This research interrogates South Korean women’s gender, ethnic and national identity construction revealed through sport spectacle. Two phases of the interviews were conducted for the research: focus group interviews during the 2004 Athens Olympics and individual interviews between March and April 2005, the period of the final qualifying stage for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Newspaper extracts on the Olympics and the football matches were presented in the interviews. The analysis of the women’s identity construction was contextualized in relation to South Korea’s socio-cultural, historical and political networks. Globalisation provides the overall framework for the research. Globalisation has dramatically transformed the way people construct their relations to themselves, others and their nation. The research explored how the interviewed women produced and reproduced the meanings and values of the sport events and sport games in search for a sense of security and certainty in the ever-shifting global context. Their struggles to ‘live’ in the new social milieu, a process of reterritorialisation, were also analysed. Moreover, the women’s relationships with North Korea were examined based on the concepts of the ethnic identity and also of the nation as a historical community with shared culture, tradition and history. Although infamously labeled internationally as part of the ‘axis of evil’, North Korea provided a source of ambiguous identity to the interviewees. The women’s perceptions of Japan, South Korea’s old enemy, were also investigated around the themes of postcolonial identities. In addition, the research demonstrated the women’s gendered perceptions of sportswomen and sportsmen and an idea of nationhood represented by them.

Master of Arts / Department of History / Heather L. McCrea / This thesis highlights the consequences of the 1980 US boycott of the Olympic Games in Moscow from the perspective of the Olympic boxers. Beginning with a review of scholarly work on the Olympics and their surrounding politics, I outline how the White House, under President Jimmy Carter, manipulated the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) into supporting a boycott. I conclude that the political actions of the Carter Administration affected an entire nation's participation in an Olympic event. Exploring the socio-political circumstances surrounding the 1980 US Olympic boycott, my study seeks to answer three questions: First, what political tactics did the Carter Administration use to implement a boycott designed to pressure Russia to withdraw troops from Afghanistan? Manipulation of the USOC and threats to cut funding pushed compliance with Carter's agenda. As a result, the Carter administration’s actions included using US boxer Muhammad Ali as a pawn in an effort to persuade athletes to support a boycott. Few athletes felt comfortable speaking out against such high-level political strategies. Historically, the US denounced any nation's attempt to use the Olympic Games to make a political statement; this was exemplified in the US’s decision to send black and Jewish athletes to the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, despite the obvious dangers these athletes faced in the midst of the Nazi regime. As noted in the German press, allowing “wooly-haired niggers with protruding lips” to compete with Aryans was a disgrace. Second, what was the real reason Carter sought a boycott? The Carter Administration saw participation in the Moscow Games as “…signify[ing] an attitude of indifference toward the continuing occupation of Afghanistan by Soviet troops.” One possible explanation of the boycott, then, was to raise awareness about human rights atrocities within the Soviet Union and beyond during the Moscow Games. Perhaps the boycott was Carter’s desperate last effort to revive his presidential reputation after several instances of critical failure as President of the United States, including the Iranian-US hostage outrage (1979), the failed US hostage rescue attempt (1980), and economic inflation so extreme it contributed to a dramatic downward spiral in Carter’s re-election poll numbers. Third, what was the real impact of the 1980 Olympic boycott? How did athletes and coaches become victims of the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and the US government? For many of the prospective medalists, a boycott permanently slammed shut the only open window of opportunity and robbed them of potential fame and financial gain. My work shows that the 1980 boycott not only strained international relations, but also significantly altered the lives of the athletes, coaches, and teams beyond the 1980 Olympics.

Increased international competitiveness to host sport mega-events indicates their perceived value in stimulating regional and national economic, social and cultural development. In the context of broader governmental public opinion management strategies, sport mega-events hold the potential to mobilize soft power resources of the host country, expressed in values, culture and policies, and engage with and influence the publics of other countries. This thesis investigates the significance of sport mega-events for the host country’s public diplomacy strategies and practice by exploring the concepts of public diplomacy, sport mega-events, soft power and national image within a multi-disciplinary conceptual framework. The analysis of scholarly literature, official and media reports reveals how aspects of reputation, credibility, and legitimacy guide both foreign public opinion and the practice of public diplomacy in conjunction with sport mega-events. Moreover, international reputation of the host nation, including status, prestige and image, appeared to benefit the most as a result of strategic application of sport mega-events to public diplomacy. This can be achieved by proving functional reputation though demonstration of financial and organizational success. Alternatively, social reputation of the host is at risk of sustaining considerable damage as a result of resistance from social activists groups, thus requiring extensive damage control efforts of the host country's image. The conclusions drawn from this study raise significant questions about the potential of sport mega-events being effectively used for public diplomacy and the experience of the host governments, revealing functional competence as having the greatest potential to influence public diplomacy strategy built around hosting sport mega-events.

