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SURVEY: Destined for greatness? Do your genes give you a head start in sport?

Researchers from º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ are investigating the role genetics play in sport – and they need your help.

Sporting greatness is often attributed to a combination of genetics, training, and lifestyle. But just how important are our genes? What makes us talented in one sport, yet average in another?

By completing a short online questionnaire, your answers will help experts from the University’s School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences learn more about the subject.

As some claim it is possible to identify sporting talent using a simple DNA test, the researchers aim to gauge your opinion about greatness and genetics. Should we and/or could we know more?

Do you think there is a place for genetic testing in the world of sports? Do you want genetics in sport? Or is sport about much more than just the physical?

The results of the project, led by Dr Liz Akam, will be published later in 2020.

The survey can be found online here and should take just 10-15 minutes and requires no prior knowledge.

Notes for editors

Press release reference number: 20/109

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.

It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2020 QS World University Rankings and University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2019.

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 4th in the Guardian University League Table 2020, 5th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2020 and 6th in The UK Complete University Guide 2021.

º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.

The º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.

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