Sandra Heck. Von spielenden Soldaten und kämpfenden Athleten: Die Genese des Modernen Fünfkampfs

Sandra Heck. Von spielenden Soldaten und kämpfenden Athleten: Die Genese des Modernen Fünfkampfs. Göttingen: V&R unipress, 2013.

100 Jahre olympisch und dennoch weitgehend unerforscht: der Moderne Fünfkampf
Die nationalistische Stimmung, die in Europa Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts vorherrschte, gab Raum für die Geburt eines Wettkampfs, der sowohl sportlichen als auch militärischen Nutzen versprach: 1912 feierte der Moderne Fünfkampf in Stockholm sein olympisches Debüt und blieb mehr als 100 Jahre olympisch. Die Ursprünge der Sportart, die bis in die zweite Hälfte des 19. Jahrhunderts zurückreichen, sind aber bislang ununtersucht geblieben. Diese Lücke schließt der Band, der sowohl der militärischen als auch der olympischen Genese des Modernen Fünfkampfs gewidmet ist. Die Basis bilden Archivunterlagen, vor allem jene des Internationalen Olympischen Komitees, der Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne, des Schwedischen Organisationskomitees der Olympischen Spiele von 1912 und des Schwedischen Militärsportverbands, die die Autorin umfassend auswertet. Auch analysiert sie diverses Pressematerial aus mehreren Ländern, darunter Schweden, Frankreich, England, Deutschland, Österreich und die USA. (vandenhoeck-ruprecht-verlage.com/themen-entdecken/geschichte/geschichte-der-neuzeit/15496/von-spielenden-soldaten-und-kaempfenden-athleten)

100 years Olympic and still largely unexplored: the modern pentathlon
The nationalistic ambience that prevailed in Europe in the late 19th Century gave room for the birth of a competition which was useable both for sportive and military purposes. In Stockholm in 1912 the modern pentathlon (fencing, swimming, riding, shooting and running) celebrated its Olympic debut. Although the sport remained thereafter for more than 100 years continuously an Olympic discipline, its origins, which extend to the second half of the 19th Century, yet remained unexplored. The present work which includes both the military and the Olympic genesis of the modern pentathlon shall clear up with this. The evaluation of archival documents, above all those of the International Olympic Committee, the Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne, the Swedish Organising Committee of the Olympic Games 1912 and the Swedish Military Sport Federation, has contributed to answering this question, just as the analysis of diverse press material from several countries, including Sweden, France, England, Germany, Austria and the USA. (vandenhoeck-ruprecht-verlage.com/themen-entdecken/geschichte/geschichte-der-neuzeit/15496/von-spielenden-soldaten-und-kaempfenden-athleten)

Gerald Gems. Boxing: A Concise History of the Sweet Science

Gerald R. Gems. Boxing: A Concise History of the Sweet Science. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014.

Sports fans have long been fascinated with boxing and the brutal demonstration of physical and psychological conflict. Accounts of the sport appear as far back as the third millennium BC, and Greek and Roman sculptors depicted the athletic ideals of the ancient era in the form of boxers. In the present day, boxers such as Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Sugar Ray Robinson, Oscar De La Hoya, Manny Pacquiao, and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. are recognized throughout the world. Boxing films continue to resonate with audiences, from the many Rocky movies to Raging Bull, The Fighter, Million Dollar Baby, and Ali.

In Boxing: A Concise History of the Sweet Science, Gerald R. Gems provides a succinct yet wide ranging treatment of the sport, covering boxing’s ancient roots and its evolution, modernization, and global diffusion. The book not only includes a historical account of boxing, but also explores such issues as social class, race, ethnic rivalries, religious influences, gender issues, and the growth of female boxing. The current debates over the moral and ethical issues relative to the sport are also discussed. While the primary coverage of the political, social, and cultural impacts of boxing focuses on the United States, Gems’ examination encompasses the sport on a global level, as well.

Covering important issues and events in the history of boxing and featuring numerous photographs, Boxing: A Concise History of the Sweet Science will be of interest to boxing fans, historians, scholars, and those wanting to learn more about the sport.