Sociological work on sport and the body has escalated in recent years as the theme of the body has become more established on the social scientific research agenda. This article reviews some of that work and also notes that historical work on the sporting body remains relatively undeveloped. The core of the article is dedicated to the examination of sporting bodies in 19th-century England in popular events and pastimes such as pedestrianism and long-distance swimming. This is based on the John Johnson collection of ephemera at the University Of Oxford's Bodleain Library. The range of bodies on display at the 2000 Sydney Olympics is discussed in a concluding commentary. This is based on personal observational work at Sydney. The article proposes that any adequate understanding of the place of the body must be informed by adequate documentary and observational sources.
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