Age: Adults
Pagination: 360 pages
Format: 20 x 30 mm
Binding: Hardcover
Langue: French
Publication: December 2025
Price: 40 € (book available from the Capsaaa association)
ISBN: 978-2-9534278-3-7
Since when have humans been participating in sports? And what exactly does that mean? The word, which derives from the verb *desporter* meaning “to frolic,” dates back to the 12th and 13th centuries. It encompasses all pastimes, from horseback riding to more leisurely pursuits such as conversation or embroidery. It gradually came to characterize the repeated practice of physical exercises, mastered through training while adhering to rules. Archaeology, anthropology, history, and contemporary accounts can thus shed light on how bodies engage in activity, by examining material remains, structures from the past, texts, and iconography.
The thirty or so contributors to this collective publication open a window reaching back to the distant past, from Neanderthals to “Paris 2024,” by examining the first Olympic Games of 776 BCE, chariot races, palm games, the birth of sports federations, and the rise of team sports, thereby unfolding the long history of physical activities and their practitioners.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Valérie Delattre is an archaeo-anthropologist at INRAP (National Institute of Preventive Archaeological Research). She is a specialist in funerary and cultural practices from Protohistory to the Middle Ages; she is also very involved in the field of disability within the associative framework.
Ryadh Sallem is a high-level Paralympic athlete, initiator of humanitarian and associative projects aimed at fighting against all forms of discrimination. Director General of CAPSAAA, organizer of the Defistival and of societal and cultural symposiums, he is also the initiator of Educapcity, a major urban rally dedicated to 8-14-years old. He is also a consultant for companies and the media, a member of CROSIF and APELS, director of VIVRE FM and the Gécina foundation and associate manager of “Séquences Clés Production”… all to promote fraternity and living together in peace.
