Sport

Explore the heritage of sport across Europe

Sporting stories

Explore stories of sporting heritage from across Europe

cover of a booklet with word 'How to play the old course St Andrews' and a green silhouette of a golfer
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St Andrews Old Course

A guidebook for playing Scotland's finest golf course
black and white photograph of a crowd watching a football match, standing in front of a detailed scoreboard
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Sporting divides

How antisemitism in post-war football matches in Hungary was portrayed by the Communist authorities
black and white photograph of group of people with a cow and plough
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Ploughing championships

Agricultural tests of skill and agility
black and white photograph of gymnasts in formation
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Gymnastikhøjskolen

Denmark's first sports school was founded in 1920
colour painting with blue tones showing naked men swimming and sunbathing at a swimming pool
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Vitalism

Scandinavian and German art celebrating sport, bodies, nature, health, youth and strength
black and white photograph of a Latvian football team
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Latvia football team

Discover the history of the Latvian national football team in the 1920s and 1930s
colour photograph of a silver medal with pink and yellow ribbon on which is word 'Friendship'
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The Gay Games

Exploring the history of the tournament which promotes acceptance of sexual diversity
black and white photograph of a number of horses and jockeys jumping fences
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Steeplechase

Discover the Irish roots of the first steeplechase race
black and white photograph, group of men playing quoits, one quoit is flying through the air
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Quoits: Yorkshire game

Discover a traditional game played in villages across Yorkshire and other parts of the UK
vintage colour postcard with a sailing boat and rowing boat on a lake in front of a number of buildings and trees
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Balaton's Blue Ribbon Race

The history of an annual sailing race on Hungary's largest lake
colour photograph, a group of people walking along a road
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Vierdaagse in Nijmegen

The Four Days Marches in Nijmegen are the world's largest multiple day marching sport event
black and white photograph, four male athletes with shamrocks on their sport shirts
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The Tailteann Games

Irish sporting competitions in the 1920s and 1930s
black and white photograph of Wembley stadium in 1901
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London & football

Exploring the past and present of football in the UK's capital city
colour illustration of athletes walking by a large number of flags on flagpoles with Edinburgh castle in the background
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Commonwealth Games Scotland

Go Scotland! Exploring the history and archives of Commonwealth Games Scotland
colour photograph of three red and white sport shoes and one blue and white show, with a yellow background
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Tisza sport shoes

An icon of Hungarian sport, this is the story of shoe factory in Martfű
photograph of an Ancient Greek relief showing a young man playing with a ball
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Football's classical roots

Exploring links between football and ancient Greece and Rome
image with green background showing icon of comb and scissors, pestle and mortar, axe and parachute
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Unique championships

Hairdressing, pesto, logging and parachuting - 4 championships in sports you may not know
black and white photograph of a number of people on bicycles
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Utrecht, city of cycling

Cycling history of the Dutch city with the country's first bicycle path
black and white photograph, group of men with a rugby ball
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Salvador Dalí, rugby fan

The story of how Salvador Dalí supported a Girona rugby team
colour photograph, two men in sea kayaks with a mountain behind
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Into the Maelstrom

Discover the story of a 1980 Scottish kayak expedition to northwest Norway
black and white photograph, men in a row walking while holding large flags
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Workers' Olympiads

International sport competitions in the 1920s and 1930s for members of labour and workers associations
colour illustration of a Philips advert showing cyclists
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Advertising Philips Radio

Striking illustrated advertising commemorating the 1948 London Olympic Games
black and white photograph, a man making boxing gloves
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Boxing glove factory

Archive photographs bring us behind the scenes of WEHA, a German sports equipment factory
six young women lined up at the beginning of a running race
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School sports

Explore archive photographs of sporting activities at a girls school in Dublin
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Dutch football in lockdown

How lockdowns in the Netherlands affected football
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Rewards of the races

Running and European athletes

(öppnas i nytt fönster)
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Lonkero drinks

Lonkero are Finnish long drinks invented for the 1952 Olympics
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Bulgarians, heroes!

