The Popular Front and the Barcelona 1936 Popular Olympics: Playing as If the World Was Watching

by James Stout

This book deals with the events leading up to the 1936 Popular Olympics which would have united the Popular Front in opposition to the Berlin Olympics. It also discusses the days after the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War which began on the same day the games were due to start. Using a variety of primary and secondary sources, the book traces the biographies of several Popular Olympians who would go on to volunteer in the Spanish Civil War. The book also examines the planned events and locations for the Popular Olympics as well as the international funding that the games secured. The book argues that the events were a departure from Workers' Sport as well as the IOC's Olympic games and represented an important cultural manifestation of the Popular Front.

136 pages, Hardcover

Published January 16, 2020

Reviews

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gem of a little book that combines my love of anti-fascist history and sport, as well as a timely reminder of how sport can be a powerful tool for solidarity building and State building when the statecraft of the Olympics is front and center. While I assume it's intended to be used as an academic text (that's generally where I find books that include chapter abstracts), it's extremely readable, and it's easy to refer back to sources within each chapter. I've already pulled up several things to add to my to read list.