ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the relationship between the sports participation of ethnic minorities and the search for national unity. It also explores the relationship among ethnic minorities, traditional sports, and nationalism and the findings highlight how successful athletes from ethnic groups and the organisation of the National Games of Ethnic Minorities have contributed to the strengthening of Chinese national unity. The new Communist regime found nationalism a powerful tool to safeguard ethnic coexistence and territorial integrity. Under this logic, mass sports became an instrument to promote the interests of the Communist regime, including national unity. The National Games of Ethnic Minorities is the most important traditional sports event in China. In 1981, the State Council approved the National Minority Traditional Sports Games to be organised by the National Ethnic Affairs Commission, the National Sports Committee, and the local governments of the cities in which the sports competitions were to take place.
