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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 thesis explores the significance of hosting the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games (OGs) on elite sport and sport for all development in China. The impacts of the OGs have received significant attention from both academics and practitioners worldwide in the last 20 years and attention has been predominantly paid to political, cultural, economic, and environmental impacts of hosting them, especially as these emerge after the event. However, little concern was given to changes in the host country s sport development that are due to games related preparations. This study identifies the characteristics of the sport system, the policy actors, and how such actors were involved in preparations for the 2008 OGs, and it also outlines the development of policy concerning elite sport and sport for all. A case study approach was adopted focusing on the 2008 OGs. Adopting a qualitative methodology, the study utilised document analysis and semi-structured interviews to elicit data regarding the significance of preparations for the 2008 OGs on elite sport and sport for all. Globalisation, governance and policy making were found to be useful lenses through which to explore the processes of the emergence of such impacts. This thesis found that central government and the General Administration of Sport (GAOS) were the two most powerful policy actors in both elite sport and sport for all development in China, and made decisions as regards how to develop China s sport taking the opportunities of hosting the 2008 OGs. The research reveals that preparations for the 2008 OGs have various impacts on the elite sport and sport for all sectors. On one hand, the impacts can be witnessed in increased funding, more attention received from central government and GAOS, more sport policies, increased number of sport venues, new and updated facilities and equipment, technological, scientific and medical support, and increased sport participation; on the other hand, through providing such support, GAOS exerted its control over non-governmental organisations and individuals, such as via the restrictions by GAOS on athletes commercial activities, and national competitions. The research found evidence that globalisation had influenced China s general governance (including sport governance) process since the 1970s, with governance becoming more privatised and decentralised. However, sport governance took a different path after China won the bid in 2001. Against the backdrop of decentralisation having been previously officially adopted for Chinese sport governance, the research revealed that in pursuit of the aim of winning more medals in the 2008 OGs temporarily recentralisation occurred as required by central government and GAOS. The research also revealed that increased numbers of policies were produced to develop both elite sport and sport for all, however the interests of the public had not always been satisfied because of China's closed policy making process. Therefore, some impacts had not turned out as expected for the public.

Diploma thesis is capturing key aspects of transformation from sport events to media events. Theoretical part clarified concept of media events by Dayan and Katz and applied this theory on sport events. Idea of banal nationalism from Michael Billig as a force which sustain and reproduce national states was examined in next part. Last theoretical basis of thesis is consisting of mythological level of media content with focus on sociocultural phenomenons of modern age. Modern myths such as hero archetype are pointed out through sports news. Research is based on facts resulting from theoretical part: banal nationalism and hero archetype are commonly used in coverage of sport events, especialy international ones. Analysis of media coverage of Olympic games in London brings these cathegories for banal nationalism: war methaphores, ego trip, stereotype, national heroes, state symbols and linguistics means refering to deic center of nation: pronouns and familiar salutations. For hero archetype these categories are set: birth, danger, heroism, challenge, enemies, sacrifice and adoration.

Title: Aesthetic perceptions on spectator's participation at the XXI Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada (through photography and mass media) Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze the group experience of Czech fans who participated as spectators at the XXI Winter Olympics in Vancouver as well as the documentation of this experience in the form of amateur photographic images which were taken during this international event. Variations in the quality of the fans' experience when watching sporting events through mass media, particularly on television, and when engaging in an authentic experience at a live event were also examined. Methods: To provide an overview of pertinent theory, existing literature was reviewed in order to compile data from which comparisons, analyses and syntheses were formed. For the following section concerning empirical information, a file of Czech persons who participated as spectators at the XXI Olympic Winter Games was created. Data was collected in an ethnographic approach. Descriptions utilized for the subsequent investigation of the group's viewing experience were compiled by means of observations documented by the researcher, as a participating member of the group, and through informal interviews which took place during and after the...

