The Olympic Games; A Social Science Perspective

by K Toohey; A.J. Veal

• ISBN13: 9781845933463
• ISBN10: 184593346X
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-03-22
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Summary

This 2nd edition of a highly successful book (published in 2000) provides a comprehensive, critical analysis of the Olympic Games using a multi-disciplinary social science approach. This revised edition contains much new data relating to the Sydney 2000 Games and their aftermath; and preparations for Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Games. The book is broad-ranging and independent in its coverage, and includes the use of drugs, sex testing, accusations of power abuse among members of the IOC, the Games as a stage for political protest, media-related controversies, economic costs and benefits of the Games and historical conflicts between organizers and host communities.

Table of Contents

List of tables	p. ix
List of figures	p. xi
List of abbreviations	p. xii
Preface	p. xiii
Introduction: Studying the Olympic Games	p. 1
The phenomenon of the Olympic Games	p. 1
The Olympic Games as an object of academic enquiry	p. 2
Disciplinary perspectives	p. 2
Paradigms	p. 3
Structure of the book	p. 5
The Olympic Games - more than a sporting event	p. 6
Further reading	p. 8
Notes	p. 8
Questions	p. 8
The Ancient Olympics and their Relevance to the Modern Games	p. 9
Introduction	p. 9
Myths about the ancient Olympic Games	p. 10
A short history of the ancient Olympic Games	p. 11
The events	p. 13
History - politics	p. 19
Amateurism and professionalism	p. 20
Women	p. 22
The demise of the Games	p. 23
Conclusion	p. 24
Further reading	p. 24
Questions	p. 25
The Revival of the Olympic Games	p. 26
Introduction	p. 26
The interregnum	p. 27
Greece	p. 29
England	p. 30
North America	p. 33
France and Germany	p. 34
Pierre de Coubertin	p. 35
Summary	p. 38
Further reading	p. 39
Questions	p. 40
The Modern Olympic Phenomenon	p. 41
Introduction	p. 41
Olympism	p. 42
The Olympic Movement	p. 44
Olympic organisation	p. 45
The International Olympic Committee	p. 45
IOC Commissions	p. 53
Symbols and ceremonial	p. 61
The bidding process and host city selection	p. 65
Hosting the Games	p. 68
Cultural programme	p. 70
The Winter Olympics	p. 71
Local opposition	p. 71
Evaluation and reporting	p. 73
After it's all over: the legacy of the Games	p. 74
Competing and related events	p. 76
Conclusions	p. 82
Further reading	p. 82
Questions	p. 83
Politics, Nationalism and the Olympic Movement	p. 84
Introduction	p. 84
Politics	p. 84
Olympic Games and politics	p. 87
Internal politics of the host nation	p. 87
Opposing political ideologies	p. 91
Nationalism	p. 102
Political demonstrations, terrorism and security at the Games	p. 106
IOC politics	p. 114
Conclusion	p. 118
Further reading	p. 120
Questions	p. 120
The Economics and Financing of the Games	p. 121
Introduction	p. 121
Political economy	p. 122
Financing the Olympic Movement	p. 126
Funding individual Olympic Games	p. 131
Economic impact	p. 138
Further Reading	p. 144
Questions	p. 144
The Olympics and the Mass Media	p. 145
Introduction	p. 145
The relationship between the Olympics and the mass media	p. 147
The nature of Olympic television broadcasts	p. 150
History of Olympic television coverage	p. 153
Host broadcasters	p. 157
The Internet	p. 159
Radio	p. 164
Film	p. 165
Olympic-related novels	p. 166
Conclusion	p. 167
Further reading	p. 167
Questions	p. 167
Doping and the Olympics	p. 168
Introduction	p. 168
Some modern performance-enhancing substances	p. 170
Arguments for and against drug use	p. 173
History of drug use in the Olympics	p. 175
The IOC Medical Commission	p. 179
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)	p. 179
Categories of IOC prohibited substances	p. 180
Athletes' obligations and doping control	p. 182
Anti-doping procedures for Turin, 2006	p. 183
Episodes in sport, the Olympics and drug use	p. 185
The future	p. 191
Summary	p. 192
Further reading	p. 193
Questions	p. 193
Women and the Olympic Games	p. 194
Women and sport	p. 194
Research	p. 196
Women in the Olympic Games	p. 197
Introduction of women's sports to the Olympic programme	p. 198
The twenty-first century	p. 202
Women in the administration of the Olympics	p. 204
The media and women in the Olympic Games	p. 206
Eleanor Holm Jarrett: a case study of a female Olympic athlete	p. 210
Gender verification, or sex testing	p. 216
Conclusion	p. 219
Further reading	p. 221
Questions	p. 221
Case Studies of the Summer Olympic Games	p. 222
Introduction	p. 222
Barcelona 1992	p. 223
Atlanta 1996	p. 231
Sydney 2000	p. 237
Athens 2004	p. 252
Beijing 2008	p. 255
London 2012	p. 258
Further reading	p. 261
Questions	p. 262
The Games of the modern era	p. 263
Items for a cost-benefit study of the Games	p. 272
The Future of the Olympic Games	p. 274
Introduction	p. 274
The environment of the Games	p. 276
The organisation of the Games	p. 282
The past, present and future of the Olympic Games	p. 287
Further reading	p. 287
Questions	p. 287
Websites, Films, Videos, CDs, DVDs	p. 288
References	p. 291
Index	p. 330
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