Nils Widmer13.11.2025Elsa Roth from Bern was a ski racer, ski instructor and winter sports official. She co-founded the Swiss women’s ski club and helped run the Swiss national skiing association for almost 35 years from 1939. Today, very few people have heard of Roth.
Michael Jucker04.03.2022Nowadays it goes without saying that, hot on the heels of the Olympics, comes the Paralympics, in which people with disabilities compete on the same global platform. But it’s only since 1988 that the two sporting events have truly shared a stage. A look at the history of sport for the disabled.
Michael Jucker16.12.2022How much religion can there be in sport? And has sport really become a substitute religion? A step back to Swiss wrestling festivals (Schwingfeste), jousting tournaments and monasteries.
Simon Engel12.02.2021Bobsleighing started out as an activity to keep well-to-do foreign tourists entertained. It wasn’t until much later that the sport became popular among the Swiss as well.
Simon Engel17.08.2022Along with Schwingen and Steinstossen, Hornussen is one of Switzerland’s national sports. Many people think of Hornussen as an ancient and typically Swiss game. Hornussen is indeed very old, but it’s only since the 19th century that it’s been considered a Swiss national game.
Simon Engel15.02.2024Sport always reflects gender roles and images. Ice hockey being a rather extreme example. This is largely due to the way in which the sport has evolved.
Simon Engel22.10.2021If you want to understand what doing sport is all about in this country, it’s worth taking a look at the historical influence of gymnastics.
Michael Jucker07.05.2021We mentally associate schwingen, traditional Swiss wrestling, with brawny herdsmen fighting a clean fight in idyllic mountain surroundings. But it’s not as straightforward as that. Urban dwellers played a bigger role in popularising the sport than one might think.
Manda Beck / Michael Jucker20.12.2023What do pineapples have to do with the sport of tennis? Enough for one to sit atop the world-famous Wimbledon gentlemen’s singles trophy. The cup, which has been presented to each successive winner of the Championships since 1887, is adorned with a small pineapple at its peak. This is connected with the colonial history of sport.
