ABSTRACT British actress, Sarah Mayer’s light and racy attitude to the bathing arrangements after judo training sessions in Japan in the 1930s belies a dangerous and volatile time in Anglo-Japanese relations. This paper seeks to demonstrate that her pioneering achievement as the first western woman to be awarded a black belt in Japan, was part of the political machinations of the day. As Japan campaigned for the 1940 Tokyo Olympic Games, the use of Mayer’s image and persona to promote not only nationalism, but internationalism and modernity, was related to a rift forming in the League of Nations. Mayer’s story shows the use of sport as a political tool. Originally developed as part of a wider doctoral thesis on the contribution of Mayer to the history of judo, and using mainly primary source research, this article charts Mayer’s life leading up to and following her time in Japan, detailing how her position in society and her work as an actress and theatre entrepreneur impacted on the development of women in judo. Understanding the history of women in judo is integral to an understanding of the sport itself and this paper hopes to contribute to the scant literature in the field.

中文翻译：

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两次世界大战期间体育运动的政治化：以英国柔道选手 Sarah Mayer 为例

摘要 英国女演员莎拉·梅耶 (Sarah Mayer) 在 1930 年代在日本接受柔道训练后对沐浴安排的轻松和活泼态度掩盖了英日关系中危险和动荡的时期。本文旨在证明她作为第一位在日本获得黑带的西方女性的开创性成就是当时政治阴谋的一部分。在日本为 1940 年东京奥运会竞选时，利用梅耶的形象和角色不仅促进民族主义，而且促进国际主义和现代性，这与国际联盟中形成的裂痕有关。梅耶的故事展示了体育作为一种政治工具的用途。最初是作为关于 Mayer 对柔道历史贡献的更广泛博士论文的一部分而开发的，主要使用主要来源研究，这篇文章描绘了 Mayer 在日本之前和之后的生活，详细说明了她在社会中的地位以及她作为女演员和剧院企业家的工作如何影响柔道女性的发展。了解柔道中女性的历史是了解这项运动本身不可或缺的一部分，本文希望为该领域的稀缺文献做出贡献。