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Sport and the British

Sport and the British: Episode 26: Sport for All

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Sport for All

Episode 26

Episode 26: Sport for All

BBC Radio 4 Extra - Sport and the British, Sport for All

Clare Balding asks why and when the British government got involved in sport.

Clare Balding asks why and when the British government got involved in sport, when the country had always prided itself on keeping them apart.

Clare Balding asks why and when did the British government get involved in sport. How did sport become part of politics, in a country which had always prided itself on keeping them apart? 
The Nazis threw immense resources behind the German team for the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, while the British Foreign Office still thought sport should be, ' a private affair between private individuals' free of government interference. However by the 1950's post war politicians began to think that physical recreation and games might be a cure for the general apathy and discontent of British youth as exemplified by the teddy boys, mods and rockers of the era.
Professor Tony Mason of The International Centre for Sport Culture and History at De Montfort University explains the importance of the 1957 Wolfenden Committee's report in broadening access to sporting facilities for all sectors of society.
Technical presentation: John Benton
Producer: Lucy Lunt.

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Your digital radio entertainment station showcasing the best in comedy and drama. With recent favourites from BBC Radio 4.

Clare Balding charts how sport has shaped the British and how Britain has shaped sport

Clare Balding presents a 30-part series charting how sport has shaped the British and how Britain has shaped sport

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BBC Radio 4 is a radio channel that started transmitting on the 30th September 1967. It replaced BBC Home Service.

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Episode 26: Sport for All

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