Fifteenth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

The modern Olympic movement is underpinned by a ‘philosophy of life’ called ‘Olympism’. Olympism champions the universalistic values of world peace, justice, friendship, and humanitarianism. In reality, however, the Olympic Games are far less quixotic, being characterised by the seemingly dichotomous forces of globalization and commercialization on the one hand and nationalism on the other. The former is evidenced by their global media coverage (aided by ICTs), the ‘glocal’ nature of the opening ceremony, and considerable influence enjoyed by the transnational International Olympic Committee and other multinational media corporations. That individual athletes’ victories or losses are treated as those of the nation’s and that hosting the Olympics constitutes a critical act in nation-building inform its nationalistic tendencies. This paper, therefore, seeks to understand the relationship between globalization and nationalism in the structure and functioning of the Olympic Games. Drawing on such theoretical conceptions as Saskia Sassen’s ‘global city’, George Ritzer’s ‘grobalization’, and Manual Castells’ ‘network society’, I explore this relationship specifically by examining global media coverage of the Games, the politics of bidding for the host city and the opening ceremony, and the role of the athletes themselves. I argue, contrary to the common understanding that the assertion of national identity is a counteraction to the globalization of the Games, that the former actually complements the latter.