Abstract
In January 1939, Polish athletes began the preparations for the Summer and Winter Olympic Games planned for 1940 in Helsinki, Finland and St-Moritz, Switzerland. Over hundred and fifty athletes representing twelve disciplines of sports took part in these preparations. On May 16, 1939, one hundred and thirty five Polish athletes took the Olympic oath in eight Polish cities. These ceremonies were solemn and included strong patriotic accents. The preparations for the Games were held in the atmosphere of the tension in the international situation, and the Polish-German relations were worsening from month to month as the war was inevitably approaching.
