Episodes of the activity of dr. Antanas Jurgelionis and his insights about physical culture, sport, physical education in the independent Lithuania

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