Applied physiology Racial differences

Aims for today Exploring what differences exist between the races Examining how these differences impact upon sport and exercise

Some ideas about race and sporting ability

Describing races With the person next to you, describe an average: –Caucasian (white European) –African (east and west) –Indian –Oriental Is it possible to describe them? Your descriptions should be based upon anatomical and physiological factors, not cultural factors

Defining race Can you define race? “The term race or racial group usually refers to the categorisation of humans into populations or groups on the basis of various sets of heritable characteristics.” The most widely used human racial categories are based on visible traits.

Race and sport

Are there certain sports which certain races have ‘the monopoly’ on? –Classify the following sports indicating whether the sports are mainly known as Caucasian West African East African –Sprinting –Power throwing –Long distance running –Tennis –Heavyweight boxing –Swimming –Badminton –Cricket –Middle distance running –Fencing –archery

World record holders, but which nationality? EventWR holder (male)NationalityWR holder (female)Nationality 100m Usain BoltFlorence Griffith Joyner 200m Usain BoltFlorence Griffith Joyner 400m Michael JohnsonMarita Koch 800m David RudishaJarmila Kratochvílová 1500m Hicham El GuerroujYunxia Qu 10,000m Kenenisa BekeleTirunesh Dibaba Marathon Patrick MusokiPaula Radcliffe Shot put Randy BarnesNatalys Lisovskaya Javelin Jan ZeleznyBarbora Spotakova High jump Javier SotomayorStefka Kostadinova Long jump Mike PowellGalina Chistyakova

Sporting success and race EventWR holder (male)NationalityWR holder (female)Nationality 100m Usain BoltJamaicaFlorence Griffith JoynerUSA 200m Usain BoltJamaicaFlorence Griffith JoynerUSA 400m Michael JohnsonUSAMarita KochGermany (GDR) 800m David RudishaKenyaJarmila KratochvílováCzechoslovakia 1500m Hicham El GuerroujMoroccoYunxia QuChina 10,000m Kenenisa BekeleEthopiaTirunesh DibabaEthopia Marathon Patrick MusokiKenyaPaula RadcliffeBritish Shot put Randy BarnesUSANatalys LisovskayaRussia (URS) Javelin Jan ZeleznyCzechoslovakia (former) Barbora SpotakovaCzechoslovakia (former) High jump Javier SotomayorCubaStefka KostadinovaBulgaria Long jump Mike PowellUSAGalina ChistyakovaRussia (URS)

Simple facts The sub-10 second barrier in 100m has only been broken by one caucasian. Nearly all shot put records are held by white male athletes. No black swimmer has ever held a world record Top 3000m times are held by Kenyans. There are hardly any black managers in football, American football, ice hockey, baseball, and rugby.

What makes these records that way? With a partner, identify what differences you think may exist between the three dominant races, and how these differences manifest themselves in sporting ability

East African athletes This includes athletes from Kenya and Ethiopia. –What sports do they dominate at? We now know that most Kenyan runners are from: –The Kalenjin region High altitude On Oaklearn, there is a journal article.

East African athletes There isn’t 100% conclusive proof, yet studies have shown that EA’s have: –An ability to perform at a higher percentage of their V02 Max. –quadriceps with greater capillarisation. –smaller muscle fibres which contain more mitochondria that are closer to capillaries. –more muscle enzymes which burn fat and spare glycogen and protein. –More slow twitch fibres.

West African athletes From 100m to 1 mile, every world record is held by an athlete of West African descent. Test results have shown that athletes from West Africa have: –longer arms and legs –narrower hips – wider bones –narrower calf muscles – lower subcutaneous fat percentages. –greater bone density This implies a greater power-to-total-weight ratio at any given size. Such a ratio would be advantageous in events in which the body is propelled - the sprints and jumps, for example. These require relatively short bursts of muscular power rather than a prolonged expenditure of energy.

Caucasians Mesomorphic shape Larger and stronger upper body. Short arms in relation to the body. More subcutaneous tissue. Power throwers –Cultural or physiologically determined? Intelligent sports with a high skill base –Is this not a cultural factor? Larger thoracic cavity –How do these differences manifest themselves in sport?

Other factors There are differences. However, there are socio-economic factors: –Blacks and polo –Whites and basketball –Indians and cricket –Asians and badminton/squash