Abstract

As marginalized physical culture, traditional games seem irrelevant in the contemporary, global, modern sporting landscape. Yet traditional games offer deep insights into our contemporary obsession with sport, the role of physical culture in (ethnic) identity creation, and the meanings of play in intangible cultural heritage discourse. For these reasons, traditional games hold both a precarious and profound position in our modern world. Although they are not often noticed in our accelerated societies, they can be found in the margins. This special issue shines a light on these endangered species and their relevance in a modern world.