New York Times gets Olympic opinion from Brighton

Published 5 July 2012

Alan Tomlinson, Professor of Leisure Studies and Director of Research at the University of Brighton's Chelsea School of Sport, and Jules Boykoff, visiting scholar from Pacific University, Oregon, write on the politics of the Olympics in the New York Times today.

Alan is an expert in the social and cultural impact of spectacle and gave evidence to the House of Commons Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport prior to the Olympic bid, warning against the over-optimism that often characterises mega-event bidding processes.

The New York Times opinion piece focuses on the politics behind the Olympics and the conditions imposed by the influential but secretive International Olympic Committee (I.O.C.) on the host countries.

Alan said: "The IOC remains elitist, domineering and crassly commercial. There are over 100 members of the IOC and they constitute a scattered range of individuals, traditionally aristocratic, male, and privileged. It does acknowledge the escalating scale of the Games but its arrogance and aloofness prevent it from properly addressing the issue."

The article can also be viewed on the New York Times Opinion Pages.