The History of Sport Shoes

No matter how stylish sports footwear may appear, they are not designed for performance enhancement and are at best supply a comfort zone. Opposing to what sales copy may say it is people who win Olympic medals and not their shoes. In just over a century, manufacturers which create sport shoes have become multi-national industries with marketing budgets in excess of many developing countries GDP. Critised because of their blatant dismissal of human rights many shoe companies continue to target sales at low socio-economic groups and all in the name of sport. In the interests of intellectual exchange the author attempts to discover some of the stranger facts and fiction relating to sport shoes.

The XXVIII Olympiad is with us again and a feast of fetes guaranteed, no doubt. Certainly as a catwalk of footwear technology there is no bigger occasion and all the main exponents of sports wear will be there, obviously anxious their drawing board innovations cut ice. Interesting to note at least one brand leader has already issued their purpose to not promote fashion cross over after the event. A brave move in a very aggressive market, which might assume the shoes design, is not quite complete and there is more to come. Maurice Greene took off his shoes after running the 100m recently and put them on the track where a friend straight away shot them with a fire extinguisher. Dramatic and clear indication of what lies ahead - hot feet in Athens 2004 Olympic Games and the Paralympics Games. Medal winning footwear will feature three main assets if they are to count in this year's meeting of the elite. Sports shoes need to be lightweight, strong, and not just look cool, but also keep the feet cool. The scourge of the event may be blisters so designers and technologists have focused their attentions on a much neglected area of medicine, to date, namely sweaty feet. The Sweaty Feet Olympics will advance the hydro-challenged for decades to come and reason enough alone, I say, for holding the amazing global event. With over 40 individual sports on show, some of which put the human foot to the limits of endurance, no surprise to learn the footwear will represent the accumulated knowledge of shoe making, known to humans.

By Cameron Kippen, Curtin University of Technology, Perth WA