Olympic Games Research Articles

Olympism and Chinese humanism: a critical analysis of the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study is to examine China’s discourse on uniting all ethnic groups internally and conveying the human community to the world in the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics (BWO), reflecting the different Olympism of the East and the West and the intersection of Chinese humanism discourse to form the core concept of this study. In terms of research methods, this study took the opening ceremony of the BWO as the research object, collected the content of the opening ceremony of the 2022 BWO, media reports, and related academic research, and analyzed the discussion of the 2022 BWO at the opening ceremony. The results have shown that the BWO opening ceremony continues the Chinese humanism concept of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, showing the connotation of people-oriented patriotism and emphasizing the ideal of a community with a shared future for humanity in the world. This study concludes that the BWO opening ceremony emphasizes Chinese tradition, culture, and patriotism. At the same time, the opening ceremony’s theme is set as the concept of “One World, One Family.” This discourse has formed a contrast between cosmopolitanism and patriotism, which not only shows the contradiction in the internal discourse of Chinese humanism but also shows the dialogue’s dilemma between the Asian value thinking advocated by Chinese humanism and the universal values of individualism and human rights emphasized by Western concepts.

The Evolution of Turkish Women Throughout Olympic History: A Journey from Past to Present

The Evolution of Turkish Women Throughout Olympic History: A Journey from Past to Present

Choose your own story: creative non-fiction about athletes attempting to qualify for the Olympics

ABSTRACT The Olympics qualification phase is a taxing process for elite athletes, and despite the fact that most do not achieve their goal of qualifying for the Olympics, little is known about how they make meaning from non-qualification. This longitudinal qualitative study describes the stories of athletes preparing for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and interprets the athletes’ meaning-making of their story of non-qualification. We conducted semi-structured interviews with seven elite athletes (a) during the COVID-19 lockdown, (b) after the COVID-19 lockdown, (c) pre-Tokyo, and (d) post-Tokyo. Results of a thematic narrative analysis are presented through creative non-fiction in the format of the ‘Choose your own story’ genre. Two main narratives are presented: a ‘terminal’ narrative, reflecting stories acknowledging the end of an unmade journey with no possibility of a future opportunity, and a ‘maybe next time’ narrative, reflecting stories that acknowledge the lost opportunity while still contemplating the possibility of future qualification. This study extends previous research by providing a deeper understanding of non-event transitions and proposing a review of existing transitional models in sports. We challenge the belief that not reaching a goal constitutes failure and propose alternative narratives. Lastly, we use the innovative ‘Choose your own story’ representation format to increase the impact of our findings on non-academic audiences.

Is urban planning returning to the past in search of a sustainable future? Exploring the six Paris and London Olympic Games (1900–2024)

ABSTRACT Mega events are facing a disruption, despite their adaptative nature, in their continued 120-year growth in a context of environmental and energy crisis doubled by increased ethical and social expectations. We put forward the hypothesis, in the middle term, of a gradual disconnection between (1) mega events such as the Olympic Games and (2) a catalyst effect on urban regeneration and attractivity pursued by host cities; and over the long term, we explore a return to the past characterized by more modest and ‘sustainable’ Games. We first unveil how urban planning was implemented through the Olympic Games over the last 30 years to understand how Olympic urban mega projects have been increasingly questioned as risky and unsustainable and how IOC frameworks gradually adapted to articulate sustainability and legacy. Is it a return to the comparatively modest 1900, 1908, and 1924 and 1948 Olympics exemplified by the new quarters built after the failed 1992, 2008 and 2012 Paris bids? How do historiography and narratives compare Paris and London? Last, we analyse Paris 2024 as an example of disconnection between the Olympics and mega urban project, as included in an existing 30-year metropolitan project focusing limited new infrastructure on local needs.

