Reflecting on Race, Politics and Sport

Abstract

This essay is a reflective overview of Aboriginal and Islander sport, locating their sporting achievements across the decades and in the contexts of several policy eras: the genocidal period, the protectionsegregation regime, the assimilation and integration ages, the present era of ‘autonomy’. The essay focuses on the obstacles in the way of sporting success to the point where these minorities have not only become predominant in the ‘stadium sports’ but have come into their own in sports either previously closed to them or not readily accessible. While sport has done much for individuals, sport as such has had little impact on many communities now in states of distress.