The Act of Independence of Lithuania was declared at the end of the First World War, in 1918, February 16. S. Garbačiauskas, K. and V. Dineika, J. Bulota with their families returned to Lithuania from abroad to assist in promoting sports there. Thanks to the efforts of sports enthusiasts popularity of sports among the population increased step by step, the first sports clubs and organizations were founded. For coordination of these sports clubs and organizations Lithuanian Sports League (LSL) was established in 1922 in Kaunas. Until 1932 its Central Committee (CC) formed the Lithuanian sports life and had a profound influence on the development of sports. Activities of LSL were influenced by the Lithuanian state policy as well as by state and public attitude to sports. Historiography of the Lithuanian Sports League is not rich. The most widely known are works by J.Narbutas (1978), and P.Karoblis (2011). However, activities of the Lithuanian sports League were discussed only incidentally. In order to further explore the activities of LSL periodical publications of that time were used (“Sportas“ – 1923- 1928, “Mūsų sportas“ – 1931-1932,“Trimitas“ – 1920-1940, “Lietuvos sportas“ – 1922, “Iliustruotasis sportas“ – 1929). The aim of the study is to analyze the establishment and activities of the Lithuanian Sports League in 1922-1932. Methods of the study: study and analysis of scientific literature, documents and sources. In 1919 Lithuanian Sports Union was established, the organization, committed not only to promote sports, but also to coordinate the new sport organizations. In 1920 the Union suspended its activities. However, other sports organizations were founded: Lithuanian Union of Physical Education, Kaunas sports club, Kaunas yacht club, Maccabi club. Activities of sports organizations had to be coordinated. There was a need for the coordinating institution. The initiators of the new body were more experienced members of LSL: LFLS members E. Kubilūnaitė- Garbačiauskienė, S. Garbačiauskas, S. Darius, A. Karniauskaitė, gen. J. Bulota and his sons (Prielgauskas, 1932). The above mentioned group developed the statute and the authority decided to name it the Lithuanian Sports League. The constituent assembly was held on March 22, 1922. The LSL statute provided that the LSL was the supreme Physical Culture and Sports institution which represented Lithuania in all international sports leagues, Lithuanian society, public and private institutions; only its member organizations and clubs could participate in sports life of Lithuania. LSL consisted of sports organizations in Lithuania with rights of legal entity and represented by Lithuanian citizens. Coordination committees of different sports were set up. LSL cared not only for stadiums and sports fields’ construction, but in 1930, raised the question of the construction of the sports hall. LSL was constrained by funding shortage. In 1932 Chamber of Physical Culture took over the functions of all sports in Lithuania and the LSL committees were reorganized into sports unions. Over the decade of its activities LSL, having the status of public organization, not only organized sports movement in Lithuania, coordinated the activities of sports organizations, sought to provide better funding for sports, but also developed international relations of Lithuanian sports organizations, represented Lithuania in the international Olympic movement.

The goal of the research is to analyse the episodes of the activity of dr. Antanas Jurgelionis and his insights about physical culture, sport and physical education in the Independent Lithuania. Methods of the research: study and analysis of scientific literature, documents and sources. A. Jurgelionis graduated from St. Kotryna Gymnasium in Sankt Petersburg, studied at the Military Medicine Academy of Sankt Petersburg, but he did not complete the studies, returned to Lithuania in 1919 and worked at the Ministry of National Defence of Lithuania. In 1920 he was called in as a nurse to the Lithuanian Army. In 1921 the Ministry of National Defence of Lithuania sent him for studies to the Sorbonne University of Paris where he wrote and defended his first doctoral dissertation on the issues of physical culture “A few remarks on physical culture (its origin, present state and future)” in 1925. After graduating from the studies, dr. A. Jurgelionis came back to Lithuania. He is the first sport scientist of Lithuania. According to J. Šulginas (1925), the return of dr. A. Jurgelionis filled the vacuum in the field of sport because there was no science-based authoritative person able to explain the common benefit of sport to the sceptical part of the society in Lithuania. Dr. A. Jurgelionis contributed to the creation of the national physical culture system and sport organization in Lithuania. In 1926–1929 he ran the Lithuanian Sport League, in 1928 he was leader of the Lithuanian delegation of sportspeople in the Olympic Games of Amsterdam, in 1929 he organized the reporter’s office of physical culture under the Ministry of Education and was its reporter, organized the Association of Physical Culture, participated in drafting of the Law on Physical Culture, was director of the Palace of Physical Culture, initiator of the construction of the Palace of Physical Culture in the Ąžuolynas, organizer and teacher of the higher course of physical culture, organizer of Sporūta Movement, compiler of the regulations of the National Physical Culture Badge as well as establisher and editor of “Fiziškas auklėjimas” magazine. He prepared some publications about physical culture and sport to the contemporary press. The activity of dr. A. Jurgelionis had a big impact on the development of Lithuanian sport, physical culture and physical education. The essence of national physical culture developed by dr. A. Jurgelionis is embodied by the following deeply-thought statements: physical culture is the best tool for the development of nationality and nationhood; physical culture is the best tool for the perfection of peculiarities of the Lithuanian genotype; physical education raises a citizen’s value. Dr. A. Jurgelionis paid most attention to physical culture teachers and physical culture taught at schools. If pedagogues and educators understand physical education well, they can make it the most important means of moral education, but even the best means can become harmful if they are used improperly.