Olympic Games.

“The Olympic Games is a window into how humanity has come in pushing the boundaries of evolution, both in terms of human physical capabilities and how society is organized around a range of philosophical ideas.”

Olympic Games

“I have been working with Olympic Games host cities and the International Olympic Committee for over 25 years conducting research at each Games. You can follow all of my work here.”

I have been investigating the Olympic Games for over 25 years, focusing on the media, culture, politics, and the doping debate within the Olympic Movement.

I have published 3 books on the Olympic Games, the first "The Basics" provides an overview of key, contemporary issues and historical influences particularly interested in the way that the Olympics commands global political attention and the values upon which it is based, which articulate its role as an international social movement. These include chapters on how the Olympics transcend sports, engaging us with a range of contemporary philosophical, social, cultural and political matters, including:

  • peace development and diplomacy

  • management and economics

  • corruption, terror and activism

  • the rise of human enhancement

  • ethics and environmentalism. 

The second book looks at Social Media and the Olympics, while my latest book 'Sport 2.0' (MIT Press, 2017)considers how journalism has evolved in the digital age and how it changes what we know about the games. It covers the emerging world of eSports and includes a covers such areas as social media, virtual reality, and citizen journalism.

Besides studying the broad dimensions of the Olympic programme, I have conducted fieldwork at every winter and summer Olympics since Sydney 2000 working often as an accredited journalist.

I have held numerous advisory roles within the Olympic movement, including the future media mentor for the International Olympic Committee Young Reporters programme, which brought 35 international trainees to the Nanjing 2014 Youth Olympic Games to learn how to be an Olympic journalist. 

I have also been a supervising Professor at the International Olympic Academy, spent time researching at the IOC Olympic Studies Centre in Lausanne and saw shot putt at the Ancient Stadium of Olympia during the Athens 2004 Olympics.

I have also led and delivered an IOC Massive Open Online Course on Sports Media, which brought together some of the world's best media pros.

 

Highlights

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