Abstract
Sport, by its very nature, is a “contest” involving physical competition within rules-based structures and organisations. Yet, sport, as a cultural institution and practice, is also a contested terrain of identities, politics, and policies. While debates about whether sport and politics should mix endure, the reality is that they have always co-existed and sometimes collided. A more important question might be why ‘sport’, given its strategic relationship with other key sectors of society, including health, education, and business, has not been recognised for its inherent political nature.