The text presents and analyses manifestations of modernity and postmodernity in the field of competitive and recreational sport, physical education, leisure, and tourism. The paper builds upon an extensive literature survey and presents the concept and key features of postmodern societies and the modernity-postmodernity debate in sports with reference to postmodern tendencies in tourism. We have attempted to determine the proportions of tradition, modernity, and postmodernity in contemporary sport and tourism, keeping in mind that, similarly to contemporary societies as a whole, sport is undoubtedly a mixture of traditional, modern, and Fordist elements with postmodern and post-Fordist features. We present and discuss the prevailing belief that the key elements of leisure sport are mostly postmodern and focused on the notion of individualisation and freedom expressed especially in alternative sports, while commercialised mainstream sport follows the regular mass-media show-business development path, maintaining a significant amount of modern concepts, such as the importance of national identities. Special attention is also paid to the Olympic Games as a specific and very efficient mixture of modernity and postmodernity. More so than at any point in the past, and despite the actual proportions of modernity and postmodernity that it contains, contemporary sport has become an integral part of postmodern societies and their lifestyle, with technology-determined individualisation of sport consumption and leisure sport participation.

The purpose of this paper is to identify the new social functions of sports events in postindustrial society starting from a reflection on the intersections in the relationship among the ethical values of the ancient Greek Olympic sports festival and the postmodern model of sustainable event management. From a literature review on leisure, sports, and event studies, it emerges that sports events, conceived of as postmodern festivals, can help people who take part in them experience a new ethical dimension and celebrate the spirit of ancient Olympia and its values in an innovative way. In summary, from the review of the above-mentioned literature emerges a set of ethical potentials of ancient sports festivals within the possible implementation of their intrinsic values in the context of contemporary sports events through the specific actions of planning and management for sustainable and ethical development.Key words: Sports events, ethics, leisure, postindustrial, sustainable development, serious tourism. ResumenEl propósito de este trabajo es identificar las nuevas funciones sociales de los eventos deportivos en la sociedad postindustrial a partir de una reflexión sobre las intersecciones en la relación entre los valores éticos de la antigua fiesta olímpica deportiva griega y el modelo postmoderno de gestión de eventos sostenibles. A partir de una revisión de la literatura sobre los estudios de ocio, deporte y eventos, se desprende que los eventos deportivos, concebidos como fiestas postmodernas, pueden ayudar a las personas que toman parte en ellas a experimentar una nueva dimensión ética, y celebrar el espíritu de la antigua Olimpia y de sus valores en una forma innovadora. En resumen, a partir de la revisión de la literatura mencionada, se desprende un conjunto de potenciales éticos de los antiguos festivales deportivos dentro de una posible implementación de sus valores intrínsecos en el contexto de los eventos contemporáneos a través de acciones específicas de planificación y gestión hacia un desarrollo ético y sostenible.

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