tag:theconversation.com,2011:/au/topics/winter-olympics-2018-48499/articlesWinter Olympics 2018 – The Conversation2022-02-08T18:02:15Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1766192022-02-08T18:02:15Z2022-02-08T18:02:15ZA brief history of African nations at the Olympic Winter Games<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/445136/original/file-20220208-21-cjab8i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Ghana's Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong at the 2010 winter Olympics.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">OLIVIER MORIN/AFP via Getty Images)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>A record number of eight African countries competed at the <a href="https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/pyeongchang-2018">2018 Olympic Winter Games</a> in PyeongChang, South Korea. At the 2022 <a href="https://olympics.com/en/">Beijing winter games</a>, currently underway, Africa is represented by <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/beijing-2022-africas-winter-athletes-go-for-glory/g-60658554">six athletes</a> from five countries: Eritrea, Ghana, Madagascar, Morocco and Nigeria. Five are competing in Alpine (downhill) skiing and one in cross country skiing. </p>
<p>These athletes are not touted to win medals in 2022. But, in general, the overarching theme with African participation in the winter Olympics is in taking part and not winning, as <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09523367.2020.1854230">my study</a> of the continent’s history at the winter games shows.</p>
<p>In contrast, African countries have done relatively well at the summer Olympic Games, particularly in the middle and long distance running events. Since 1908, they have won over <a href="https://olympics.com/en/olympic-games/olympic-results">400 medals</a> at the summer Olympics. Athletes representing African countries have not had any medal success at the Olympic Winter Games so far. </p>
<p>Given the continent’s geography, this is not surprising. The <a href="https://en.climate-data.org/africa/">average annual temperature</a> in Africa is 25.7 degrees Celsius. The difference between the average warmest and coldest month in Africa is a mere 1.9 degrees Celsius and snow is a <a href="https://theconversation.com/snowfall-in-the-sahara-desert-an-unusual-weather-phenomenon-176037">rarity</a>. The continent therefore lacks the climate for all winter sports contested outside on snow or ice. Despite this, athletes representing African countries have contributed to the Olympic movement’s goals of universality and inclusion. </p>
<p>The majority of these Olympians had strong ties with snowbound countries in the northern hemisphere. Many were born to parents with respective European and African heritages and left Africa at a young age to live in the northern hemisphere. Or they left the continent to pursue education and training in regions of the world known for snowy winters. In many instances they returned to Africa to represent their respective countries at the games. </p>
<p>A total of 15 African countries have participated at the winter Olympics in 58 years, from 1960 to 2022. Despite not winning medals, individual athletes have found success and acted as trailblazers in other ways. </p>
<h2>Most competitive countries</h2>
<p>Of the 15 countries to represent Africa, only seven have participated in more than one winter Olympics. South Africa was the first African country to participate. Given the political boycotts against <a href="https://www.sahistory.org.za/article/history-apartheid-south-africa">apartheid</a> in South Africa, the country’s first appearance at the 1960 games in Squaw Valley in the US was also their last until democracy. South Africa was <a href="https://olympics.com/en/featured-news/why-south-africa-barred-from-the-olympics-apartheid">barred</a> from the 1964 games and suspended from the <a href="https://olympics.com/ioc/olympic-movement">Olympic Movement</a> in 1970. The country’s return to the winter Olympics was in Lillehammer, Norway in 1994.</p>
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<p>Morocco became the second African country to compete at the winter Olympics when a team of five <a href="https://www.britannica.com/sports/Alpine-skiing">Alpine</a> skiers represented the country at the 1968 games in Grenoble, France. It was just over a decade prior, in 1956, that the country gained its <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Morocco/Independent-Morocco">independence</a> from French colonial rule. The <a href="https://arabcenterdc.org/resource/the-polisario-front-morocco-and-the-western-sahara-conflict/">Western Sahara conflict</a> contributed to Morocco not competing at the winter Olympics for the next 16 years. On the country’s return at the Sarajevo games in Yugoslavia in 1984, a four-man team represented Morocco, once again in Alpine skiing.</p>
