Success and failure of countries at the olympic games

Author(s)
    • Reiche, Danyel
Bibliographic Information

Success and failure of countries at the olympic games

Danyel Reiche

(Routledge research in sport, culture and society, 64)

Routledge, 2016

  • : hbk

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Note

Includes bibliographical references (p. [154]-164) and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

The Olympic Games is undoubtedly the greatest sporting event in the world, with over 200 countries competing for success. This important new study of the Olympics investigates why some countries are more successful than others. Which factors determine their failure or success? What is the relationship between these factors? And how can these factors be manipulated to influence a country's performance in sport? This book addresses these questions and discusses the theoretical concepts that explain why national sporting success has become a policy priority around the globe. Danyel Reiche reassesses our understanding of success in sport and challenges the conventional explanations that population size and economic strength are the main determinants for a country's Olympic achievements. He presents a theory of countries' success and failure, based on detailed investigations of the relationships between a wide variety of factors that influence a country's position in the Olympic medals table, including geography, ideology, policies such as focusing on medal promising sports, home advantage and the promotion of women. This book fills a long-standing gap in literature on the Olympics and will provide valuable insights for all students, scholars, policy makers and journalists interested in the Olympic Games and the wider relationship between sport, politics, and nationalism.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction 2. Definition of Success 3. Olympic Targets 4. Motives 5. Wealth 6. Population Size 7. Geography 8. Ideology 9. Promotion of Women 10. Institutionalization 11. Specialization 12. Early Learning 13. Naturalization 14. Home Advantage 15. Conclusion

by "Nielsen BookData"

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