Sport under Communism : the U.S.S.R., Czechoslovakia, the G.D.R., China, Cuba

Abstract

The 1980 Olympics are being held in Moscow - the People's Republic of China is about to enter the Olympic Movement - Cuba is now among the more formidable participants in the Pan-American Games - the German Democratic Republic, with a population of 17 million, is fast becoming the world{u2019}s most "successful" country in sport {u2026} What does all this mean? In the West nobody doubts the importance of the Communist countries in international sport - or their success in the Olympic Games, which they now virtually dominate. Sport is seen very clearly as a far more eloquent advocate for a political system than any amount of books and speeches. There is growing interest here in sport and physical education as practised in Communist countries (and indeed in the role of "physical culture" in our own societies). But how much do we actually know about what goes on behind the dazzling performances we see on our television screens? - about the organisation of sport, mass participation, the training of "stars", sports boarding schools, physical culture courses, facilities, and the nature and functions of "physical culture" in society? The answer, for most non-specialists, is "not much". The need for a comparative study is therefore clear, and this book has been designed to give a great deal of information and analysis in a form that the non-specialist reader will find enjoyable, as well as putting a handy vademecum into the hands of those with a more professional interest. A highly qualified and experienced team of writers together provide insight into the world of sport in five communist countries - the two biggest (the USSR and China), two (the GDR and Cuba) that have achieved results out of all proportion to their size, and one (Czechoslovakia) which can be taken as a representative of the smaller Communist-ruled states of Eastern and Central Europe. As an introduction there is a comparative analysis. Show more