Professionalism and Amateurism in Modern Olympic Sports

Abstract

The Olympic Games were not the only major sporting event in ancient Greek civilisation. The Nemean, Pythian and Isthmian Games were held simultaneously. After the revival of the Olympic Games in 1896, modern Olympic sport has passed a difficult, albeit not so long-term path. But even earlier, around the middle of the XIX century, professional sports began to form in the developed countries of Europe and the United States. The appearance of professional athletes, both in the ancient world and in modern history, was essentially the result of those significant changes that occurred in the economic, social and political aspects of human life at the stages of its development and the evolution of sports competitions. It can be argued that professional sports (both in ancient and modern times) arose as a particular human activity, the content of which was sports. However, the problem of amateurs and professionalism in modern Olympic sports and the Olympic movement was one of the most significant in the context of introducing Olympic ideals into the life of society, solving the problem of “fair play” and allowing athletes to participate in major international competitions (Olympic Games, World Championships, etc.).