<p>Senegal made its first of five appearances at the winter Olympics in 1984 in Sarajevo. Three athletes make up the sum total of Senegal’s participation at five different Olympic Winter Games that span a period of 26 years. Two of the three Senegalese athletes had strong links with countries in the northern hemisphere, both growing up in the Alps. This opportunity enhanced their ability to train and prepare for the games. </p>
<p>While Algeria has not accomplished any significant results at the winter games in 1992, 2006 and 2010, the country has at least moved past the ‘once-off’ appearance scenario, a feat many other African countries have not yet achieved.</p>
<h2>Individual feats</h2>
<p>A characteristic of many African countries’ participation is that their teams consisted of only one athlete. Kenya was represented by a sole representative at all four of the winter games the country competed in between 1998 and 2018. Cross-country skier <a href="https://olympics.com/en/original-series/episode/the-legend-of-kenya-s-philip-boit-impossible-moments">Philip Boit</a> represented Kenya in 1998, 2002 and 2006, while Alpine skier <a href="https://www.newframe.com/sabrina-simader-kenyas-proud-snow-leopard/">Sabrina Simader</a> was the sole Kenyan representative at the 2018 Games in South Korea.</p>
<p>Madagascar has competed in three winter games, in 2006, 2018 and 2022. Alpine skier <a href="https://www.eurosport.com/olympics/athletes/profile/clerc-mialitiana-1061565/">Mialitiana Clerc</a>, their sole representative, will be the only African woman competing in 2022. </p>
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<span class="caption">Mialitiana Clerc of Madagascar, the only African woman at Beijing 2022.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">TOM PENNINGTON/Getty Images</span></span>
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<p>In both the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, as well as in PyeongChang in 2018, Ghana was represented by a single athlete. In 2010 it was Alpine skier <a href="http://en.espn.co.uk/more/sport/story/8846.html">Kwame Nkrumah-Acheampong</a>, who was born in Scotland to exiled Ghanaian parents. It marked the first time African competitors were measured against other athletes from Africa – creating a race within a race. In 2018 <a href="https://www.frimpong.com">Akwasi Frimpong</a> became the second Ghanaian to compete at the winter Olympics in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/sports/skeleton-sledding">skeleton sledding</a>. Frimpong was born and raised in Ghana but moved to the Netherlands at a young age.</p>
<p>Togo’s maiden participation came at the 2014 winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, when the country was represented by two female athletes – cross country skier Mathilde-Amivi Petitjean and Alpine skier Alessia Afi Dipol. Only one athlete ever represented Ethiopia at either games in which the country participated to date. <a href="https://olympics.com/en/athletes/robel-teklemariam">Robel Teklemariam</a> competed at both the 2006 Turin games and the 2010 Vancouver games in cross country skiing.</p>
<p>Based on geographical, political, social and economic factors, Egypt, Swaziland, Cameroon and Zimbabwe have all been one-time participants at the winter Olympics. These countries helped contribute to constant African representation at the winter games.</p>
<h2>A constant presence</h2>
<p>A Olympic Winter Games highlight for Africa came in 2018 when a record number of eight countries lined up for the opening ceremony in South Korea. Athletes from Nigeria, Eritrea, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, South Africa, Morocco and Togo represented the continent. After the hype of what many people considered as the most “African Winter Olympics” ever in South Korea in 2018, only five African countries will be present at the Winter Games in Beijing in 2022. </p>
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<p>But since 1984, at least one African nation has competed at each subsequent winter Olympics. </p>
<p>The lack of climate for winter sports such as bobsleigh, skiing and snowboarding limits the level of participation in winter sports. However, globalisation and the relatively limited access to tertiary institutions in Africa have brought young African athletes in contact with many forms of winter sport while studying or working abroad, predominantly in the northern hemisphere.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176619/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cobus Rademeyer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>There’s very little snow in Africa but, even so, since 1984 at least one African nation has competed at each winter Olympics and African athletes have been trailblazers.Cobus Rademeyer, Senior lecturer, Sol Plaatje UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1037382018-10-24T22:49:00Z2018-10-24T22:49:00ZAthletes are rightly concerned about lifting Russia’s doping ban<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/241562/original/file-20181022-105757-was177.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A and B sample bottles from a human urine doping test. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has set off a controversy by allowing Russia to test its own athletes.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The next Olympic Games won’t be held until 2020, but there is no break for the Olympic movement when it comes to doping controversies. The fallout from the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/20/sports/olympics/russia-wada-antidoping-reinstated.html">recent decision</a> by the World Anti-Doping Agency to lift its ban on Russia’s drug testing agency continues to reverberate across the sports world. </p>