Case Study: Performance Analysis throughout the History in Summer and Winter Olympics

The Olympics is the world’s foremost multisport international event that occurs every four years in 2 seasonal editions which are the Summer and Winter Olympics respectively. With more than 200 nations participating in hundreds of events, it is a matter of prestige for any nation and the dream of every sportsperson to win a medal in the Olympics. Despite the massive hard work of the sportspersons, many nations fail to win medals whereas some nations are able to grab most of the medals under the names of their nations. Therefore, an analysis of the history of the Olympics is needed to understand the performances of nations, athletes and events to observe certain patterns occurring throughout the history of Olympics, in order to help the nations to improve themselves. The primary objective of this paper is to analyze the historical data of both the Winter and Summer Olympics under 14 different factors using Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA) techniques and statistical methods to evaluate the performance of nations and athletes as well as the historical evolution of Olympics and correlation of medal win of sports persons with external variables such as GDP and population. The analyses provide accurate insights of the performance of nations in the Olympics throughout history and help sportspersons to analyze their own and the competitor’s performances. In this paper, the data visualization aspect of EDA is used to provide a statistical view of factors that led to the evolution of the Olympic games as well as the performance of nations and sportspersons and helps countries with average and poor performances to improve themselves in upcoming Olympic editions.

Development of world class ski performance: Similarities and differences in pathways to expertise for freeskiers and cross-country skiers

The overall purpose of the present study was to investigate similarities and differences in pathways to expertise for freeskiers and cross-country skiers. Specifically, 1) Entrance to the main sport, 2) Amount of training hours and organization of training, and 3) Variability in activities and content in training. Sampling athletes had to be on the highest level in their sport by competing in, e.g., the World Cup, World Championship, Olympic games, freeride World Tour. In total, 18 world-class skiers participated in the study. Eight freeskiers (age range 19-37) and ten cross-country skiers (age range 22-32 years). They answered a digital questionnaire designed to collect retrospective data describing their pathways to expertise. The first section elicits biographical information, age for entering sport and practice. The second section focused on sport-specific training, accumulated hours of training, and the distribution of organized versus self-organized training. The third section recalled the variability of activities they participated in and how they perceived the relevance of the content of different types of training for their sport-specific development. The results showed similarities in athletes’ entrance to the main sport, specialization age and total amount of training. At the same time, differences were observed in their training history regarding the organization of training. In contrast to cross-country skiers, freeskiers seem to be more self-organized and more involved in additional activities besides their main sport. Interestingly, the two groups of world-class athletes representing sports with distinctive demands share several common variables in their paths to expertise, amplified by perceived specificity. Practitioners and academics should substantiate patience in expertise development, driven by a multi-disciplinary understanding of distinct and individual characteristics or conditions that may be beneficial in fulfilling varied future demands. Hence, research should explore the rationale behind and potential learning effects between sports and training content.

Bidding for the Olympic Games: An Anatomy of Arguments

Abstract In this article, I draw on the philosopher of history Hayden White's typology of arguments to explain different accounts of bidding for the olympic games. White's typology helps explain the irreconcilable disconnect between representations of bidding for and hosting the olympic games put forward by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its academic supporters in olympic education, on the one hand, and their critics, on the other. While I advocate for contextual-based arguments as the most appropriate for understanding bidding at different points in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, I conclude with an irony: the IOC's representations of bidding and hosting, which are based on organicist arguments presented in romantic and idealized narratives, continue to resonate better with a broad audience than fact-laden and eloquent contextualist arguments.

The Archaeology of Hellenism: Olympia and the Presence of the Past

Abstract Olympia holds a central place in conceptions of modern sport, Hellenism, and the Olympic Games. This article traces the concurrent development of the site and Panhellenism and Hellenism through its landscape, built environment, and its reception over the past 3,000 years. By tying together Pierre de Coubertin's Olympism to the physical landscape of ancient Olympia, this article argues that the site itself has contributed, through multiple permutations and through several key changes in the early Iron Age, Roman period, and nineteenth century to the global Hellenism that is at the foundation of the modern Olympic Games.

