Paper short abstract:

How were shows, games and competitions of Icelandic sportsman in front of their king, his representatives or at the Olympics, used to underpin the notion of Iceland as an independent nation? How were sports in schools and fisherman's hut's used for cosmopolitanisation of the Icelanders?

Paper long abstract:

This research paper is based on the authors masters theses bearing the same name and is based on a collection of written sources on the history of sports in Iceland and a historical overview of Iceland´s struggle for independence from the second half of the 19th century to the establishment of the republic of Iceland in 1944. Furthermore, those

sources are examined in the light of academic writings related to the subject.

The history of sports among Icelanders and within Nordic mythology is traced. The main historical sites of Glíma and power trials are introduced, the effects of urbanization in Reykjavík and the emergence of new educational institutions are explained, as well as the first steps towards organized sports in the country. Furthermore, it deals with the impact of the Icelander´s promotion on to the world stage at the Olympics on the nation's identity and its future hopes for its own

sovereignty and independence. The major events of the independence struggle and the involvement of sports in large gatherings in the years of 1874, 1930 and 1944 are detailed.

The research question focuses on examining the role of sports and competition in the creation of Iceland´s self-image and national identity in the struggle for independence.

The masters thesis was divided into two parts, the academic written as described above and in an exhibition section based on photographs from the collection of the Icelandic Museum of Photography, which is displayed on the website www.gunnaroli.is/.