THE HISTORICAL ROOTS OF SPORTSWASHING IN THE OLYMPIC MOVEMENT

Författare

  • Mehmet Yıldız Gazi University, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Türkiye

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46827/ejsss.v12i4.2243

Nyckelord:

sportswashing, Olympic Games, sports diplomacy, soft power, propaganda

Abstract

This study aims to examine the historical origins of contemporary sportswashing debates within the context of the modern Olympic movement. The research argues that the use of sports organizations for international image management, propaganda, diplomatic visibility, and the production of political legitimacy is not merely a contemporary phenomenon; it is part of a historical continuum that has developed since the early days of modern sports history. The study adopts a qualitative historical research design; International Olympic Committee reports, historical archival documents, propaganda materials, media records, and sports history literature are examined using an interpretive historical analysis method. The theoretical framework of the research is based on soft power theory, the sports diplomacy approach, propaganda theory, and the perspective of the spectacle society. The analysis identifies the 1936 Berlin Olympics as a major historical turning point in the political use of sport for international image management and propaganda. Furthermore, it is determined that after the 1952 Helsinki Olympics, Cold War competition transformed sports organizations into arenas of ideological representation. The study further argues that globalization and media expansion transformed mega-sport events into strategic instruments of soft power and international visibility. Rather than representing an entirely new phenomenon, contemporary sportswashing practices appear as contemporary manifestations of longer historical processes embedded within the Olympic movement.

Författarbiografi

  • Mehmet Yıldız, Gazi University, Faculty of Sports Sciences, Türkiye

    Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Yıldız is a faculty member at the Faculty of Sports Sciences, Department of Physical Education and Sports Education at Gazi University. He completed his undergraduate education at Hacettepe University, School of Sport Sciences and Technology, Department of Recreation, received his master’s degree in Physical Education and Sports Education from Gazi University, and completed his doctoral studies at Gazi University Institute of Educational Sciences. His doctoral dissertation focused on the employment, studies, and impacts of foreign experts invited to Türkiye in the field of physical education and sports during the Republican period (1923–1973). Dr. Yıldız’s academic research primarily focuses on physical education and sports pedagogy, sports history, Turkish educational history, sports sociology, and the modernization of physical education in Türkiye. His studies particularly examine the historical development of physical education and sports institutions, foreign experts in Turkish sports history, educational reforms in sports sciences, and contemporary approaches in physical education teaching. He has published numerous academic articles, book chapters, and books on sports history, physical education teacher training, educational policies, artificial intelligence applications in sports sciences, and the historical development of Turkish sports institutions. Among his notable works are Türkiye’ye Beden Eğitimi ve Spor Alanında Gelen Yabancı Uzmanlar (1923–1973) and studies related to the history of wrestling and sports education in Türkiye. In addition to his academic studies, Dr. Yıldız has served in various academic and administrative positions, including Vice Dean, Deputy Head of Department, and Deputy Director at the Faculty of Sports Sciences, Gazi University. He continues to teach undergraduate courses related to physical education teaching methods, Turkish educational history, research methods, and sports sciences.

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Nedladdningar

Publicerad

2026-06-17

Nummer

Vol 12 Nr 4 (2026)

Sektion

Articles