Sport and welfare in central and eastern european countries

This chapter reviews the characteristics of sports and welfare systems and practices in 11 post-socialist or post-communist CEE countries. Sport and physical activity have served as symbols of national identity, indicators of state power and international visibility, as well as important tools for education and social integration. We open by surveying these countries’ broad political and social landscapes: the region is less monolithic than frequently imagined. The promises made by political leaders in the early 1990s to maintain the previous welfare state model were only partially kept. Then, we examine the historical and ideological development of sport and physical activity policies in the region. Widespread physical education was vital in promoting nationhood, encouraging education and modernisation, and projecting soft power. This changed after the transition to democracy. Today, individual countries pursue both shared and unique goals, all of which inform national strategic orientation and policy-making. We conclude with a review of popular perceptions and current normative and institutional policy frameworks. CEE countries differ in their attitudes to sport and physical activity. This is reflected in the different institutional designs and allocation of sport as a field of public policy.