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While the history of sport in the modern period has attracted a great deal of interest in recent years and new approaches have found their way into research, sport and physical exercise in the early modern period is still a rather neglected topic. Our aim is not to continue the well-known discussion of whether or not sport existed in pre-modern times. There were many physical activities beyond the courtly exercises of fencing, riding and dancing, ranging from rowing, wrestling, jeu de paume, soccer and gymnastics to swimming, diving, pall mall, shooting, running and ice skating. The early modern period had professional players as well as sports grounds, training as well as contests, referees as well as public audiences. And sometimes important political and economic issues were at stake.
This conference aims to bring together specialists from diverse disciplines and many nations to view the practice of sport and physical exercise in its cultural context, taking into special consideration social, political and economic influences. Contributions may relate to individual countries, to specific individuals or groups, or to individual sports.
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