Średniowieczna geneza idei fair play i jej funkcjonowanie we współczesnym sporcie – od turniejów rycerskich do nowoczesnego współzawodnictwa na arenach sportowych
Medieval Origins of the Idea of fair play and Its Place in Contemporary Sports – from Knights’ Tournaments to Modern Competition in Sports Arenas

Author(s): Michał Mazurkiewicz
Subject(s): History, Language studies, Language and Literature Studies, Studies of Literature, Philology
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Śląskiego
Keywords: fair play; sport; Middle Ages; knights’ tournaments
Summary/Abstract: Sport, undeniably, is a complex phenomenon and a fascinating field of research. The aim of this article is to trace the medieval origins of contemporary sport. Interesting forms of games and their cultural background can be observed in knights’ tournaments. The chivalric code developing at that time created a strong need for exercising and contests perfecting warfare. „It established moral principles, which in time became a fundamental in sports of what was, not without reason, called by the founder of olympism Pierre de Coubertin „the spirit of chivalry”, and what the English referred to as fair play. In the following article, the author analyzes the sources, essence and evolution of the idea of fair play, and how it is functioning in contemporary sports arenas. He gives examples of noble behavior worthy of the highest praise and unworthy behavior representing the dark side of sports rivalry. An important place in the paper is devoted to the presentation of some views within physical education science on whether the principle of fair play is the highest value in sports.

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