ISHPES History

In 1989 the International Society for the History of Physical Education and Sport (ISHPES) was founded as a merger of the International Committee for the History of Physical Education and Sport (ICOSH) and the International Association for the History of Physical Education (HISPA). In 2014 ISHPES celebrated its 25th birthday. While at the beginning it was a very Eurocentric organization, it is today very international as seen in the numerous countries from which the members hail.

ISHPES Past Presidents and General Secretaries

ISHPES Past Vice Presidents

ISHPES Council by Year

ISHPES Council by Country

ISHPES Honorary Members

For more information about the history of ISHPES, please read the following articles:

Annette Hofmann, “Between Traditions and New Challenges: 25 Years of the International Society of the History of Physical Education and Sport (ISHPES),” The International Journal of the History of Sport 31, no. 9 (2014), 970-975. [ view article here ]

Roland Renson, “Building a Sport History Community: Scholarly Organisations and Congresses,” in Making Sport History: Disciplines, Identities and the Historiography of Sport, ed. Pascal Delheye (London: Routledge, 2014).

Jan Schönherr, “International Society for the History of Physical education and Sport,” in New aspects of sport history, vol II: the Olympic lectures (Proceedings 9th ISHPES congress; Cologne 2005; ISHPES studies 13/2), ed. Karl Lennartz, Stephan Wassong and Thomas Zawadzki (Sankt Augustin: Academia, 2007), 9-14.

Jan Schönherr, Entstehung, Entwicklung und Strukturen der Internationalen Gesellschaft für Geschichte der Leibesübungen und des Sports (ISHPES). Unpublished Diplomarbeit at the Deutsche Sporthochschule Köln/German Sports University Cologne, 2005.