The Gift of Sport is a lavishly illustrated large format book co-authored by a father and daughter, both of whom are well qualified to write such a book. A keen runnner himself, Prof Stuart Burgess has designed highly successful chain wheels for Team GB’s Velodrome track bikes, contributing to a host of gold medals in past Olympics game. Stuart’s team are also involved in the bike design for the 2024 Paris Olympics too (26 July–11 August). Tabitha Carron played for Cambridge University women’s rugby team and also represented her country in cross-country running.

Various aspects of design are discussed at different points; e.g., of the human body, or the horse’s body in the case of equestrian sports. Sports help us explore the great outdoors and enjoy God’s creation as well as maintaining fitness and health.

Following an introduction, there are 25 chapters on all manner of sports, outlining the rules, equipment, tactics, and strategy. Each chapter has sections on the history of the sport and the science involved, plus a box of fun facts. There is a chapter on ‘10 top athletes with Christian faith’ (from around the world) and another on ‘The dark side of sport’; e.g. idolizing sports stars/teams, gambling, temptations to cheat, match-fixing, what a Christian’s priorities should be, and more. The final chapter asks ‘Are you in the most important race?’