Olympic legacy and cultural tourism: Exploring the facets of Athens' Olympic heritage

This study examines the effects of the Olympic Games on Athens’ cultural tourism and the city’s potential to leverage the Olympic legacy in synergy with its rich heritage in order to enhance its tourism product during the post-Games period. In doing so, a qualitative and interpretive approach was employed. This includes a literature review on Athens’ 2004 Olympics to identify the sport facilities and regeneration projects, which constitute the Olympic legacy and heritage. Based on that, an empirical analysis was undertaken, by collecting official documents about the 2004 Olympics, and conducting five semi-structured interviews with tourism/administrative officials. The findings indicate that the Olympiad contributed significantly to Athens’ built and human heritage, revealing the dimensions of new venues/facilities, infrastructure, transportation and aesthetic image of the city, and human capital enhancement. Hence, the Games affected to the multifaceted representation and reconstruction of the city’s identity and cultural heritage. However, the potential afforded from the post-Olympic Athens remains unrealised due to lack of strategic planning/management. The study concludes that there is a need to develop cross-leveraging synergies between the Olympic legacy and cultural tourism for the host city. Finally, a strategic planning framework for leveraging post-Games Olympic tourism is suggested in order to maximise the benefits of Olympic legacy and heritage in a host city’s tourism development

London 2012: 'Race' matters and the East End

This article examines legacy claims made by a range of agencies and organizations involved in the London 2012 Olympic Development Programme, and specifically the notion that this will inevitably lead to the regeneration of communities. We advocate the application of critical race theory (CRT) to provide an article that argues that ‘race’ matters in Olympic legacy discourses. We identify the shortcomings of the rhetoric of legacy Olympic-speak and its dissonance with the micro-detail of accumulated historical factors, experiences and day-to-day routines for these communities. It is argued here that single-mega-event policies cannot be the answer to entrenched racial inequalities in sport though they can contribute to alleviating many issues. In shifting ‘race’ from the periphery to the centre, CRT ensures that at the very least these issues are considered alongside others. The notion of ‘community’ is critiqued to the point that slippery legacy discourses become transparent. Ideologies are neither value-free and neutral nor ahistorical as the use of interest convergence here reasonably outlines more than altruism in the agendas underpinning the bid for the London 2012 Games. If lasting legacy is to be achieved, then broader social, cultural and historical factors need to be fully considered by policymakers or policy gaps will be further perpetuated

A dinâmica do esporte olímpico do século XIX ao XXI The dynamics of the olympic sport of the century XIX to the XXI

A sociedade contemporânea tem na velocidade de transformação de conceitos e padrões e no dinamismo suas principais marcas. O reconhecimento desse fenômeno por pensadores de diferentes correntes teóricas e mesmo os cidadãos comuns que se prestam a observar seu entorno são capazes de notar rápidas e estruturais alterações sociais. O esporte é um dos maiores fenômenos culturais da sociedade contemporânea e em virtude disso, suas características em muito se assemelham com a do contexto no qual se insere. O presente texto buscou estreitar as relações entre esporte e sociedade, reconhecendo seus pontos comuns e propondo maneiras de se olhar para o fenômeno esportivo na contemporaneidade. Sem pretensões de aqui encerrar o assunto e questionando a possibilidade disso efetivamente acontecer, notou-se que haverá sempre grande dificuldade na compreensão dos fenômenos esportivos modernos, uma vez que a intensa velocidade de transformação dificulta análises profundas. No entanto é preciso reconhecer a importância do pensar o esporte inserido na sociedade, para que as ações envolvendo o esporte não sejam carregadas de elementos alienantes e pouco relevantes aos que o praticam.<br>The current society have two indelible trademarks - the speed in which concepts and standards are transformed and its dynamism. The recognition if that phenomenon is being made by countless contemporary authors and even by the common citizens that observes his/hers surroundings and can easily notice how fast social and structural changes occur. Sports are a relevant element of contemporary society and because of that its aspects and characteristics are deeply connected to the social context. The dissertation that follows looks into narrowing the space between sports and society, acknowledging the common points and bringing to the table new ways of looking at the sports phenomenon in contemporary society. With no intention of ending that discussion and questioning if we will ever in fact find an end, it's noticeable that there will always be a great deal of hard work in fully understanding the sports phenomenon in the modern world, since the speed in which everything happens makes it almost impossible to analyze things with the necessary depth. However, we must recognize how important is the study of sports in society, to the actions around it do not get taken as elements of alienation and irrelevancy to those who practice it