The Olympic GamesModern Diversion from Conventional

Festival Rationale

The staging of the Olympic Game is now divorced from the conventional rationale that surrounds almost all other festival.

-Gold and Gold,(2007)

Working Framework: Theories and TermsMega-events:

those that wield extraordinarily high levels of tourism, media coverage, prestige, or economic impact for the host community, venue, or organisation” (Getz, 2005: 18)

Getz (2012): “Themed, public celebrations”

Falassi (1987: 2):“A periodically recurrent, social occasion in which, through a multiplicity of forms and a series of

coordinated events, participate directly or indirectly and to various degrees, all members of a whole community, united by ethnic, linguistic, religious, historical bonds, and sharing a worldview. Both the social function and the symbolic meaning of the festival are closely related to a series of overt values that the community recognizes as essential to its ideology and worldview, to its social identity, its historical continuity, and to its physical survival, which is ultimately what festivals celebrate.”

Original Vision: Pierre de Coubertin. • The modern Olympics were revived by Pierre de Coubertin 1896

• Coubertin believed that the ancient Greeks had discovered the secret harmony between the body and mind.

• Coubertin’s motives were derived from his belief that sport should promote physical health and bring different nations and social classes together in a new age of democracy and social equality.

• The ancient Greek truce acts in association with the games, was deemed as a role of promoting peace and culture understanding to decrease the danger of war.

• He believed that modern Olympics games would be a period of concord in differences of status, religion, politics and that race would be forgotten.

• Ancient Greek games were not just sporting festivals, but represented a union of people, featuring art, music, poetry, as well as the athletics.(Gold and Gold, 2007; Grupe, 1991)

London 2012

“A lasting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games has always been a long term goal.” (The Long Term Vision for the Legacy of the London 2012 Olympic & Paralympic Games)

London’s 2012 Vision:London 2012 set out to deliver “the most sustainable Games ever” and to deliver unprecedented levels of access and inclusion under the heading “everyone’s Games”

to deliver : • Urban Regeneration• Sport and healthy living• Economy growth • Bring communities together

Legacy• “Regardless of the actual form that a legacy may take, the idea underlying legacy creation is that it

represents something of substance that will enhance the long-term well-being or lifestyle of destination residents in a very substantial manner—preferably in a way that reflects the values of the local population.” Ritchie (2000, p.156)

• Building on the success to date, London has set out a long-term vision to use the inspirational power of 2012, and future major sporting events, to help deliver lasting change.

Hegemony

•Globalization•Westernization•Neo-liberalism

• International relations model•Hierarchy of power•Core -> Periphery•Government -> Community•Wealthy majority -> Poor minority

Bidding

Applicant City Phase

CandidateCity Phase

OlympicGames

7 years 2 years

Bidding• Politics left and right• Excuse to attack unwanted social

• troublemakers; gypsies, junkies, immigrants• Damage

• Environmental• Heritage• urban space

• Terrorism attacks and risk management• historical precedent

• invincibility• Host city is a partner rather than the nominee

• Olympics and host-city change each other

Paris: clean environment

London: transport

Rio de Janeiro: Olympic venue plans

Leipzig: attractive tourist destination

Moscow: security

“Evoked set” - Clark and McLeary (1995)The associations initial pool of options

Which of these would be in the “evoked set”?

Sponsorship

Private Donations• The first modern Games was funded primarily by private donations (Meenaghan 1996).• In the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games there was a dramatic increase of sponsors, with a reported

628 (Whannel 2012).

Dick Pound• Sponsorship currently contributes to 40%of the Olympic movement’s total revenue (Whannel 2012).• Sponsorship of the Olympic Games was revolutionized by Dick Pound• Agreements with a number of multinational companies including Visa, McDonald’s, Kodak and Coca

Cola were made.

Modern Corporate Sponsorship• Main motivation for striking an agreement is the image transfer.• The prices associated with companies sponsoring these events have dramatically increased (Holland

2012).• Sponsorship of the Games was not value-adding to the sponsor in terms of stock return

Modern Olympics and Piere: A Comparison

Similarities

Differences

SucessesEast London regeneration •The park in east London will create a new visitor destination• venues and attractions• new homes, schools and businesses• open green spaces

•Creation of jobs •Economic growth• Improved transportation infrastructure

Failures

• Increases in the price of goods, services and property• Economic and social burden on local residents (Deccio & Baloglu, 2002).

• Traffic congestion and parking • affecting the quality of life of local residents (Mihalik & Cummings, 1995; Fredline, 2004).

• Conflicts between locals and tourists• purchasing power gaps (Tosun, 2002)• access to recreational space before or during the event (Fredline, 2004).

• Shortcomings:• Failing to honour pledges on promoting sport and increasing participation

• Government coalition make cuts• Funds decrease at grassroots level and schools

• 20,000 Olympics jobs created• Fewer than half (9,700) went to the host borough residents• For young people the main concern remains jobs. (Ali)

Legacy left by the games• Economic growth• focus on trade and investment and tourism

• Bring people together• improve society and their communities,

• Partnership with disabled people and their organisations• enable disabled people to fulfil their potential• participate in society• ensure communities inclusivity

• PE in schools

References