Sports Life under Wartime Conditions (1941–1944): A Reconstruction Based on Contemporary Periodicals

Abstract

Topicality. The study of sports history during periods of crisis is particularly relevant in the context of the contemporary wartime challenges facing Ukraine. Despite Soviet myths about the complete cessation of sports life during the Second World War, the transformations, organizational framework, staffing, and regional specificities of the physical culture movement in the occupied Ukrainian territories between 1941 and 1944 remain underexplored socio-cultural phenomena. The Purpose and Methods. The study aims to conduct a comparative analysis of the regional characteristics of sports life based on materials published in the occupation press. The research methodology is grounded in the principles of historicism and objectivity. Comparative-historical, systemic-structural, and problem-chronological methods were employed. The source base comprised 18 representative periodicals from different occupation zones selected through purposive sampling. Results of Work and Main Conclusions. The study found that sports coverage occupied a secondary place in the occupation press and was used by the occupying authorities as a propaganda tool to create the illusion of peaceful life. By contrast, Ukrainian public figures employed sport as a means of promoting the national upbringing of young people. A pronounced regional disparity in the development of the sports movement was identified. The highest level of activity, characterized by regular league and cup competitions, was observed in Galicia and Transcarpathia. In Transnistria, sport acquired a commercial character, whereas in the Reichskommissariat Ukraine and the front-line zone the movement was in decline and largely limited to matches against military units of the occupying forces. Sports activities became concentrated in urban areas, lost their pre-war mass character, were financed by the Ukrainian community on a self-financing basis, and relied primarily on pre-war specialists. The press also reflected differences in audience engagement: newspapers in Galicia devoted attention to veterans' sport, whereas publications in the Reichskommissariat Ukraine and Transnistria reported on children's sports sections. The findings demonstrate that under wartime conditions the physical culture and sports movement did not cease to exist but underwent a process of forced restructuring, shifting its focus from competitive achievement to the fulfilment of socio-cultural, patriotic, recreational, and health-promoting functions that were essential for maintaining public morale. These developments correspond to broader international patterns of sports development in times of crisis.