This research comprises three interconnected studies that, when considered together, attend to the dissertation’s purpose of presenting an integrated conceptual framework for ambush marketing in the Olympic Games. This has been accomplished in two ways: (1) the use of institutional theory, supported by network theory, as a lens to view and understand evolutionary processes in Olympic sponsorship and ambush marketing and (2) the use of grounded theory to build a conceptual framework of ambush marketing from the findings. Broadly, the model suggests the evolution of ambush marketing is partially impacted by, and an outcome of, institutional forces and considerations. Study I examines the process of institutionalization in the evolution of Olympic sponsorship during its most critical period of growth. It is argued that three key periods of change for sponsorship and two for ambush marketing exist during this time. Furthermore, these periods of change, most specifically concerning anti-ambush marketing practices, suggest the institutionalization of anti-ambush marketing legislation in the Olympic Games. Study II examines how Olympic ambush marketing stakeholder power and transfer of sponsorship and ambush marketing knowledge has influenced institutional processes toward the state of anti-ambush legislation as institutionalized brand protection. Centrality measures suggest the International Olympic Committee and Organizing Committees for the Olympic Games demonstrate the greatest stakeholder influence within the Olympic ambush marketing network. It is further argued the influence resulting from the structure of Olympic ambush marketing networks impacts the institutional processes of objectification and sedimentation. Study III examines the contemporary state of Olympic sponsorship evidenced by institutionalized legislated brand protection. While direct marketing implications of anti-ambush marketing legislation are minimal, it is argued the practice represents a portion of a regime of brand protection and that public relations outcomes of legislated brand protection must be carefully managed as part of a brand management strategy. Similarly, proportionality and managing expectations are arguably important in the understanding and application of such laws. Finally it is suggested that while the Olympic Movement may be viewed as an early adopter of anti-ambush legislation in the mega-event field, the individual character of each Olympic Games will interfere with complete isomorphism.

The subject of thesis "Influence of big sports events on exchange rates" is to analyse movement of exchange rates during sports events. Currency pairs are studied for this purpose in various time periods. Technical indicators from technical analysis are used to identify similar elements in movement of exchange rates. Results of analysis answer the question, whether sports events such as Olympic Games or world championship can influence exchange rate.

Uma das principais metas do Movimento Olímpico é o desenvolvimento de valores humanos por meio dos valores olímpicos que são definidos como valores contidos no âmbito olímpico, e mais ainda, os valores de nossa sociedade como um todo, dada a presença e importância do esporte na história e formação da humanidade (BINDER, 2012). Assim, este estudo teve como objetivo descrever a relação entre a percepção que estudantes e profissionais de educação física têm de valores humanos e o envolvimento com os Jogos Olímpicos (JO) Rio 2016. A amostra foi composta por 317 estudantes e profissionais de educação física que responderam a um questionário em que para mensurar a percepção dos valores foi utilizada a Escala de Educação e Valores Olímpicos (EEVO-36) que foi respondida em escala de Likert de 5 pontos e para o envolvimento foram utilizadas escalas de Shank e Beasley (1998) tanto para mensurar envolvimento comportamental como atitudinal. Os resultados mostraram que o valor trabalho em equipe afeta e é afetado por valores de excelência e autocontrole, e também é afetado pelo fator envolvimento atitudinal, contudo, excelência e autocontrole não afetam um ao outro. Desta forma, percebe-se como a variável trabalho em equipe parece ser a variável que conecta as demais. Mediante aos resultados, foi possível concluir que existe uma necessidade de uma estratégia de alavancagem do legado valores humanos voltados para estudantes e profissionais de educação física para que o Movimento Olímpico atinja seu objetivo de disseminar valores humanos por meio dos JO. / One of the main goals of the Olympic Movement is the development of human values through olympic values. Olympic values are defined as values contained within the Olympic framework, and even more so, the values of our society as a whole, given the presence and importance of sport in the history and formation of mankind (BINDER, 2012). These values seem to be closely related to the activity of physical education professionals. Thus, this study aimed to describe the relationship between the perception that students and professionals in physical education have of human values and involvement with the Rio 2016 Olympic Games (OG). The subjects were 317 students and professionals in physical education. To measure the perception of values, the Olympic Values and Education Scale (EEVO-36) was used, which was answered on a Likert scale of 5 points. For the involvement, scales of Shank and Beasley (1998) were used both to measure behavioral and attitudinal involvement. The results showed that the value of teamwork affects and is affected by values of excellence and self-control. However, excellence and selfcontrol do not affect one another. It was also found that teamwork is affected by the attitudinal involvement factor. In this way, one can see how the variable teamwork seems to be the variable that connects the others. It is concluded that there is a need for a strategy of leveraging the legacy human values aimed at students and physical education professionals so that the Olympic Movement achieves its goal of disseminating human values through the OG.

