Sport nationalism in the modern Olympic Games

The general purpose of this study was to analyze sport nationalism in the modern Olympic Games. Much of the research concerning sport nationalism in the Olympics has focused on describing its development and evolution.;In conjuction with the processes of decolonization and of increasing nationalism on the world scene, the issue of sport nationalism in the Olympics was imbued with elements of the East-West conflict. The entry of the Soviet Union and its bloc nations in the Olympics hallmarked a new stage in the Olympic history. The sport nationalism exhibited by the new emerging nations and black African nations presented a real threat to the modern Olympic system.;The original emphasis of the Olympic Games was on the athlete, not the nations. But excessive sport nationalism ignored the importance of the athlete. This was illustrated most poignantly during the Olympic boycotts of 1976, 1980, and 1984. The boycott in the recent Seoul Olympics was limited to a handful of nations.;In summary, the present Olympic system with nation-states only enhanced sport nationalism in the Olympics. Under the framework of nationalism, the modern Olympic Games have been held for almost 100 years. Though it is difficult to investigate tangible results from the sport nationalism in the recent Seoul Olympics, it is clear that a new dimension of sport nationalism in the Olympics has formed in a new detente era of international politics.;Sport nationalism might be defined as a political philosophy in which the good of the nation is supreme. Sport nationalism has been evident throughout the history of the modern Olympic Games. Pierre de Coubertin, a French nationalist, attempted to use Olympic sport to strengthen the morale of his nation. Early Olympiads were marred due to the ill-feelings between the Americans and the British. The Berlin Games of 1936 were used by Hitler and the German Government to demonstrate the power of Germany.