‘Only the British Appear to be Making a Fuss’: The Science of Success and the Myth of Amateurism at the Mexico Olympiad, 1968

In the autumn of 1965 the British Olympic Association organised a party of doctors, scientists and athletes to investigate the effects of altitude on athletic performance. As the first major example of ‘sports medicine’ research in the history of the BOA, the Mexican Research Project is multiply symbolic. This paper explores the significance of the research project, and the rich rhetoric of ‘amateurism’ that was used both to support and attack the IOC's decision to hold the 1968 Olympic Games at altitude. As well as being a significant moment in the formation of sports medicine as a distinct specialty in the UK, the Mexican Research Project also demonstrates the tensions and trends in the international sporting and political scenes.