Post-Olympism? ― Questioning Sport in the 21st Century

The Olympic Games symbolize global cooperation, international understanding and the bonding of individuals through sports. However, throughout the history of the modern games, the Olympic ideal has often been confronted by a different reality. Crises ranging from drug abuse to racism and accusations of Disneyfication have threatened the spirit of Olympism and even the Games themselves. Post-Olympism? is the first book to provide a useful overview of the ongoing significance of the Olympics. Is Olympism relevant today? Have more frequent and tightly organized events such as World Cups and world championships superseded the Olympics to become the great festivals of sport? What effect will new technologies have on the Games? This is a timely book that both re-evaluates this event's checkered past and assesses whether it has a future.

The Olympic Games symbolize global cooperation, international understanding and the bonding of individuals through sports. However, throughout the history of the modern games, the Olympic ideal has often been confronted by a different reality. Crises ranging from drug abuse to racism and accusations of Disneyfication have threatened the spirit of Olympism and even the Games themselves. Post-Olympism? is the first book to provide a useful overview of the ongoing significance of the Olympics. Is Olympism relevant today? Have more frequent and tightly organized events such as World Cups and world championships superseded the Olympics to become the great festivals of sport? What effect will new technologies have on the Games? This is a timely book that both re-evaluates this event's checkered past and assesses whether it has a future.

John Bale is Visiting Professor of Sports Studies, University of Aarhus, Denmark and Professor of Sports Geography, Keele University. He is the co-editor of Sport and Postcolonialism (Berg Publishers, 2003).

Mette Krogh Christensen is Assistant Professor in Sports Studies, Department of Sport Science, University of Aarhus.