Terrorism and Security at the Olympics: Empirical Trends and Evolving Research Agendas

This paper examines the intersections of terrorism, security and the Olympics. An empirical analysis of Olympic-related terrorism in the period 1968–2014 suggests the need to bring state terrorism into the analysis of terrorism at the Olympics. The empirical data presented in this study underline the significance of state terrorism in this context: the two deadliest attacks in the history of the modern Olympic Games were perpetrated or sponsored by representatives of the state against civilians. The findings indicate the spatial and temporal displacement of Olympic-related terrorism, with the bulk of attacks taking place outside Olympic competitions and away from host cities, as well as its diverse ideological and cultural contexts. The paper reviews and synthesizes the emerging field of critical research on terrorism and security at the Olympics. It is concluded that this historical and sociological work opens up new lines of inquiry and raises significant policy questions by drawing attention to both intended and unanticipated security legacies of the Olympics, including the wider social implications of Olympic security operations

‘I guess it’s kind of elitist’: the formation and mobilisation of cultural, social and physical capital in youth sport volunteering

Policy and research portray sport volunteering as a means by which young people can develop skills and perform active citizenship. This paper draws on qualitative research with participants in a UK sport volunteering programme to critically examine young people’s volunteering journeys and how these are shaped by their formation and mobilisation of capital. The results show how programme structures and practices, such as selection criteria, privilege young people with higher levels of cultural and physical capital, and afford these youth additional opportunities to accumulate and mobilise cultural and social capital. The paper argues for a more critical understanding of youth sport volunteering; one that recognises that sport volunteering can reserve the practice of active citizenship for privileged youth

Being able to play: experiences of social inclusion and exclusion within a football team of people seeking asylum

Australian policy makers and funding organisations have relied heavily on sport as a vehicle for achieving the goals of social cohesion and social inclusion. The generally accepted premise that sport includes individuals in larger social contexts, and in doing so creates positive social outcomes, remains largely untested and uncontested. This article considers the ways in which playing in an asylum seeker football team, located in Melbourne, Australia, facilitates both inclusive and exclusive experiences for its participants. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, life histories, and policy analysis, this article identifies the often-ignored importance of a sporting habitus and physical capital in individuals’ experiences of playing. The success or failure of the asylum seeker team to foster social inclusion is somewhat tenuous as the logic of competition can create conditions counter to those that would be recognised as inclusive. Further, such programmes are faced with sustainability problems, as they are heavily reliant on individuals within the organisation and community to “make things happen”. However, we suggest that for many men, the asylum seeker team provides an important site for the development and appreciation of ‘poly-cultural’ capital that contributes to forms of resilience and the achievement of other indicators of social inclusion

Movilizar la sociología del deporte para el cambio social más allá de la pandemia

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, conversations about how to build sport back better are becoming increasingly pronounced. The crisis both deepens inequities and creates opportunity as a new way to configure sport post-pandemic demands to be discovered. The challenge has been thrown down to sociologists to help reimagine and reshape the course of sport. What might such re-enchantment look like? And how might it help realise the sociology of sport’s untapped potential to advance impactful public sociology? This paper explores these questions with a particular focus on sociologists of sport as co-creators of, and actors in, social change. I discuss five issues that I see as being relevant for rethinking and reconfiguring sport beyond the pandemic: (1) reclaiming the ludic and pleasure; (2) rethinking sociality in sport; (3) social inequities and ‘sport for all’; (4) de-/re-centring power in sport for development; and (5) global interdependence and interconnectedness. The insights presented can hopefully make a modest contribution to our collective understanding of transformative practice in and through the sociology of sport in uncertain times.En medio de la pandemia de la Covid-19, las conversaciones sobre cómo reconstruir mejor el deporte están cada vez más presentes. La crisis profundiza las desigualdades y crea oportunidades como una nueva forma de configurar las demandas deportivas pospandémicas por descubrir. En este contexto se ha lanzado el desafío a los sociólogos de ayudar a reimaginar y remodelar el curso del deporte. ¿Cómo sería tal re-encantamiento? ¿Y  cómo podría ayudar a comprender el potencial sin explotar de la sociología del deporte para promover una sociología pública impactante? Este artículo explora estas preguntas con un enfoque particular en los sociólogos del deporte, como co-creadores y actores del cambio social. En él afronto cinco temas que considero relevantes para repensar y reconfigurar el deporte más allá de la pandemia: (1) recuperar lo lúdico y el placer; (2) repensar la sociabilidad en el deporte; (3) desigualdades sociales y “deporte para todos”;  (4) descentralizar /volver a centrar el poder en el deporte para el desarrollo; e (5) interdependencia e interconexión global. Es de esperar que las ideas presentadas puedan contribuir modestamente a nuestra comprensión colectiva de la práctica transformadora en y a través de la sociología del deporte en tiempos inciertos