<p>Canadian Olympian Beckie Scott, chair of WADA’s athlete committee, says she has been <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/beckie-scott-says-some-wada-executives-attempted-to-bully-her-1.4860697">bullied by senior officials at the drug-testing body</a> after she publicly criticized the decision that will once again allow Russia to certify its athletes are clean to compete internationally.</p>
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<p>Other athletes were <a href="https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1070716/bach-criticised-by-athletes-after-claiming-critics-of-russian-reinstatement-misinterpreted-wada-decision">quick to back Scott’s concerns</a>, saying they were cut out of the decision-making process and that they have “<a href="https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1070354/wada-athlete-committee-claim-compliance-conditions-for-russia-could-change-again-as-criticise-decision-to-lift-ban">little assurance</a>” Russian authorities will fairly test its own athletes. There have now also been calls for <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/45937908">WADA to be investigated</a> over the bullying allegations levelled by Scott. </p>
<h2>Russia banned for two Olympics</h2>
<p>Russia was banned from the 2016 Summer Olympics and the 2018 Winter Olympics (although some Russian were allowed to compete as neutral Olympic athletes) after it was revealed that state-sponsored <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/13/sports/russia-doping-sochi-olympics-2014.html?partner=rss&module=inline">drug cheating among Russian athletes was rampant</a> at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.</p>
<p>The International Olympic Committee has since lifted its ban, provided no more athletes test positive for performance-enhancing drugs. WADA’s ruling is seen as another important step to allowing Russia back into the world of international sports.</p>
<p>These latest controversies have put <a href="https://www.wada-ama.org/en/who-we-are">the spotlight on WADA</a>, which was formed in 1999 as a joint effort by global sport organizations and governments with the lofty goal to eradicate doping from sport. The focus is not just on Olympians — a main impetus to create WADA was a series of drug cheating scandals that rocked the sport of cycling in the 1990s.</p>
<p>Before WADA, there were other attempts to examine drug cheating in sports. After <a href="https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/ben-johnson-finally-sees-inconsistent-seoul-test-results-kept-medal-200716713.html">sprinter Ben Johnson tested positive for steroids</a> in 1988 and had to return his gold medal, the Canadian government set up a royal commission to investigate drugs in sports. The <a href="http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2014/bcp-pco/CP32-56-1990-1-eng.pdf">Dubin Inquiry,</a> as it was known, produced a series of recommendations that made Canada a leader in the anti-doping movement — and, it could be argued, helped lead to the formation of WADA.</p>
<h2>Considerable impact</h2>
<p>In the two decades since its creation, WADA has had considerable impact on doping in sport. Although this is not an easy impact to measure, some have looked at advances in testing methods, athlete feedback and other variables to suggest that things are getting better.</p>
<p>Beckie Scott herself is an example. Scott’s <a href="https://olympic.ca/2003/12/18/court-orders-ioc-to-award-beckie-scott-gold-medal/">cross-country skiing gold medal</a> at the 2002 Olympics was originally a bronze that was upgraded to silver and then gold (more than two years later) after the original Russian medallists were found to have used performance-enhancing drugs.</p>
<p>WADA is headquartered in Montreal and its founding President was Dick Pound, who led the organization from 1999 to 2007. Pound was known for his strong public stand on doping, particularly when it came to cyclist Lance Armstrong and professional sporting leagues.</p>
<p>Many give Pound and WADA much credit for the changing stance of professional sport leagues in North America which now take doping seriously. </p>
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<p>The fight for clean sport is complicated. The pressures — be they financial, ego, political, interpersonal, systemic or cultural — on an athlete (or a coach or a physician or an administrator) to find any edge possible is enormous.</p>
