One of the main peculiarities of Italian sport during the Fascist Ventennio was the co-existence of two sports systems. Sport was promoted by the organizations of the regime (Opera Nazionale Dopolavoro, Opera Nazionale Balilla, Gruppi universitarî fascisti, Milizia volontaria per la sicurezza nazionale), which invested a relevant part of their resources in athletic activities; and by the “independent” sporting clubs, which had been put under the control of the political authorities but not completely fascistized. Over the years, the regime tried many times to define the competences of “fascist” and “official “sport”, but it never succeeded in establishing clear rules once and for all. In the second half of the Twenties, the regime introduced the principle that the organizations had to promote the mass sport, whereas the sports clubs were charged of the specialization of the athletes; since 1935 this perspective changed and the political authorities decided that also a part of the high-level activities had to be practiced within the fascist organizations. The “independent” clubs found themselves in serious difficulty, for the lack of both athletes and funds, and the contrasts between them and the fascist organizations were frequent. The relations between “fascist” and “official” sport constituted a sort of competitive cooperation, which, in different forms, went on for the entire Ventennio. However, fascism never brought the totalitarianization of sport to completion and did not disband the “independent” clubs completely.
Una delle principali peculiarità dello sport italiano durante il Ventennio fascista era la coesistenza di due sistemi sportivi. A promuovere lo sport, infatti, vi erano sia le organizzazioni del regime (Opera Nazionale Dopolavoro, Opera Nazionale Balilla, Gruppi Universitarî fascisti, Milizia volontaria per la sicurezza nazionale), che investivano nelle attività atletiche una parte significativa delle loro risorse; sia le società sportive “indipendenti”, messe sotto controllo dalle autorità politiche ma non completamente fascistizzate. Nel corso degli anni il regime cercò più volte di delimitare le competenze dello “sport fascista” delle organizzazioni e quelle dello “sport ufficiale” delle società “indipendenti”, ma non riuscì mai a trovare una soluzione definitiva. Nella seconda metà degli anni ’20 fu introdotto il principio di far praticare lo sport di massa nelle organizzazioni e far specializzare gli atleti più talentuosi nelle società sportive; dal 1935, invece, il regime si propose di far praticare nelle sue organizzazioni anche una parte delle attività di alto livello. Le società sportive si trovarono in seria difficoltà per la carenza sia di atleti, sia di finanziamenti, e i contrasti con le organizzazioni fasciste furono frequenti. Tra lo sport “fascista” e lo sport “ufficiale” si sviluppò una sorta di collaborazione competitiva che, in forme e modi diversi, andò avanti per tutto il Ventennio. Tuttavia, il fascismo non portò fino in fondo la totalitarizzazione dello sport e non smantellò completamente le società “indipendenti”.
Risultati e limiti del totalitarismo fascista nello sport: la coesistenza di due sistemi sportivi nell´Italia del Ventennio
Erminio Fonzo
2022-01-01
Abstract
One of the main peculiarities of Italian sport during the Fascist Ventennio was the co-existence of two sports systems. Sport was promoted by the organizations of the regime (Opera Nazionale Dopolavoro, Opera Nazionale Balilla, Gruppi universitarî fascisti, Milizia volontaria per la sicurezza nazionale), which invested a relevant part of their resources in athletic activities; and by the “independent” sporting clubs, which had been put under the control of the political authorities but not completely fascistized. Over the years, the regime tried many times to define the competences of “fascist” and “official “sport”, but it never succeeded in establishing clear rules once and for all. In the second half of the Twenties, the regime introduced the principle that the organizations had to promote the mass sport, whereas the sports clubs were charged of the specialization of the athletes; since 1935 this perspective changed and the political authorities decided that also a part of the high-level activities had to be practiced within the fascist organizations. The “independent” clubs found themselves in serious difficulty, for the lack of both athletes and funds, and the contrasts between them and the fascist organizations were frequent. The relations between “fascist” and “official” sport constituted a sort of competitive cooperation, which, in different forms, went on for the entire Ventennio. However, fascism never brought the totalitarianization of sport to completion and did not disband the “independent” clubs completely.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.