Die vergessenen Winterolympiaden des Arbeitersports

This article examines the Winter Olympics (Winterolympiaden) of the Socialist Workers’ Sports International (Sozialistische Arbeitersport-Internationale, SASI) in Schreiberhau 1925, Mürzzuschlag 1931 and Johannisbad 1937. While Mürzzuschlag can be considered well researched, Schreiberhau 1925 and Johannisbad 1937 are underexplored areas of research. By analysing new source material, such as the social-democratic press in Wrocław and Berlin for Schreiberhau and the reports in the Swiss Satus-Sport and the national and local German-language press in the CSR for Johannisbad, a direct picture of the sporting, organisational and cultural activities could be traced. While in Schreiberhau, Central European skiers participating in the workers’ branch of the sport, which was in its infancy, met the Finnish competitive athletes. The subsequent events show an increasing convergence of the European workers’ sports movement and the idea of competitive performance. Johannisbad in the CSR, surrounded by authoritarian states, became the most political of the three Winter Olympics, supported by the entire workers’ cultural movement in North-East Bohemia.