is a freelance writer, and is currently employed by Health Care Trusts in the West of England where he is involved with highlighting and tackling race and sex discrimination.

List of Figures Acknowledgements Notes on Interviewees Introduction: A Sporting Chance? PART I: 'RACE' AND MALE SPORT Understanding 'Race' and 'Sport' British Minority Ethnic Groups, Sport and Society Sporting Beginnings Sport in the Later Years PART II: 'RACE' GENDER AND SPORT Women and Sport Interviews with Black and Asian Sportswomen Conclusion Bibliography Index