Every couple of years, all the nations of the world gather together to do battle in front of the entire international community. I am referring, of course, to the Olympic Games. Every four years, athletes from every nation come together in the spirit of global competition. At home, citizens gather around televisions to cheer on their national team, hoping they will bring home victory and national pride. The Olympics have also begun to have a huge impact in the world of international politics. Though it would seem silly, this athletic competition has become a major determination of a government’s power. In the field of public and cultural diplomacy, the Olympics have become a key forum for countries to gain or assert what Joseph Nye refers to as “soft power”.
In the Olympic games, countries are given many opportunities to gain soft power. The first of these comes in hosting. The honor of hosting the Olympic games is decided by the International Olympic Committee. It is a testament to how important and influential hosting the Olympics can be, that the International Olympic Committee has been riddled with corruption and favoritism, and states do everything to be the ones to host, (BBC 1999). It is easy to understand he incentive. Host nations have the eyes of the world on them, which gives them a chance to shine, as well as promote a favorable national image. This can have various levels of success. In 1936, Nazi Germany had the opportunity to host they Olympics, and attempted to use the attention to promote an image of socialism as a peaceful, (Findling & Pelle 2004, 107). China was able to achieve significantly more success in its own efforts in 2008, impressing the world with its incredible stadium and intimidating performances in its opening ceremonies, and giving an impression of strength and development, (Cull 2008). Host nations are able to highlight their cultural appeal, and also benefit from increased tourism, as thousands will attend the games, and even more will choose to visit the nation that receives so much positive media attention.
Performance at the games is another way for a country to show its strength. The more a nation’s athletes succeed, the more impressive and imposing their nations appear. The athletes’ high performance are a testament to the resources of the nation, which facilitates their training, States have historically pushed their athletes to do well, in order to cement their national image as winners. “Societies like Mussolini’s Italy and Lenin’s Soviety Union emphasized sport and physical culture as symbols of the virility of their political system, and achievement in Olympic competition became a profound concern of governments,” (Cull 2008, 120). In more recent years, the USA’s consistent accumulation of gold medals have cemented its status as a great power, as well as inspiring international envy. In 2008, China seemed almost desperate to succeed, resulting in controversy over the ages of the gymnasts it sent to the competition, with many alleging that Chinese officials had changed the official documents of their ages, (Nichols 2008).
Throughout the Olympics, there is a free exchange of culture, with athletes coming together in competition, but forming strong bonds. Strong personalities and athletic celebrities from Yao Ming to Shawn White, garner international attention, bringing celebrity diplomacy into the forum as well. With the Olympics growing more and more competitive and impressive, is will be very exciting to see how nations like the UK and Russia do with the spotlight, and how much gold each nation amasses. Accordingly, it will be interesting to observe the impact on their public and cultural diplomacy in the internal forum.
Works Cited
BBC News, “World Timeline: Olympics Corruption Scandal.” BBC Online Network. 1999. Web Article. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/297030.stm
Cull, N.J. “The public diplomacy of the modern Olympic Games and China’s soft power strategy.” From Owning the Olympics: Narratives of New China by Price, M. E. University of Michigan Press. Ann Arbor, MI. 2008. Pgs. 117-144.
Findling, J. E. and Pelle, K.D. Dictionary of the Modern Olympic Movement. Greenwood Press. Westport, CT. 2004. Pg, 107.
Nichols, P. “Olympics: Chinese gymnasts accused of being under minimum age.” The Guardian. Guardian.co.uk. Aug, 2008. Web Article. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2008/aug/18/olympics2008.olympicsgymnastics
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