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Winters of Discontent

Winters of Discontent

The Winter Olympics and a Half Century of Protest and Resistance

Contributions by Russell Field, Adam Berg, Christine O’Bonsawin, Jules Boykoff, Sven D. Wolfe, Liv Yoon, Jan O. Tangen, Bieke Gils, Keiko Ikeda and Tyrel Eskelson

Published by: University of Illinois Press

Imprint: University of Illinois Press

17 black & white photographs, 1 chart

Digital download
9780252047664
Published: January 2025

Description
Contents
Authors
Praise

Every four years, the Winter Olympics become a focal point for activism and resistance. But in the modern era, mere bids to host the Games have sparked fierce opposition from groups motivated by local or global concerns. Russell Field edits a collection that charts the evolution of protest around the Winter Games and illuminates the issues at the heart of anti-Olympic activism.

The essays collectively explore the shifting dynamics and power relations between the civic coalitions that pursue the Winter Olympics and the social movements that oppose their efforts. The contributors look at specific Games impacted by dissent and probe the issues that swirled around failed and withdrawn bids. In addition, contributions on the contemporary Olympics describe current or future bids while delving into the campaigns demanding host nations pay attention to economic, social, humanitarian, and environmental concerns.

A first-of-its-kind collection, Winters of Discontent profiles the wide range of activists and social movements that have organized against the Winter Olympics.

Introduction. The Winter Olympics as a Site of Protest and Resistance

Russell Field

Chapter 1. Banff 1972: Sportsmen, Conservationists, and the Debate over Banff National Park

Russell Field

Chapter 2. Denver 1976: Framing the Battle Over Whether to Host a Winter Olympics

Adam Berg

Chapter 3. Mohkinstsis (Calgary) 1988: Settler Colonial Roots of Olympic Environmentalism and the Disavowal of Indigenous Rights

Christine O’Bonsawin

Chapter 4. Vancouver 2010: A Convergence of Protest Movements

Jules Boykoff

Chapter 5. Sochi 2014: The Quarry Outside My Window and Other Geographies of Protest

Sven Daniel Wolfe

Chapter 6. PyeongChang 2018: Making Sense of “Failed” Resistance

Liv Yoon

Chapter 7. Oslo 2022: The Ethics of the Norwegian People and the Spirit of the Olympic Movement

Jan Ove Tangen and Bieke Gils

Chapter 8. Sapporo 2030: A History of Winter Olympic Bids in Terms of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals

Keiko Ikeda and Tyrel Eskelson

Epilogue: The Evolution of Winter Olympic Resistance

Russell Field

Contributors

Index

Russell Field is an associate professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management at the University of Manitoba. He is the author of A Night at the Gardens: Class, Gender, and Respectability in 1930s Toronto.

“This thoughtfully curated collection explores the long history of opposition to Winter Olympic Games, especially the main concerns (costs, environmental destruction, Indigenous erasure and IOC capitalism), tactics, and the experiences of activists. It’s a timely, invaluable contribution to mega-event studies.”--Bruce Kidd, author of A Runner’s Journey