Jamaican Usain 'Lightning' Bolt is arguably the most celebrated sportsman in the world. From the relative obscurity of being a world-class 200 metres runner and winner of the Athletics World Championship silver medal in 2007, Bolt has elevated himself to iconic stature with his incredible world record runs in the 100 metres and his unbelievable performances at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He is already being touted as the 'saviour' of track and field athletics and has been a fantastic ambassador for Jamaica, the Caribbean and the entire global African diaspora. This 22 year-old promises astonishing feats to come and his performances indicate that he is more than ready to fulfil those promises. Already a track phenomenon at the precocious age of twelve, this uncomplicated country boy leads the new generation of Caribbean stars who chose to stay at home, and train, study and work in familiar climes. His story is an inspiration to all and his instant celebrity shows the power of the media and the importance of the Olympic Games even in today's crowded sports calendar.

Foul Play dissects the age-old subject of cheating in all its absurdity. From plain old doping to claiming a marathon victory despite having driven the middle section of the race, from match-fixing to diving for a penalty - cheating in sport is as old as sport itself. There are plenty of well-known cases of cheats being found out in sport: Ben Johnson, for example, was stripped of his 100m Olympic medal after a positive drugs test; South African cricketer Hansie Cronje was banned from all cricket for life after admitting involvement in match-rigging; rugby union recently found itself having to deal with the "bloodgate" scandal. However, there are myriad other examples of bending the rules more subtly: pressuring the referee, demoralising an opponent with mind games, or shirt-pulling.But what constititues cheating and where do we draw the line? Are some sports cleaner than others? Is cheating in one sport the same as cheating in another or does each sport's distinctive culture set different standards? Is there such a thing as a sport without sin? Or, indeed, a sporting competitor?This book is not a catalogue of past sporting misdemeanours so much as an investigation into the lengths to which some sports people have gone, and will go, to get the better of others. And also the lengths to which they will not go.