Carving Out Spaces of Resistance: Remembering Women’s Ski Jumping, Gendered Spaces, and Built Environments at Canada Olympic Park, 1987–2019

This article examines the history of Canada Olympic Park (COP) as it transitioned from the Paskapoo Slopes to a venue for the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympic Games and how the site framed the fight for gender equality in the sport by women ski jumpers in Canada. Ski jumping is a sport that can be considered a “nature sport” as it is practiced in the open air while simultaneously relying on built environments. Understanding the COP ski jumping venue as a “sportscape” and a gendered landscape provides a unique opportunity to explore the tensions between land, air, and the body in this nature sport. Historical analysis of the XV Winter Olympic Games inventories held at the City of Calgary Archives is combined with autoethnographic reflections of my past experiences as a ski jumping athlete who trained at the COP ski jumping venue and plaintiff in the court case to get a women’s ski jumping event added to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games to frame my analysis. This paper argues that women ski jumpers at COP carved out spaces of resistance for themselves, shifted the gendered landscape of the ski jumps, and effected change across generations of women ski jumpers on and off the hill.

MEGA SPORTING EVENTS AND LEGACY

The cost of hosting or bidding for mega sporting events requires a substantial investment, and this expenditure continues to rise each year. So, what remains of these huge investments after the Olympic and Paralympic games took place? In this study, the subjects of “Mega Sports Events” and “Legacy” will be defined and explained with a wide scale of sources. The aim is to set a platform to generate social benefits at maximum levels from the host or bidding cities of the mega or major sporting events. In the light of this aim, the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be a good example to see what has been done through the process of hosting a mega sporting event in the perspective of tangible and intangible legacies. It is obvious that despite the huge amount of costs of hosting or bidding mega sporting events, the cities can’t get enough benefits from the organizations. These obstacles give a good reason for this study to show the cities how to utilize the mega sporting events at most.

Injury Incidence in Traineras: Analysis of Traditional Rowing by Competitive Level and Gender

The growing interest in “Traineras”, a traditional competitive rowing modality prevalent in Northern Spain, underscores the need for a comprehensive analysis of the injury incidence associated with this sporting practice. Despite rowing’s significance in the international sports arena and its inclusion since the beginnings of the modern Olympic Games, research into injuries in this sport, especially in traditional modalities such as Traineras, has been limited. This study aimed to identify and describe the predominant injuries among Traineras rowers, analyzing their epidemiology, characteristics, affected body regions, and diagnoses, further differentiated by competitive level and gender. A retrospective survey completed by 773 rowers (24% women, 76% men) participating in various leagues (ACT, ARC1, ARC2, LGT1, LGT2, ETE, and LGT-F) during the season revealed that 68.2% suffered from at least one injury, predominantly due to overuse (91.1% in men, 83.1% in women). The most affected regions were the lower back and shoulders, with the main diagnoses being muscle cramps and tendinitis, showing statistically significant differences between sexes. The findings of this study not only provide a deeper understanding of the etiology and origin of injuries in this sport but also lay the groundwork for developing specific injury prevention plans, thereby contributing to the safety and optimal performance of athletes.

What is ISTA (International School of Theatre Anthropology)?

Eugenio Barba first defined ‘theatre anthropology’ as the study of the human being in an organized performance situation in a lecture in Warsaw in May 1980. The first session of ISTA (International School of Theatre Anthropology) was held in October 1980 and the last to date in 2023. This article gives a personal account of ISTA’s history from its origins, rooted in Eugenio Barba’s interest in Asian classical theatre techniques and the founding of Odin Teatret in Denmark, to the most recent experiences, which include the intercultural production of Anastasis/Resurrection at the 2023 Theatre Olympics in Budapest. It identifies masters of given ISTA sessions and their invaluable contribution to the School’s emphasis on, and understanding of, craft, as well as the distinguishing characteristics and points of change and development of selected ISTAs.

