AGON is the title of a new book written by sports expert Lino Bugeja.

Sponsored by APS Bank, AGON –meaning contest – is a compilation of studies on various aspects of sport from pre-history to the present day when sport has become a global phenomenon prac-tised in various forms.

It combines the interests of present and future activists in the world of sport, namely the players, coaches, tea-chers and particularly the educated layman.

AGON is a ground-breaking book in the vernacular that focuses on the historical, social, phy-sical, educational and spiritual aspects of sport that is now inscribed in the UNESCO Charter as a right and an expectation.

Bugeja draws on his vast experience in sports as an athlete (he represented Malta in athletics in the first Mediterranean Games in Alexandria in 1951), football player (turned out for St George’s and Vittoriosa Stars in Division One), coach (national youth coach 1972-1976), administrator (general secretary of the Maltese Olympic Committee 1972-80), lecturer (Inter-national Olympic Academy, Olympia) and journalist.

The book also focuses on the origins of sport as well as highlighting its social and educational benefits.

Bugeja also analyses sport as a delicate instrument and explores academic pursuits such as Art and Sport, The Paradox of Sport, Means to Many Ends, Homo Ludens and Sport and Religion among others.

The book, a must-have for all sports lovers, is replete with images ranging from ancient sculptures to contemporary illustrations.