Abstract
The submitted paper discusses the YMCA in relation to the Olympic Games. To a certain degree, this organisation, which focused not only on physical education and sport, did influence the Olympic Games.
New sports emerged within its physical education facilities and, often thanks to the efforts of this association's physical education secretaries, gradually became Olympic sports. Although the YMCA's physical education program was not aimed at developing top individual sportsmen, many of its members managed to qualify for the Olympic Games.
YMCA physical education functionaries were highly professional, some of them even being requested to prepare and lead individual national teams in the Olympic Games. The work of the YMCA was very highly regarded by the International Olympic Committee, which showed its appreciation by twice awarding them the Olympic Cup.
Period archive materials, magazines and news reports which have not been systematically researched to date, as well as other sources, were used to create this contribution.