The first gymnastics societies in Bulgaria were youth organisations imbued with national ideals

(öppnas i nytt fönster)

Sportspeople

Biographies and stories about athletes and teams

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Ben Bril

Youngest-ever Olympic boxer, who survived the Holocaust
black and white photograph of a man in a canoe
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Anton Geurts, Dutch canoeist

From a homemade canoe to Olympic silver
colour painting of gymnast Věra Čáslavská doing a gymnastics move
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Gymnast Věra Čáslavská

Icon of Czech gymnastics who subtly protested Soviet invasion at the 1968 Olympics
black and white photograph, woman ice skating with her arms raised
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Sjoukje Dijkstra

Champion figure skater who was the first Dutch gold medal winner at the Winter Olympic Games
sepia photograph of a woman standing side-on to the camera wearing a swim suit
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Fanny Durack

Irish-Australian who won the first women’s Olympic swimming medal
black and white photograph of Jesse Owens running
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Athlete Jesse Owens

The 1936 Olympic champion who battled poverty and racial bigotry with sporting success
grainy black and white photograph of Leone Jacovacci who flexes his arm muscles
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Leone Jacovacci

Afro-Italian boxer who was Italian champion in the 1920s, angering fascists
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Pole-vaulting into politics

Władysław Kozakiewicz’s 1980 Olympics gesture
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Trude Pritzi & Richard Bergmann

Table tennis world champions from Vienna

(öppnas i nytt fönster)
Lilly Steinschneider wearing a pilot costume, she is holding her eye protecting goggles and her pilot cap in her right hand
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Lilly Steinschneider

Hungary's first female pilot who conqueried the skies in 1912
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Éva Székely, swimmer and survivor

Hungarian Olympic gold medallist who survived the Holocaust and lived through the 1956 Revolution
black and white photograph portrait of Johnny Weissmuller who wears a swimming singlet
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Johnny Weissmuller

From Olympic gold medal swimmer to Hollywood leading man
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Club of the Eagle

The history and heritage of Sport Lisboa e Benfica
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Boxing champion Max Schmeling

German boxer Max Schmeling was world heavyweight boxing champion of the world in the 1930s
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Legends of La Liga

'Pancho' Puskás and the Hungarian 'Golden Team' of the 1950s who made their mark on Spanish football

(öppnas i nytt fönster)

Galleries

black and white photograph of a group of footballers who wear suits
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Black footballers

Photos, films and memorabilia showing Black footballers who have played in teams across Europe
circular pin with image of head of a bearded man with text in Greek and the number 1906
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Sports souvenirs

Memorabilia that show support and remember sporting events through history
black and white photograph of a hurdler jumping over a hurdle
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Athletics

Discover vintage photography of athletics, with track and field events, races and athletes from across Europe
black and white photograph of a number of female gymnasts in formation
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Gymnastics

Discover vintage photographs from different times in history showing gymnasts from across Europe.
black and white photograph of 4 men holding a surfboard
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Surfing and windsurfing

Explore images and films of surfing and windsurfing from cultural heritage collections across Europe.
painting of a man playing billiards or snooker
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Art and sport

Explore this gallery showing how artists have been influenced by and portrayed sports and games
photograph of a statue of a wrestler
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Sculpture & sport

Explore these statues and sculptures inspired by sports, athletes and bodies in motion.
colour photograph of a football team wearing red football kits
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Football teams

Explore vintage photography of football teams across Europe
black and white photograph, portrait of a man on see-saw like sport equipment
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Sporting portraits

In the early 20th century, people's passion for sport led to them having formal portrait photographs taken
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Sport posters

Posters from across Europe for sports and sporting events
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Skiing & ski slopes

Sport, speed and snow
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Arenas and stadiums

Sporting venues from across Europe
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Medals and trophies

Celebrating sporting achievement in gold, silver, bronze and other materials
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Rugby in Europe

Sport photography, memorabilia and artworks relating to rugby played by professional and amateur teams across Europe.