Followers of the Union of Gymnastic Societies “Sokół” (Falcon) in Poland in the Olympic Games 1924–1936

Abstract

The aim of the article is to depict the participation of athletes, originated from the Union of Gymnastic Societies ‘Sokół’ (Falcon) in Poland, in the summer and winter Olympic Games in the interwar period. The Olympians represented gymnastics, athletics, boxing, wrestling and cross-country skiing – sports that were initiated on Polish soil yet during the partitions and were widely exercised in ‘Sokół’s’ societies in the interwar period. In this article, the political and social context accompanying the development of professional sport in “Sokół” can be found. Moreover, included biograms of the Olympians mention, in addition to sports successes, their membership in‘ Sokół’, and their social and professional activities after the end of a sports career. The aim of the article is to depict the participation of athletes, originated from the Union of Gymnastic Societies ‘Sokół’ (Falcon) in Poland, in the summer and winter Olympic Games in the interwar period. The Olympians represented gymnastics, athletics, boxing, wrestling and cross-country skiing – sports that were initiated on Polish soil yet during the partitions and were widely exercised in ‘Sokół’s’ societies in the interwar period. In this article, the political and social context accompanying the development of professional sport in “Sokół” can be found. Moreover, included biograms of the Olympians mention, in addition to sports successes, their membership in ‘Sokół’, and their social and professional activities after the end of a sports career. Futhermore, this study presents athletes whose biographies were contained in the published biographies and memoirs. This sources unambiguously confirm that their membership in the “Sokół” was not incidental, and their social identity was shaped in the process of education of the Society. This research area has begun to interest sport historians for some time, but publications are still incidental and rather focused on the achievements of the 'Sokół' in the dissemination of sport in selected regions of the country rather than the performance in competitive sport. The research methodology is based on the analysis of historical sources, such as sports press, diaries, and in-depth biographical studies.