The following essay seeks to understand the place of sport in attempts to“modernize” Ethiopia during Haile Selassie’s reign. It focuses on modernsports (i.e., sports already codified and regulated by international bodies), and their expansion through specific imperia lprojects as well as individua lactivities. These include training institutions such as schools or military academies, where sport was a means of creating healthy and efficient bodies; places of leisure, such as the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) or university sports, where sportbecame a vital part of self-improvement; and spaces where the emperor turned sport into a powerful symbol to bear witness to his interest in developing a healthy nation. Using sports as a lens, the essay argues for a multifaceted and nonteleo-logical reading of modernity.