The influence of the Olympic Games on the formation of the image of Russia

Abstract

In recent years, Russia has been paying great attention to the Olympic Games. The Olympic Movement plays an important role in shaping the country's foreign policy image and promoting national interests. The purpose of this article is to determine what impact the Olympic Games have on the formation of the image of the Russian Federation. The main stages of Russia's participation in the Olympic Games in 1994-2022, forming the image of the country, are highlighted. The study showed that the first two stages, including the period from 1994 to 2012 and the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, were extremely successful in forming a positive image of Russia, which was constructed thanks to the successes of Russian athletes, the construction of a "Russian House" in Olympic parks, the opening and closing ceremonies at the Sochi Olympics, as well as the Sochi 2014 Cultural Olympiad project. The image of Russia as a great sports power was strengthened. However, Russia's participation in the Olympics from 2016 to 2022 was not so successful and affected the image of our country. The deterioration of the image was caused by various doping scandals related to Russian athletes. The authors came to the conclusion that the Olympic Games from 1994 to 2012 and the Olympic Games in Sochi – 2014, which we refer to the first two stages, had a steady positive effect on the image of Russia. However, the negative factors that have arisen since 2016 partially offset the successes achieved in this direction in previous years. Due to the current geopolitical situation, holding another Olympic Games in Russia is not expected in the foreseeable future, so at the moment the best option is to focus on the development of sports within the country. Also, to create a positive image of Russia, it is important to revive the practice of creating a "Russian House" in Olympic parks.