Religion, Spirituality, and Sport: From Religio Athletae Toward Spiritus Athletae

We are living in a time of increasing interest in the religious and spiritual aspects of sport and human movement activities. A strict distinction between religion and spirituality is, however, still missing in much of the literature. After delimiting religious and spiritual modes of experience, this article addresses Coubertin's religio athletae and demonstrates that this notion should have spiritual, not religious, content. Religious values are external to achievements in sports, while spirituality should be an inner aspect of human movement activities. To gain a deeper understanding of the religious and spiritual aspects of physical activities, this article focuses on spiritual health as one of the main goals of the activities of teachers and coaches.