The Olympic System: Toward a Geopolitical Approach

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 Pascal Gillon

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Fig. 6 

Political relations between actors in the sports system

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Les relations politiques entre les acteurs du système sportif. 

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Articles

The Olympic System: Toward a Geopolitical Approach 

• XXI

superior to any other communication media. Thus, during the period of decolo-

nization, new states applied to the UN for recognition by the international com-

munity, but they also simultaneously applied to the IOC to participate in the 

Games. Being able to line up behind their respective national flags at the opening 

ceremony, allows participants to demonstrate their country’s existence in the eyes 

of the world. For some states, the only objective is to participate in the Games. 

For others, the objectives are more complex but are always tied to the image they 

project to their people or to others. This speaks to the heart of Lacoste’s defini-

tion, as states are very focused on symbolism and perception.

During the parade of nations at the Beijing Games, viewers were able to see a 

delegation from Montenegro (an independent state since 2006), from Kiribati (a 

Pacific island unknown to 99.9% of the world’s population), and from Palestine 

(not yet a state in its own right). For those states, merely being at the Games was 

a success in terms of international communication. Other states tried to change 

their international image during this ceremony: to this end, Iran, the United 

Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and the Maldives each chose a woman as flag bearer for 

the parade. The goal here was to address frequent criticisms from parts of the 

Western world about the status of women in those countries.

In addition to the visibility gained during the opening ceremony, some states 

are out to win medals for international kudos. Unless you turned off the news 

during the Olympics, you could not avoid hearing about Jamaica’s or Kenya’s 

athle tic performances. These countries’ image changed, and for the better, 

because of their performance. But these were the product of a niche strategy by 

countries that cannot claim to be fighting for the top spot in the medal count, 

because the ultimate goal is, of course, to win gold. In Beijing, China pulled off 

an enormous public relations feat by winning the most gold medals. For some, 

this success symbolized the passing of world domination from the United States 

to China. Incidentally, the controversy in the United States over how the top 

place in the medal rankings was calculated was not merely on principle.

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