Development & Profile

The Department of Sport Pedagogy and its origins go back to the middle of the 1970s, when at the at that time "Institute for Physical Education" (Institut für Leibesübungen) of the University of Münster (founded 1925) a professorship for Sport Pedagogy (C 4-Professorship) was instituted. Thereby the subject "Physical Education and Sport" (Leibesübungen und körperliche Erziehung), which was implemented in the examination regulations for the teaching profession at schools of higher education in Prussia, yielded a scientific-academic rank.

In 1974 Hans Langenfeld became the first chair holder and at the same time Institute Director and Dean of this second-largest University Institute for Physical Education and Sports (after Cologne) in Germany. He in particular pursued questions about the history of sport pedagogy. With his direction Münster earned the reputation of being a centre for sport-historical research in Germany. This tradition is being continued until today.

With regard to research, several research projects and publications could be realized under the direction of Michael Krüger in which it was constantly attempted to develop in a historical and systematic approach the padagogical, cultural and historical topics and issues of gymnastics, callisthenics and sports. Examples are the research about the History of Gymnastics and Physical Education, research about the Olympic History and Education, the "Life and Work of Carl Diems", the History of Sport and Physical Education in the GDR, the History of Soccer as well as - predominantly the focal point of the last years - research about the History and Ethics of Doping and of Sportsmedicine.

Dr. Kai Reinhart, Academic Councillor at the Department of Sport Pedagogy & Sport History, received in 2008 the Science Award of the German Olympic Sports Confederation, Carl-Diem-Medal in the past, the most prestigious award for sport-scientific research work in Germany. He was awarded the prize for his as "summa cum laude" evaluated dissertation about Sport in the Everyday Life during the GDR. Other prize winners of the Department are Dr. Emanuel Hübner with his work about "The Olympic Village 1936" (third prize 2014/15) as well as Dr. Marcel Reinold, who received the first prize in the competition 2016/17 with his work about the History of Doping and Anti-Doping: "Doping as a Construct. A Cultural History of the Anti-Doping-Policy" (Doping als Konstruktion. Eine Kulturgeschichte der Anti-Doping-Politik). Both dissertations likewise have been evaluated with "summa cum laude".