Risk has been particularly associated with pain, injury, illness and even death in the studies of organised high-performance sport: in short, physical risk has been the primary focus. In contrast, this article explores the cultural dimensions of risk alongside the physical risk, which are revealed in an in-depth ethnographic study of waka ama (outrigger canoeing),1 an organised sport that is profoundly influenced by indigenous Māori culture. Waka ama participants’ discursive, embodied and agential responses to risk are presented as factionalised stories, a blend of fact and fiction that respects Māori oral traditions as a form of knowledge. The findings related to the influences of cultural concepts on shaping participants’ perceptions and responses to risk emerge as important new understandings of risk in organised sport.
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