Tenth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

This article investigates the production of narratives about the olympic games in the press of Rio de Janeiro between the decades of 1890 and 1930, with the main objective of critically discuss the process of constituting an Olympic field in this city. For this purpose, the documentary sources that support this research were the journalistic texts of Rio newspapers, which were selected based on their relevance and the emphasis given to the Olympic games. As for the method, we used a detained study of the narratives. Cultural history was the theoretical framework of this paper, contributing to the understanding of the concepts of narrative and representation. The results indicate the presence of Olympic games in contexts beyond the sport and outside the axis of submission to the IOC. For example, Olympic games were experienced by the Carioca as entertainment (sporting exhibitions) and as artistic-cultural practices (in circuses and theaters), without a necessarily competitive character. To understand the arrival and spread of the Olympic movement in Brazil, it was necessary to follow the operations engendered by various actors, in the media, in civil society and in the state apparatus. Social interactions and cultural adjustments were peremptory for the acceptance of the new Olympic idea among the Cariocas. Press arguments to stimulate Brazil’s involvement with the international Olympic circuit revolved around three basic points: modernity, civilization and race. In short, this research reinforces the hypothesis that the press is the cause and consequence of the popularization of sports in Rio de Janeiro.