Early Republican Period Sports Policies and Turkish Sports Institution Journal

This study examines the position of women in sports policies during the Early Republican Era through document analysis of the Turkish Sports Institution Journal, an important publication of the time. In the early years of the Republic, sports were considered a crucial tool for both individual development and the construction of national identity. The Turkish Sports Institution Journal is significant for reflecting the policies of the period. In the study, 25 issues of the Turkish Sports Institution Journal, published between June and December 1936, were analyzed. The findings reveal that the journal's articles focused on encouraging women to participate in sports, although with recommendations to avoid sports like football, which were deemed contrary to traditional notions of femininity. Moreover, it was found that women were encouraged to engage in sports as part of Republican policies aimed at raising a "healthy generation." Keywords: Early Republican Period, Sports policies, Turkish Sports Institution Journal, Women's participation in sports, National identity construction.