Abstract

Of late there has been a very intensive discussion on sport and peace in the sports scene of the Federal Republic of Germany. This discussion took its roots from the partial boycott of the Moscow Olympics in 1980 on account of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the increasing accumulation of nuclear weapons in Europe, which was also felt as a threat towards the existence of sports as a whole. In spring 1981 a pressure group was founded, called Sportsmen and Sportswomen for Peace and Against Nuclear Weapons. So far this group has organized a multitude of Sports and Games Festivals for Peace. Two international events in December 1983 and in October 1985 received special publicity. They featured all sorts of sports and games (Competitive sport as a sport display, popular competitions, and games for everyone to join in) with a mixture of music, interviews, discussions, and propaganda for particular political objectives, such as nuclear disarmament in East and West, objection to SDI, human rights, famine and starvation in various parts of the world, etc. The two festivals of the years 1983 und 1985 are described and analyzed. Verf.-Referat