Abstract

This article deals with the Playing Fields Sub-Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Until now this topic has been almost neglected in research on Olympic History. In 1925 the Playing Fields Sub-Commission was founded with the goal of developing guidelines for the provision of urban playgrounds in order to provide city-dwellers with enough space for sporting activities. Two main points are central to the article: In a first step, the process that led to the formation of the Playing Fields Sub-Commission is investigated. In this context, biographical data on Brigadier General R.J. Kentish who was the initiator and chairman of this Commission is presented. In a second step, the output of the Commission that – according to present availability of sources – existed only until 1931 is described and critically analysed. In order to do this, special consideration has to be given to the Olympic Congress in Berlin in 1930 at which a commission was appointed to deal with the question of playgrounds. Verf.-Referat