As it enters the sporting spotlight, Brazil calls on the world to rethink raceA campaign offering DNA testing to underline the world is 99.5% genetically identical looks set to reinvigorate debates over race'The campaign offers free DNA testing to the public to prove there is only one race the human race.' Photograph: Silvia Izquierdo/APSian Herbertguardian.co.uk, Tue 14 Aug 2012 16.15 BSTCommentShare on twitterShare on facebookShare on emailMore Sharing Services10Brazil is now officially on track for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics. In a bid to open the world's eyes to the real Brazil past the flat-Earth vision of carnivals and caipirinhas the government has put its weight behind a campaign set to shake up global debates on race.The campaign, "We R no race" ("Nos nao temos raca"), offers free DNA testing to the public to prove there is only one race the human race. Genome mapping reveals that human beings are actually 99.5% genetically identical; and that the majority of human genetic diversity exists within local populations, much less existing between local populations. In short, there is no genetic basis for race.The project, led by Brazilian geneticist professor Sergio Pena, hopes to DNA test all footballers taking part in the 2014 World Cup, and potentially all Olympians in 2016. The Brazilian embassy in London is currently piloting the scheme, offering free DNA tests to the public. Brazil's minister of sport Aldo Rebeldo was first in line to take the test.In Brazil, the campaign has won high-level political support because of both internal and external factors. Within Brazil, pernicious socioeconomic inequalities are visibly marked by skin colour differences. Meanwhile, in the global sports arenas, racist incidents atEuro 2012 and the Olympics reveal that old habits die hard.The Brazilian vision looks set to reinvigorate debates over race on an international scale. First, it challenges the idea that racial differences exist, other than as a social construct. Second, it questions whether self-identifying by race might be harmful and hold minority groups back. Denying the scientific existence of race does not deny the existence of race as a social construct, and does not deny the very real impacts of racism. Instead, it seeks an alternative way to combat racism by deconstructing the foundations that support racist claims the assumption of difference.This is a contentious position amid various highly politicised and historic debates. Brazil, Europe and the US all recognise racial identity through government policy, and contain large numbers of people who passionately self-identify according to race. In the US, famed novelist Toure criticises the post-racial position in favour of a post-black position:"Post-black does not mean 'post-racial'. Post-racial posits that race does not exist or that we're somehow beyond race and suggests colourblindness: It's a bankrupt concept that reflects a naive understanding of race in America."However, in the UK, leading thinkers are beginning to question the impacts of racial categorisation in various fields (including education and mental health), and suggest a rethinking of race. Crucially, each national debate is very much shaped by its own unique history. So, while one vision may make sense in one