Participation of Soviet Ukraine Athletes in International Competitions in 1920’s

The article discovers a participation of Soviet Ukraine athletes in international competitions in 1920's. The paper emphasizes that the topic has not been a subject of complex scientific research yet. There are only few sides discovered in the articles of Ukrainian scientists. Archives of state and public institutions preserves documents and materials, which are an important source for studying direct participation of Ukrainian sports delegations and individual athletes in international competitions. The object of our interest is international cultural relations of the Soviet Ukraine. The subject of the paper is participation of teams and individual athletes in international football, athletics and other competitions. Objectives of research are: to show the first steps of Soviet Ukraine on its way to international recognition through different sports competitions; to identify the ideological influence on the development of Soviet sport; to find out the status of institutional and functional level of Ukrainian delegations in the international sport area. It is also important to establish bilateral connections and representative status of international sport teams in Ukraine on public, regional and national levels. It is noted that the Soviet government assigned the role of sport as a part of politics and propaganda in domestic and international area. Ukraine had the organizational and functional institutions that coordinated sport development, representing the republic at international and all-union competitions. Trips abroad were taken by Ukrainian functionaries, coaches and athletes to adopt physical culture and sport development experience from Western countries. In mid1920 the first among Ukrainian athletes were not professional sportsmen but amateur football players. Ukrainian SSR was represented on the international arena by players of football, volleyball, handball, basketball, track and field etc. The sport component of international relations of Soviet Ukraine was widely covered by the republican press. The article shows that during the first half of 1920s. system of Soviet sport was established. The second half of 1920s. is marked with intensification of contacts between Ukrainian and international athletes. At this time a nationwide and all-union sports competition in contrast to the Olympic Games were held and the athletes from around the world were involved. It is proved that during 1920th. Ukraine had a great variety of international sport relations

Source: Danylenko O. (2015). Participation of Soviet Ukraine Athletes in International Competitions in 1920’s. Sumy Historical and Archival Journal. №XXIV: 51-61

Source web-site: http://shaj.sumdu.edu.ua/data/24_2015/6-Danylenko.pdf