Let the Games Begin

Andris Zimelis
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Andris Zimelis: Ph.D. Candidate, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA. azimel2@uic.edu

India Quarterly: A Journal of International Affairs, 2011, vol. 67, issue 3, 263-278

Abstract: This article discusses the political role of the Olympic Games and its implications on the hosting country’s political and social life by analysing two cases—South Korea (1988) and Mexico (1968). Contrary to the belief that the games were created as an event that transcends politics, this study concludes that Olympic Games have been and are used as a political tool for various purposes and specific political circumstances eventually influenced the selection of Mexico’s and South Korea’s priorities for national development. Moreover, the findings of this article demonstrate that the Olympic Games served as a catalyst accelerating democratic changes in South Korea, and this finding can be applied to heuristic analysis of the future Olympic Games.

Keywords: Olympics; democratic transition; authoritarianism; nationalism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:indqtr:v:67:y:2011:i:3:p:263-278

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