A testing ground for sports science

The Mexico Games gave sports scientists the chance to test their belief that the lower atmospheric pressure and oxygen levels found at Mexico City’s altitude would negatively impact on the performance of middle-distance runners but would help sprinters, who did not need sustained oxygen intake. Performances in track and field showed this theory to be correct. A total of 26 Olympic and world athletics records were set at Mexico 1968, with only one of them coming in a track event over 800 metres: Kenyan runner Kipchoge Keino’s Olympic record in the men’s 1,500m.

Scientists discovered that endurance athletes could nevertheless improve their performance if they trained at altitude, as it allowed them to produce extra red blood cells and increase their lung expansion. This hugely significant discovery led to the development of high-altitude training, now the most common training method in endurance sport, the benefits of which are best felt at sea level. The fears expressed by some International Federations and the global press about the IOC’s decision to stage the event in a city 2,300 metres above sea level were thus unfounded. Athlete health was not an issue at Mexico City and there were no serious injuries or deaths.