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Forty years after the historic 1968 Olympics, the eyes are on Beijing. FPIF explores what impact the Olympics will have on China, the role of sports and politics, and what governments and social movements hope to achieve at this year's games.
Watching the Games
John Sugden | August 22
The London 2012 Olympic Organizing Committee is taking notes on Beijing's surveillance and security measures.
An Athlete at War
Devin West | August 21, 2008
Boots on the Ground by Dusk stands as a blistering indictment of how the military and the Bush administration responded to the death of Pat Tillman, the nation's most famous soldier.
Sports as a Resource of Hope
Grant Jarvie | Aug 20, 2008
While it's easy to get swept up in the commercialism at major sports events, one shouldn't ignore the transformative capacity of sport to produce social change.
Clearing the Hurdles
Maquila Solidarity Network | Aug 20, 2008
The 2008 Beijing Olympics represents a golden opportunity for the brand-conscious sportswear industry to associate its products with the cherished Olympic brand.
Beijing’s Extreme Make-over: Is it worth it?
Michael Stulman | August 15
Will the Bird's Nest and the massive construction projects undertaken for the summer Olympics in Beijing do more harm than good once the Olympic flame is extinguished?
Baseball—Big and Little: Its Role in U.S.-Cuba Relations
Saul Landau | August 8, 2008
Perhaps young athletes from New England and Alabama can bring down the level of government irrationality on U.S.-Cuba policy a peg or two.
The Double-Edged Sword of Sport and Political Protest
Roger Levermore | August 6, 2008
There are some signs that the ever-globalized mass media is helping to portray sport-led political protest to a large audience, yet the effectiveness of the protests surrounding the 2008 Olympics in China will quickly fade away.
Rome vs. Beijing: Olympics that Change the World
Shasha Zou | August 5
David Maraniss' latest book, Rome 1960: The Olympics that Changed the World, demonstrates how Beijing 2008 is simply another chapter in the quest for separation between sports and state.
Can the Olympics Democratize China?
Moji | August 4
With the Olympic Games just around the corner, the prospects for democratization in China have never been more propitious.
Breaking Taboos: Mixing Sports and Politics with Team Darfur
John Beckett | August 1
Athlete Joey Cheek is shaking up the world of sports with his efforts behind Team Darfur.
What do Governments Want from Sport and What do they Get?
Lincoln Allison | July 30
The question of what governments want from sport turns out to be a good deal easier to answer than the question of what they get.
Beyond Ping-Pong Diplomacy
Karin Lee | July 30
Sports are helping bridge the gap between the United States and North Korea.
Heroes of Beijing: The Triumph of the West
Alan Bairner | July 30
China has bought into the extravaganza of commodification that is modern Olympism and, in so doing, the country's buy-in to consumer capitalism is almost complete.
Strategic Dialogue on the Beijing Olympics
The international community should boycott the opening ceremonies of the Olympics to send a signal to China about its support of the Sudanese government, argues Eric Reeves. James Nolt disagrees: those protesting Beijing's hosting of the summer Olympics are simply stoking patriotic feelings within China. Reeves and Nolt continue the debate over whether China's relations with Sudan are a reason for the international community to boycott the opening ceremonies.
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