The community and sport participation.

In an earlier paper (Khosla, 1968) it was observed that winning athletes (gold medallists) in many of the Olympic events at the Tokyo Olympiad in 1964 were much above the average heights of all partici- pants in their events.In contrast, it was noted that competitors in a few events (boxing, wrestling, judo, and weightlifting) are matched on rigid weight standards, and because weight and height are positively correlated they are indirectly also matched by height.In a subsequent paper (Khosla, 1970) the complex interrelationships between height, heredity, weight, obesity, physical fitness, smoking habits, and health were explored.On the basis of these studies a system of grading based on height was suggested to provide a reasonable incentive in some of the 'unsporting' events for enthusiasts of average or less than average height.The present paper confirms that the outcome of most of the events at the Mexico Olympiad were also prejudged in favour of the taller competitors, who themselves were drawn from the taller sections of the general population.DATA