The origins of public relations in Greece: Tracing the missing link and excavating landmark cases

The purpose of this paper is to provide an historical narrative tracing precedents of Greek Public Relations (PR) practice as far back as the organizing of mega events in mid-nineteenth century culminating in the first modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896. The analysis documents that PR activities are interwoven with Greek governments’ initiatives aimed at tourism promotion. The paper is based on archival material and secondary sources. Access was granted to the special collections of the National Library of Greece and the Hellenic Literary and Historical Archive of the National Bank of Greece Cultural Foundation. Moreover, the study interrogates the three landmark events that ushered in the emergence of professional public relations in Greece in the early postwar period and supplements with important information the conventional accounts. The analysis established a PR-Tourism and National image promotion nexus that runs continuously throughout the period under examination, from the emergence of PR activities in mid-nineteenth century up until the early 1950s. The findings are based on the available written records. This historical review does not purport to be exhaustive and comprehensive. Future research could identify more PR-like activities worthy of mention. The study provides a springboard for investigating the precedents of PR practice in the pre-professionalization era. This investigation calls for an interdisciplinary perspective. This paper is the first one to trace precedents of professional PR practice to the second half the nineteenth century and the interwar period in Greece. It shows the interconnection of PR-like activities with tourism and underscores the prominent position of state agencies in those activities.

“The Idea of Sports is Pure and Noble”: Internationalism, Zionism and the Formation of a Global Universal Language

Bridging the gap between international history, which often sees modern sport’s ideals as mere background noise masking economic or political motives, and philosophical and theoretical perspectives, which delve into the aesthetic appeal of sports, this article focuses on the interplay between the universal, ethical, and the spectacle of sports within Hebrew Culture in Palestine. Against the backdrop of the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, the globalization of sports during the interwar period, and the emergence of FIFA and the IOC, it illustrates the growing influence of universal sports ideals within Zionist ultra-national revolutionary culture. By reassessing the mechanisms behind one of the most significant international phenomena of the twentieth century, and exploring the origins of inherent connection between physical activity, mega sporting events, and pseudo-religious discourse, this article offers a nuanced discussion on internationalism and globalization, particularly pertinent in our contemporary era, highlighted by the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and ongoing debates surrounding human rights violations in the name of sports.

Evolution of Commercials Featuring Para Athletes: From Friend Next Door to Equal Sports Stars

This article analyses how Para athletes were presented in audiovisual commercials by companies that supported the Olympic or Paralympic Games. We focused on the framing of (dis)ability in commercials available on YouTube (2008-2021). The evolution in Para athletes’ presentation can be tracked in identified frames. The traditional defensive and supercrip frames have persisted, though less noticeably than in the past. Defensive framing accentuates the hard work and tough training of Paralympians. Its subframe, supercrip or cyborg framing, challenges the notion of disability and highlights the courage of Paralympians. One newly identified frame was the equality frame, when advertisements present Paralympians as equals living ordinary lives as able-bodied people. The portrayal of Paralympians in advertisements has evolved and corresponds with the companies’ missions and campaigns’ claims.

Environmental changes and the first Olympic Winter Games. Infrastructure projects for ‘Chamonix 1924’

ABSTRACT This paper investigates the infrastructure projects undertaken for the event initially known as the Semaine des sports d’hiver, which took place in Chamonix, France, from 25 January to 4 February 1924 and was later recognized as the first Winter Olympics. Although the already famous resort town was able to use its existing hotels to accommodate visitors and athletes, it also made a considerable investment in the construction of new sports infrastructure. Following an agreement signed just 9 months before the Games, these facilities included a large ice rink, a bobsleigh run and a ski jump. The project was entrusted to the Ponts et Chaussées engineers, who encouraged local firms to help with the construction. Archival analysis will be used to examine the relationship between the project and the changing environment. Our aim is to show how the work in Chamonix modified the environment by exploiting certain natural elements (e.g. water, soil and forests) and, conversely, how the natural (in particular, the geological and climatic) and historical (notably land ownership) components of the environment affected the execution of these works.

