Abstract: Based on the major monographs on sports history in each period over the past hundred years, the article examines the formation of the discourses and historical paradigms on “history of ancient Chinese sports”, “history of modern Chinese sports”, “modern and contemporary sports of China”, and “world history of sports”. It is pointed out that the needs and context changes in various historical periods since modern China promoted the formation of different discourses and research paradigms on sports history, which will have a profound impact on subsequent sports history research.

Key words: history of Chinese sports, discourses construction, historical conception, paradigm