Sports policy in Turkey in the Inonu period (1938-1950)

While sport continues to exist as a developing and changing phenomenon from the past to the present, it has been used as a tool to give direction to society in different periods and for various purposes. In Turkey, especially during World War II, it is seen that sports were used for this purpose. In this study, sports policy in Turkey during the İnönü period (1938-1950) was examined. Within the scope of the study, activities related to physical education and sports policy between the relevant years were discussed. In the study, the historical research method, one of the qualitative research methods, was utilized. In the data collection process Republic Archive Documents related to the subject, in data collection; the Turkish Grand National Assembly Minutes, the minutes and laws magazines, the Presidential Official Gazette and various magazines, newspaper, boks and articles from the periodicals of the period were used. The data were analyzed by the document analysis method. The conclusions drawn from the research are as follows: Between 1938 and 1950, physical education and sports activities were carried out under the auspices of the state. In order to make the statist understanding more dominant in these activities, the General Directorate of Physical Education (BTGM) was established. Despite the adverse conditions in the country during World War II, financial aid was provided to this organization by the state. The physical and mental health of society was taken into consideration by enacting the Physical Education Law No. 3530. At the same time, with this law, it was aimed to prepare the citizens for the war, and mobilization in physical training and sports was declared. During this period, thanks to the increase in facilities and the efforts to supply expert trainer staff, the way for the development of physical training and sports activities in Anatolia was paved. Due to the difficulties experienced in the implementation of the Law No. 3530, physical education and sports mobilization could not be achieved. In addition, international championships and competitions were canceled during the war, and the contribution of sports to the friendship between countries was interrupted. However, it achieved important results with the international sports organizations that started after the war. In this context, with the physical education and sports policy implemented between 1938-1950, significant contributions were made to the development of the country's sports.