The territorial and urban dimensions of the Summer Olympics

Abstract

This chapter describes a critical review based on a corpus of 434 anglophone and francophone scientific articles on a specific topic: the territorial, reticular and multiscalar dimensions of the Summer Olympic Games (SOG). Gathering 434 scientific articles published from 1984 to September 2018, the corpus is organized into four axes: SOG hosting strategies; urban project and SOG; sports tourism and SOG; territorial and urban legacies of the SOG. The chapter presents the first elements of formalization of a systematic review of literature in progress and provides a review of the papers that examine the territorial and urban dimensions of the SOG. The scientific literature relating to the territorial and urban stakes of the SOG appears dual. The attraction strategies of the SOG are linked first of all to the motives for candidacy of host cities, associated cities and host countries. In London, photographic art has helped to counter the process of flagship construction linked to the gigantism of the SOG.