En stærk bryder og en hurtig cykelrytter - sportens gennembrud i Vejle

Resumé

A strong wrestler and a speedy cyclist – a breakthrough for sport in Vejle

As was the case with the majority of Danish provincial towns, sport came into its own in Vejle in around 1900. Several clubs were founded – for sailing, rowing, ball games, athletics, tennis and so on. In contrast to the sporting practice that had previously been seen in the town, activities were now much more organised, and those involved in sports had high ambitions for setting records and winning competitions against teams from other associations. A survey of the most important associations and clubs reveals differences, too, – for example, between the sailing club and the tennis club, which were playgrounds for the better-off, and the athlete club and the athletics club, which were real sports clubs. The cyclist Rasmus Jørgensen and the wrestler Gustav Heede were figureheads around the turn of the century. The cyclist set records, while the wrestler forced his opponents’ shoulders to the floor!