The Popular Front and the Barcelona 1936 Popular Olympics

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.

The first significant text examining the 1936 Popular Olympics in the English language Examines poster art, Catalan and Spanish Archives, and collections of documents in the UK and the USA, to trace the promotion and participation of the games as well as their international funding Responds to a growing interest in sports history as well as in Catalan independence and anti-fascism

Autorentext

James E Stout, PhD, is an Adjunct Professor of World History at San Diego Mesa College, USA. His work focuses on sport and identity in Catalonia. He also writes articles for several outdoor publications and runs a not for profit organization dedicated to helping indigenous people in the USA through peer mentored exercise programs.

Inhalt

1. Spain and Sport in the 1930s.- 2. The Berlin Games and the Boycott.- 3. Funding and Organizing an Alternative.- 4. The Participants.- 5. The Events.- 6. After the Games.- 7. Conclusions.