That Was The Week That Was,
May 5–11, 2025

Dear all,

Some time ago, a very pleasant and attentive reader of and contributor to idrottsforum.org wrote to say “I hadn’t realised it was just one person doing all the graft. The quality of the site made me think you had a whole team of people!” And during the past month or so I could have done with that team. On top of the everyday chores and publications on the Forum, three peer reviewed papers passed through that eye of the needle within a week and a half and were thus ready to be published in Scandinavian Sport Studies Forum; and while there’s a team taking care of the review process, there is only me doing the final check and touch up before publication, and then the actual publishing as well. Concurrently, a score – and more – of new review copies were delivered to the office. Each book has to be registered, a potential reviewer has to be approached, they have to accept the assignment (doesn’t happen every time) and eventually each book has to be posted. “A whole team of people” – yes please!

Last week the following items were published on idrottsforum.org (see below; language and publication dates, YYMMDD, in brackets). Click on the red headings to go to content. Utilize the Google Translate service to turn Scandinavian language pages into (some sort of) English.

And remember, if you’re not already hooked up to one of the social media outlets that we utilize, for now they are Facebook, LinkedIn and X, you’re missing quite a lot of information from idrottsforum.org that never appears on the website. So, if that is the case, check out, by clicking on the names, our Facebook, LinkedIn and X accounts.

Have a great week,
Kjell Eriksson
Editor

Research Article

“They’re Rubbing it in my Face.” A study of Embodiment When Being Trans in PE

Research that investigates the impact of heteronormativity on physical education (PE) is extensive. In this peer review article, Kristin Vindhol Evensen, Håkan Larsson and Elisa Strømman expand previous knowledge that describes PE as heteronormative, binary, and hierarchical by offering phenomenological analyses of transgender people’s experiences of PE. Where previous research has focused on structural binary arrangements in PE, this article describes the embodied experiences of such arrangements. (Published in Scandinavian Sport Studies Forum 250506)

Book Reviews

What are the Olympics for?, by Jules Boykoff

There is much going on behind the scenes at the Olympics that is deeply troubling: athletes are increasingly voicing concerns over physical, mental, and sexual abuse, and they are collectively expressing grievances around equity and human rights. This is brought to the fore in Jules Boykoff’s latest book, a slim volume entitled What are the Olympics for? (Bristol University Press). Björn Sandahl liked what he read, and although little was presented that was news to him he recommends it as an excellent introduction to the Olympics, and not only for students – for all (Review in English, published 250507.)

National Symbols at the Olympic Games: An Olympics Without Flags?, by Jörg Krieger

Somewhat provocatively, Jörg Krieger makes the case for the complete removal of national symbolism, and in particular the flags, at the Olympic Games, in his new book National Symbols at the Olympic Games: An Olympics Without Flags? (Routledge). Our reviewer, historian John Berg, finds Krieger’s arguments reasonable and well developed and the book academically solid; however, in light of the seemingly overwhelming obstacles to such a development, he sees the book as an input to a debate rather than as a traditional scientific publication. (Review in English, published 250508.)

News items (calls for papers, vacancies, etc.)

• Public Defense of doctoral thesis | Pivotal moments in needs-supportive environments: Experiences of Active Rehabilitation camps for individuals with acquired brain injury by Pia Wedege, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, May 14, 2025 (250505)
• Call for Papers | “Sport, Justice and Belonging: Critical Analysis and Worldmaking”, North American Society for the Sociology of Sport (NASSS) Annual Conference | Seattle/Vancouver/Virtual, November 5-8, 2025. Call ends June 10, 2025 (250509)