Player Winning Probability Model (PWPM): A Review

The Olympic Games are an international event and a source of pride for all countries. With over 200 countries participating in the Olympic Games, it is an international sporting event. The Olympic Games stand as a pinnacle of athletic achievement and global unity, showcasing the finest talents from diverse nations across numerous sporting disciplines. In this review we used machine Learning Algorithms to do prediction on Olympic medal and applying various tools and techniques for Data Analysis using historical data. The process involves Data Collection, Data Cleaning, Data Processing, Exploratory Data Analysis and Medal Prediction. The main objective of this work is to study the complete set of Olympic data to discover pattern and relationship between variables using analysis of data to assess how the Olympic Games changed over time and to do prediction on medals. In this work a PWP model has been proposed in which the Random Forest classifier algorithm has been selected for the classification of player winning probability with accuracy of 70.223325%.

Ukrainians in Italy fight for ukraine’s participation in the Olympic Games

The article analyzes archival funds and primary sources to establish the peculiarities of the activities of the Ukrainian diaspora in Italy on the eve of the 1960 Olympic Games. Correspondence between Osip Zinkevich and Vasyl Fedorovych regarding the participation of Ukrainian athletes separately from the USSR in the Olympic Games in Rome was revealed. It was found that the Ukrainian Olympic Committee was active on the eve and during the Olympic Games, distributing memorandums to the International Olympic Committee, National Olympic Committees, International Sports Federations, etc., printing newsletters, opening an information bureau in Rome.
 The activities of the information bureau of the Ukrainian Olympic Committee contributed to the distribution in Ukrainian and English of the newsletter «For the participation of Ukraine in the Olympic Games», the organization of a press conference in Rome for the foreign press, the organization of an exhibition of Ukrainian publications in the countries of the free world, the establishment of contacts with Ukrainian (Soviet) athletes , re-presenting the issue of Ukraine's participation in the Olympic Games at the Rome session of the IOC, promoting the Olympic idea among the Ukrainian community in Ukraine and abroad, publishing the book «Ukrainian Olympic Champions» in English. The idea of local participation of the Ukrainian team in the Olympic Games has little global support.

The philosophy of modern olympism through the eyes of Ukrainian and American athletes

Many scientists in the field of history of physical culture, sports and the Olympic movement are concerned with the philosophy of modern Olympism and its main principles. The article focuses on the fact that the foundations of modern Olympism were laid at the end of the 19th century by Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the initiator of the revival of the Olympic Games. It was he who first proposed the philosophical doctrine of Olympism, based on universal moral principles. Pierre de Coubertin believed that Olympism was due to his humanistic potential combines sport with culture and education, serves as a worldview and axiological basis for the upbringing of the younger generation. Ancient Greek philosophers understood that physical perfection, strength and health only in combination with spiritual and moral qualities and education through exercises and competitions formed a perfect personality. Pierre de Coubertin, having drawn inspiration from the Ancient Olympic Games and the principles of the Greek education system, was convinced that the philosophy that created Greek culture can serve the development of modern humanity. Today, Olympism has the status of universal value and is an important factor of culture in general and sports culture in particular. But, as it turned out, athletes on different continents perceive the philosophy of modern Olympism in different ways. Pole dance, a relatively new sport that is rapidly developing and gaining popularity all over the world, particularly in Ukraine, was chosen for the study. The impetus for the study was the fact that Cathy Coates, the founder of the international Pole dance federation, together with supporters of this bright sport, are fighting for it to be included in the Olympic Games program. As a result of the analysis of the extended guide interview of 14 Ukrainian and 16 American athletes, it became clear that their opinions regarding the philosophy of modern Olympism were divided. This is how Ukrainian sportswomen claim that the philosophy of modern Olympism glorifies and unites into a harmonious whole the highest qualities of spirit, will, soul, mind and body, forms respect for universal fundamental ethical principles and puts sport at the service of harmonious human development. American athletes think somewhat differently: they partially agree with the quotes philosophy of modern Olympism, but believe that it has many flaws that need to be corrected (doping, politicization and illegal betting).

Telecasting Tokyo to a Locked Down Nation: Australian Broadcast Coverage of the 2020 Olympic Summer Games

Telecasting Tokyo to a Locked Down Nation: Australian Broadcast Coverage of the 2020 Olympic Summer Games