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THETRUTHOFSPORT
callyPolish,asapartofmoreglobalproblems.Tereadershoulddiscernthe
importanceofparticularchaptersofthemonographcreatedthisway.However,
theyarenotsimplereprintsoftheearlierpapersandlectures.Teyhavebeen
carefullyupdatedandprovidedwithnewelementsandhypotheses.
Temonographisopenedbyachapterdevotedtotheconceptofhistorical
truthasitpertainstosportshistory,whichhasneverbeenraisedseriouslyin
thisacademicfield.Asamatteroffact,theproblemofhistoricaltruthhasex-
istedingeneralhistoriography,butinthesportsareaithas,tomyknowledge,
notbeentouchedatall.Meanwhile,political,mostlypropagandaandideologi-
calpressures,alsoseeninthemassmedia,producemuchevidenceofhowsport
anditshistoryisabusedandfalsified.Lipoński)sattempttocopewiththeprob-
lem,thoughhedoesnotexhaustitsmultipleaspects,deservesspecialapprecia-
tionasimportantandpioneering.
Intimesofthebuilding-up,strengtheningandattemptsatmoreefectivein-
tegrationoftheEuropeanUnion,threatenedbydiferentpolitical,economic
andsocialdangers,thechapterofthismonographdevotedtosportasanimpor-
tantfactorinEuropeanculturalidentity,seemsextremelyimportantandinter-
esting.Europeanlanguages,beginningwithancientGreekathleticterminology
andendingwiththeoverwhelminginfluenceoftheEnglishlanguage,provide
afascinatingsupplementtothisEuropeanvisionofsportanditsculture.
AregionalbranchofthegeneralhistoryofEuropeansportisitsSlavicof-
shoot,includingitsPolishsegment,sofrequentlyignoredbyWesternschol-
ars.Teauthorofthemonographdealswiththisquestionwithsharpcriticism,
whichcanberightlyconsideredasavoicedemandingamoreobjectiveapproach
frominternational,especiallyWestern,sportshistorians.Teycertainlyshould
includeintheirstudiesaknowledgeofsportasitwashistoricallydevelopedin
Bohemia,Bulgaria,Croatia,Poland,Russia,Serbia,Slovenia,etc.
Poland,theformerYugoslaviaandCzechoslovakiawereespeciallyafected
byWorldWarII.Teauthorofthemonographpaysspecialattentiontocon-
centrationcampswhereSlavicpeopleespecially,nottomentionJews,sufered
barbariantreatmentbytheNazis,butsurprisinglytheyusedsomesportstose-
cretlypreservetheirpsychologicalsanityandatthesametimeuseditasaform
ofresistance.
Tothemostinteresting,ifnotfascinating,partsofthemonograph,belongthe
chapteronthehistoryofsportsethicswithratherunknownfactsconcerning
theetymologyofthetermsfairplayandsportsmanship.Finally,themonograph
isendedwithachapteronsportsaesthetics,asseenthroughtheeyesoffamous
Polishphotographer,TomaszGudzowaty,therecipientofseveralWorldPress
PhotoAwards.
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