OLYMPIC AND SPORTS MOVEMENT IN POLAND (1918–1939)

Abstract

After gaining Poland’s independence in 1918 the government of the country began an active work on the establishment of a national system of physical education for children and youth. Among important aspects of reforming this area was the implementation of an important task – the development of mass sports in the country. In 1919 the Polish Olympic Committee was set up whose task was to popularize the Olympic movement in the country, the representation of Polish sports in Europe and the word, the development of sport among different age groups of society, creating optimal conditions for physical education and sports, assistance in preparation of Polish athletes to participate in the summer and winter Olympic Games. In a short period (1919–1921) the federations were established in the country: track and field, football, cycling, speed skating etc. which contributed to the development of the sports movement in Poland. In 1935, 473,000 athletes regularly trained in 4500 sports clubs and sections that functioned in different regions of the country. In Poland a wide network of sports medicine centers was created in which 770 doctors of sports medicine worked. Since 1924 Polish athletes have taken an active part in the summer and winter Olympic Games and get prizes in different sports. In the post war years Poland’s national teams perform in the most prestigious competitions at all the Olympics. The Polish Olympic Committee actively participates in the world Olympic movement and promotes the further development of the mass sports in the country.