The physiology of sport encompasses a wide and diverse range of scientific interests. The intention, and major challenge of the review, is to collate the most pertinent of these interests into a coherent strategy for future research in sports physiology. The unifying concept of this review is the potential contribution of future research in sports physiology to the development of the elite competitor. The review promotes this theme through an in‐depth appraisal of current knowledge and identification of key areas of research that would most profitably advance the understanding and application of sports physiology. Central to this theme are the physiological limitations to exercise performance of the elite competitor and the adaptation of these physiological systems to further training, possibly leading to overtraining. Indeed, the potential to adapt to, or recover from, the ever increasing demands of training and competition is considered in sections on the development of strength and power, the child athlete and the limitations to performance in multiple sprint activities such as hockey and football. Throughout the review it is recognized that sports physiology is increasingly reliant upon advances in analytical techniques and quantitative measurement. Physiological measurement, the validity and accuracy of present and future procedures, and the correct interpretation of these data are therefore considered in detail in the final section of the review.