Dr Jonathan Grix looks at changing political strategies regarding the hosting of sports mega-events, and examines the risks and rewards that states face when they seize this potentially double-edged sword
Former President of the International Olympic Committee, Avery Brundage, famously stated more than 50 years ago that sport has little to do with politics, and the former has no place in the dealings of the latter. He went on to suggest that “sport… like music and the other fine arts, transcends politics... We are concerned with sports, not politics and business”.
Unfortunately, this view does not hold up in the light of a history of boycotts (the 1980 Moscow and 1984 Los Angeles Olympics), murder (the 1972 Munich Olympics), and sports events mirroring political struggles (Hungary v the USSR in water polo, 1956). Rather, sports, and international sports events in particular, have always been bound up with politics. This political aspect of sports mega-events (‘megas’) means that hosting them may bring valuable diplomatic and social rewards, but it also carries risks, particularly as the host will be under intense international media scrutiny.
Sports megas obviously include the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup, but of increasing importance are the so-called ‘second order’ events – for example the Commonwealth or Pan American Games – which are secured bystates to signal that they are ready to host an Olympics. Today, competition to host one of these events is often as fierce as that in the arena. It was not always thus, however, as until the 1980s, few states were willing to stage an expensive sports event. The change in attitudes reflects, to some extent, shifts in international relations and approaches to politics.
Recent years have seen a clear shift in those states bidding for and winning the right to host: from predominantly Western, advanced capitalist states to developing, small or emerging states – in particular Qatar and the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) (see Table 1, below).