Die antiken Wurzeln der Fairness im modernen Sport

The article examines the issue of whether fair play in modern sports has roots back to ancient times. The sports science discussion about the ancient roots of fairness, which date back several years, reflects controversial opinions. On the one hand, the fairness as the epitome of morality in sport is seen as a product of English sport in the 19th century; etymologically speaking, fairness is indeed a modern virtue and was first mentioned in the German language in 1828. On the other hand, fairness is considered a central concept of Olympism and Olympic sports, the roots of which, according to its founder, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, lie in the sport contests of antiquity. Based on the current state of research and the controversial discussion about the ancient roots of fairness, this article aims to argue that fairness or morality in modern sports has ancient roots in concept, although not in name.