Explain The Globalization Paradox Of The Olympic Games

The Globalization Paradox of the Olympic Games

In 2016, the International Olympic Committee, the IOC, decided to allow try outs for a ten-member Refugee Olympic team. These participants would stand under the Olympic flag and, if they were to win a gold medal, the Olympic song would play in place of their national anthem. This idea of a team competing “under an international flag that belongs to the whole world” is a highlight of the unifying effects of globalization (2016:1). However, once the title of refugee is gone, they are striped of this unifying international team to go back to the nationalistic world of their country (Prices and Malsin 2016). Raheleh Asemani is one such case. She was at the top of the list to be considered for the international

The Olympic Games stemmed from the ancient Greek Games played in honor of Zeus. The Olympic Games ultimately have become an event that brings the world together in one arena. The Olympics have become globalized, meaning they promote “the growing interconnectedness of different parts of the world, a process which gives rise to complex forms of interaction and interdependencies” (Tomlinson 1996: 589). Anna Tsing would add to this definition by considering globalization as “a global framework [which] allows one to consider the making and remaking of geographical and historical agents” (Tsing 2000:69). These definitions are juxtaposed with the idea that the Olympics pit countries against each other in a nationalistic way. The Olympic Games bring out a sense of cosmopolitan nationalism throughout the world, while simultaneously having a globalization effect. Cosmopolitan in the sense that the event is comprised of people from all over the world. Nationalistic, in the sense of the attitudes brought to the games. Both features help globalize the Olympic Games because of the want to win a gold medal in this worldwide showcase of talent. To fully understand how the Olympics have become globalized, we must take a look at the origins of the

2016) A popular mythological story of the creation of the Olympic Games stems from a battle between Zeus and his father, Kronos. Zeus and Kronos fought for “control of the world” (Scholastic Inc. 2016). When Zeus won, the people of Olympia dedicated a temple to Zeus. From here on, he was known as the father and possessor, meaning he decided how good or bad the harvest would be and he was the protector of families living nearby. Because of the affiliation with Zeus and the ease of access for ships to arrive, Olympia was the sight of the first ancient game. The first and only event of the ancient games was approximately a 200-meter race called the stadion or stade (Scholastic Inc. 2016). The winner received a wreath of leaves and was said to have been touched by the gods. Only men that lived-in Greece and spoke Greek could compete in the games. For the first thirteen years, there was only this one event, however, after that several more events were added and Olympia was built up to accommodate the changing ancient games. Around 394, Emperor Theodosius I, put a halt to the ancient games declaring them to be pagan events in his Christian society. From then until the late-18th century, no games were conducted. In 1892, Baron Pierre de Coubertin of France, resurrected the games as he was interested in knowledge and building the mind and the body. After visiting Olympia, he decided the best