1st Edition

The Olympic Movement and the Sport of Peacemaking

Edited By Ramón Spaaij, Cindy Burleson Copyright 2013
    188 Pages
    by Routledge

    184 Pages
    by Routledge

    Sport and peacemaking have evolved. It is no longer the case that the Olympic Games and war games exist in isolation from each other. Increasingly, policymakers, peacekeepers, athletes, development workers, presidents of nations and others combine forces in an "integrated" approach towards peace. This approach is located not only within the broader, historically evolved Olympic Movement but also in relation to a newly emerged social movement which promotes development and peace through sport. This book critically examines the ways in which this development is being played out at global, national and local levels, particularly in relation to the Olympic Movement and initiatives such as the biennial Olympic Truce Resolution.

    The volume constitutes a unique scholarly attempt to provide an in-depth comparative analysis of the sport of peacemaking in the context of the Olympic Movement. Through international comparison and empirically grounded case studies, the book provides an important new departure in the study of the social impact of the Olympic Movement and related peacemaking efforts. It discusses these issues from a range of academic disciplines, including history, sociology, political science, economics, geography, philosophy and international relations.

    This book was previously published as a special issue of Sport in Society.

    1. Olympic rings of peace? The Olympic movement, peacemaking and intercultural understanding Ramón Spaaij, La Trobe University, Australia; University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Part I: Philosophical and historical foundations

    2. The power of sport in peacemaking and peacekeeping Jim Parry, University of Leeds, UK

    3. Pierre de Coubertin’s vision of the role of sport in peaceful internationalism Irena Martínková, Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic

    4. The ancient Olympic Truce in modern-day peacekeeping: revisiting Ekecheiria Cindy Burleson, The International Sibling Society, USA

    Part II: Global politics and international relations

    5. An overlooked path to peace and stability: sport, the state, and the case of the Koreas Darin H. Van Tassell, Georgia Southern University, USA and Dené A. Terry

    6. Transforming an international organization: norm confusion and the International Olympic Committee Dan Bousfield, University of Western Ontario, Canada and Jean Michel Montsion, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada

    7. More than just Games: the global politics of the Olympic movement Liam Stockdale, McMaster University, Canada

    Part III: Development and peace legacies

    8. The Paralympic Games as a force for peaceful coexistence Ian Brittain, Coventry University, UK

    9. Olympism in Action, Olympic hosting and the politics of ‘sport for development and peace’: investigating the promises of Rio 2016 Simon Darnell, Dalhousie University, Canada

    10. Accounting for legacy: monitoring and evaluation in sport in development relationships Tess Kay, Brunel University, UK

    11. Epilogue: London 2012 and beyond: concluding reflections on peacemaking, sport and the Olympic movement Ramón Spaaij, La Trobe University, Australia; University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Cindy Burleson, The International Sibling Society, USA

    Biography

    Ramón Spaaij is Senior Research Fellow in the School of Social Sciences, La Trobe University, Australia, and Visiting Professor at the Utrecht School of Governance, Utrecht University, The Netherlands.

    Cindy Burleson is Chair of The International Sibling Society, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, USA.