Title: Attitudes of Russian Population to Winter Olympic Games in Sochi Objectives: The main objective of this thesis is to determine attitudes of Russian population and residents of Sochi to XXII Winter Olympic Games. Another objective is to show advantages and disadvantages of hosting the Olympic Games and also to make recommendations, which can be used by government and sport institutions while organizing big sports events. Methods: Quantitative sociological research was made for the purpose of this thesis. Research was implemented by written, electronic and oral questioning .Obtained statistics were processed and analyzed. Results: All the findings are compiled into the tables and diagrams in the result part of this diploma work. Keywords: Sociological research, questionnaire, Olympic games 2014, Russia, Sochi

Title: Accomplishments of our cross-country skiing at the Winter Olympic Games Abstract: This thesis is focus on history of Czech and Czechoslovak cross-counrty skiing at the Winter Olympic Games from the first competition at WOG Chamonix 1924 to Vancouver 2010. Using the direct method and the method of content analysis it documents and summarizes the accomplishments of our cross-country representatives. It finds out that representatives of such a small country reached splendid results. But the available literature doesn't mention them as far as they didn't win a medal. Very interesting is the comparison between two skiing generations using the interview with their representatives Kveta Jeriova and Katerina Neumannova. The resulting comparison between their answers reaches a conclusion: the first of them had much harder conditions and worse facilities. In spite of this fact, she proved to be successful but her career was shorter and the number of medals smaller. Keywords: Winter olympic games, history, cross-country skiing, accomplishment

Title: Attitudes of Russian Population to Winter Olympic Games in Sochi Objectives: The main objective of this thesis is to determine attitudes of Russian population and residents of Sochi to XXII Winter Olympic Games. Another objective is to show advantages and disadvantages of hosting the Olympic Games and also to make recommendations, which can be used by government and sport institutions while organizing big sports events. Methods: Quantitative sociological research was made for the purpose of this thesis. Research was implemented by written, electronic and oral questioning .Obtained statistics were processed and analyzed. Results: All the findings are compiled into the tables and diagrams in the result part of this diploma work. Keywords: Sociological research, questionnaire, Olympic games 2014, Russia, Sochi

Title: Analysis of the sporting achievements of young Czech athletes at the European Olympic Youth Festivals (EYOF) and Youth Olympic Games (YOG) following their participation and sports results at Olympics Objectives: The aim of this diploma thesis is to process an overview of the participation and sports results of young Czech athletes at the EYOF and YOG, followed by analysis and statistical evaluation how these athletes got on in competitions of the Olympic Games Methods: Because of the specific topic, structure of the whole thesis and used methods had to be customized to our needs. First two subsections of the analytical part are kind of descriptive-analytic research, therefore it is theoretical work. Other subsections contain statistical-analysis and explanation of the obtained data. This part of the work is based on a secondary analysis of data, and thus it is a research method of qualitative research. Results: In the first part of analytic section we processed on overview of the participation of young athletes and their sport results at the EYOF and YOG between the years 1991 and 2015. Based on this overview we searched for athletes who participated both, EYOG or YOG and Olympics. After that we processed this results as well. Analysis showed us, that the most successful are athletes in...

Magister Artium - MA / The research study takes into account the apartheid legacy of racial hierarchization and ‘separate development’ (cf Raynard, 2012) which penetrated all aspects of social life. Particularly, it is the sporting domain and the categorization of race and identity which is investigated. In this regard, it is the re-entry of South African athletes of colour at the Olympic Games which are of keen interest. At the 2016 Rio Olympics South African Wayde Van Niekerk (WVN) became a household name when he broke the world record in the 400 meter men’s division. His win however, was represented in different ways online and it is through investigating trending hashtags on Facebook & Twitter that new and well-worn discourses of identity emerge. A critical analysis of the online representations of WVN is undertaken so as to speak to normalized discourses of race within a South African context. A particularly contentious and provocative hashtag i.e. #ColouredExcellence is investigated in its ability to speak to an online debate on race and identity which took hold at the time of his win. This study therefore investigates the online representations which locate WVN within an arguably racially divided post-apartheid setting where vestiges of apartheid are still present. By drawing on Ahmed’s (2004) work on ‘affective economy’ this study investigates how emotions emerge online in the form of memes, Twitter hashtags and Facebook posts, and which indexes larger discourses on race and identity. The main aims of this research is to: a). investigate normalized discourses of race online, and their relation to the on-going issues of race and identity in a post- apartheid South Africa and b) To examine the emotions emergent in varying representations of WVN online. / 2022-08-31