Tendo em conta o contexto de preparação dos Jogos Olímpicos de 2016, em que parte do espaço físico da cidade do Rio de Janeiro é redesenhado a partir de intervenções arquitetônicas e urbanísticas, este estudo se interessa pela atuação de um sujeito específico: o arquiteto. Mais especificamente, investigo as visões deste profissional sobre o Rio de Janeiro no contexto referido, tornando presentes imagens sobre o passado, o presente e o futuro dessa cidade. O objetivo teórico é apreender sociologicamente o imaginário dos arquitetos sobre a cidade em questão, procurando indícios da base social que subjaz às representações que medeiam esse imaginário. Para tanto, os projetos arquitetônicos e urbanísticos premiados pelo Concurso Porto Olímpico e pelo Concurso Sede do Campo Olímpico de Golfe são objetos de uma análise documental e seus respectivos autores e coautores, entrevistados. Como resultado, chega-se a um imaginário que parece se alimentar ora de imagens de espaços empiricamente existentes (bairros e logradouros cariocas e cidades estrangeiras), ora de imagens que não encontram lugar no mundo empiricamente existente. As representações de cidade reveladas por esse imaginário podem ser relacionadas com duas dimensões da vida social dos arquitetos em questão: sua vivência cotidiana nessa e em outras cidades e sua formação acadêmica. Orientado teoricamente pelos escritos de Henri Lefebvre sobre a produção do espaço e as representações, este estudo busca alargar as possibilidades interpretativas do arcabouço conceitual produzido pelo sociólogo francês e, ao mesmo tempo, dar voz aos arquitetos nos estudos urbanos brasileiros, em que ele raramente aparece como protagonista. / Considering the arrangements for the 2016 Olympic Games, where part of the physical space of the city of Rio de Janeiro is redesigned by architectural and urban interventions, this study is concerned with the performance of a very specific character: the architect. More specifically, I explore the conception of architects about the city within the above-mentioned context, bringing to light images of past, present and future of this city. The theoretical purpose herein is to sociologically understand the (Lefebvrean) imaginary of architects about Rio, seeking evidence of the social basis underlying the representations mediated by such imaginary. For that purpose, the architectural and urban designs that won the Porto Olímpico Contest (Concurso Porto Olímpico) and the Olympic Golf Course Clubhouse Contest (Concurso Sede do Campo Olímpico de Golfe) are subject to a document analysis. In addition, their respective authors and co-authors were also interviewed. As a result, such approach enabled discovering an imaginary that seems to be sustained either by images of empirically existing spaces (neighborhoods and public sites of Rio and foreign cities) or images that do not find their places in the empirically existing world. This imaginary revealed representations of the city that can be associated with two dimensions of the social life of these architects: their life experience in Rio de Janeiro and other cities, and their academic background. Theoretically guided by the concepts of Henri Lefebvre on the production of space and its representations, this study aims to extend the interpretative possibilities of the conceptual framework of the French sociologist, while giving voice to architects in Brazilian urban studies, a field where such subjects are rarely seen as protagonists.

Interrelation between sports and politics in the specific case of the Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992 offers a wide range of opportunities to strengthen nationalist tendencies of the Catalan society. This thesis examines how the organization of this event affected the development of Catalan nationalistic discourse of political parties. These changes are analysed on two levels. The first level is the evolution over time - the thesis compares the periods before and after the Olympics and looks at trends across each period. The second level is the development in the level of debate - the thesis looks at the category of political parties, at the category of Catalan politics and at the category of the Spanish nationwide politics, while it analyses the moves of the topics and trends across the levels. Thus, the thesis examines trends of the political discourse in the electoral programs, in speeches at annual meetings at the level of the Catalan parliament and in speeches at annual meetings at the level of national Spanish Parliament. The basic parameters of the research work are themes of language policy, cultural policy, the issue of state structure juristic reform, linguistic forms of the discourses and relation to the Olympic Games. The main basis of this work is the contribution of sporting events...

Title: Problems of sportification of parkour Goals: The main aim of this thesis is to introduce the origin and development of parkour and to explain its changes caused by sportification. Partial goals were to describe historical development of parkour and freerunning in the world and in the Czech Republic, then to describe in detail and explain values of the parkour that changed with the development of this discipline, but also those values that have not changed. Further partial goal was to describe parkour as a subculture. Inclusion of parkour on the programme of Olympic Games caused its sportification, which is introduced together with the structure and evaluation of parkour and freerunning competitions. Methods: Collection of information, analysis and synthesis, deductive reasoning Keywords: parkour, freerunning, subculture, sportification, Olympic Games, values

The focus of this report is directed to the consideration of the problems related to the difference between commitment of International Olympic Committee to better environmental approach and actual environmental performance of Olympic Games which suppose to follow this commitment since the Games of the year 2002. Mostly qualitative research methodology was utilized in this study. It was based on the interviews with representatives of Greenpeace and World Wildlife Fund, the organizations which are involved in environmental assessment of Olympic Games; exploration of the environmental requirements from International Olympic Committee for carrying out Olympic Games and changes in these requirements through years; evaluation of environmental performance of the past Olympic Games which needed to follow environmental commitment. The research showed that despite continuously improvement in the requirements through years the Host Cities are still managing to fail the preparation of environmental side of the Games. The unsolved problem of still vague requirements was revealed; lack of communication between Non-Government Organizations, which actually give environmental assessment of Olympic Games, and International Olympic Committee was discovered and some political issues were discussed. After the carried work it is recommended to enforce the cooperation between Non-Government Organizations and International Olympic Committee and create common system for evaluation of environmental performance, state more clear requirements for the ecological organization of Olympic Games and change focus from environment to sustainability.