Transforming communities through sport? critical pedagogy and sport for development

Special Issue: Researching Education within Sport for Developmen

Women’s activewear trends and drivers: a systematic review

Purpose The activewear industry would benefit from an evidence-based understanding of how activewear is incorporated into women’s lives and their changing participation in physical activity. Activewear brands may be missing the trend of women moving from organised sport to non-organised and individualised sport and recreation. The purpose of this paper is to explore the degree to which academic and industry research understood patterns and influences on female’s activewear consumption and identified what significant gaps are evident in understanding the drivers and industry trends that pertain to female consumers of activewear. Design/methodology/approach The systematic literature review sought academic and industry research papers. Articles were selected if they included female participants; and/or addressed consumer related information; and focussed on active wear. Article findings were thematically analysed. Findings Most literature exploring activewear consumption fails to take gender into consideration or explore unique female consumer profiles. Females are bringing activewear into other parts of their wardrobe and place more value on fashion, even for sports attire. Research identified the need for activewear brands to consider lifestyle, emotional and personality elements of consumer behaviour. However a specific focus on women’s branding was absent. Women’s age and generation influenced their activewear consumption. Although some industry reports discussed the shift in use of activewear, no studies explored the impact of the critical shift in women’s physical activity patterns on the activewear industry. Originality/value This review identifies the gap in knowledge regarding women’s activewear consumption patterns and needs, and the importance of reflecting the changes in female physical activity participation. It also links marketing and design of women’s activewear to the needs of female consumers based on their actual patterns and trends in physical activity. The findings are relevant to activewear researchers, brands, marketers and producers

Alternative epistemology in far-right anti-publics: a qualitative study of australian activists

Beliefs in hostile conspiracies against ‘Western civilisation’ or ‘white people’ play a key role in tying divergent far-right tropes together under an internally coherent meta-narrative. Claims of having discovered this conspiratorial truth offer personal pride, create a sense of righteousness and urgency to stand up against these alleged secretive, malevolent forces, and help build a parallel counter-hegemonic community with its own distinct epistemology. Using qualitative interviews and a focus group, this study examines how actors engaged in ‘ordinary’ dissent in Australia developed an antagonistic fringe belief system, and the extent to which this alternative epistemology constitutes a manifestation of ‘anti-publics’ (Davis, 2021). The study found how participants’ ideological mindset has grown from rather benign manifestations of dissent into a hostile, counter-hegemonic, conspiratorial meta-narrative through processes of ‘doing their own research’, sharing their learnings with significant others, and incorporating each other’s ideological convictions. Their ideological radicalisation was characterised by personal feelings of pride and epistemic superiority, which created a sense of meaning, urgency, and purpose, as well as social recognition within their group. These psychological and social processes drew them further into a far-right ‘anti-public’ milieu and away from democratic expressions of dissent. The findings shed new light on how the complex and mutually reinforcing interplay between ideological and socio-psychological factors cements an alternative, oppositional epistemology. The study offers close-up insights into what drives radicalisation processes, creating or reinforcing a parallel ‘anti-public’ in hostile opposition to democratic processes and norms