<h2>Legal sanctions not enough</h2>
<p>Over the years, legal sanctions and education programs have not been enough. Nor have promotional efforts. Strong public outreach, strict sanctions and costly penalties have made an impact on athlete behaviour to not dope.</p>
<p>But WADA’s vision of “a world where all athletes can compete in a doping-free sporting environment” remains unachieved. Positive doping tests occur every year and at every major sporting event. There is also ample evidence that cheating continues to go on undetected.</p>
<p>If we draw from what we know about behaviour change in humans, we know that there are three general tools available to organizations and governments to change or maintain behaviours — education, law and marketing. And, for each situation, the mix of these tactics differs and shifts in terms of what works to alter behaviour.</p>
<p>In the case of doping in athletes, the following would characterize these options.</p>
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<li><p>Education: Programs put in place by WADA and its National Anti-Doping Association members (such as the United States Anti-Doping Agency that famously brought down Lance Armstrong) to inform athletes (elite and developing) and their support teams on doping-related issues. These are informational actions to let athletes know about the risks, penalties and consequences of doping behaviour and violations. In many situations, these are very effective. </p></li>
<li><p>Law: The sanctions and penalties put in place by WADA, NADAs, pro sports leagues, events and associations for doping violations. These could range from Armstrong’s lifetime ban to a warning for a first offence of not informing WADA/NADA of your whereabouts for random testing. These have impact, but again are not always effective.</p></li>
<li><p>Marketing: The final tactic is social marketing, which has been effective in changing social behaviours on smoking and drink and driving, where the athlete is “sold” that this is the best course of action. </p></li>
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<h2>Athletes remain skeptical</h2>
<p>Whether these tools will be effective in Russia is yet to be determined.</p>
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<p>Clearly, former athletes like Scott remain skeptical. Those still competing also feel WADA has not stood up for clean athletes. Although some other athletes, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-sport-doping-russia/ioc-athletes-commission-supports-wadas-lifting-of-ban-on-rusada-idUSKCN1M20K1">including the IOC Athlete’s Commission</a>, supported the WADA, most athletes who have gone public on their social media channels are aligned with Scott.</p>
<p>WADA’s decision was made after considering many issues, such as the notion of individual athlete rights (should all Russian athletes be considered dirty?) versus collective athlete rights (is there strong enough evidence that Russian athletes will be tested properly by the Russian doping agency?).</p>
<p>But Beckie Scott and others have made a strong argument — that by paving the way to allow Russia back into the international sports community, WADA has strayed from its core mission.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/103738/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Norm O'Reilly does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The decision by the World Anti-Doping Agency to lift its ban on Russia’s drug testing has set off another controversy about whether there will ever be a level playing field in the world of sports.Norm O'Reilly, Assistant Dean, Professor & Director of the International Institute for Sport Business & Leadership, University of GuelphLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/956162018-04-27T15:01:53Z2018-04-27T15:01:53ZSport is not clean: doping could be prevented if athletes had chaperones<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/216643/original/file-20180427-95636-1984gqn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption"></span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cycling-competitioncyclist-athletes-riding-race-high-635675588?src=0yhfhyexHGyBdfjSi1AouQ-1-3">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Sport is facing a critical moment. As we head into a <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/41527965">big sporting summer</a>, unanswered questions cast a large shadow over many high-profile athletes and countries. The ongoing <a href="http://www.sportsintegrityinitiative.com/cas-delivers-two-reasoned-awards-matter-39-russian-athletes-v-ioc/">legal appeals from Russian athletes</a>, the unresolved <a href="http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest-news/everything-you-need-to-know-about-chris-froomes-salbutamol-case-362848">Chris Froome sanction</a>, minimal testing in some sports and countries, and <a href="http://www.sportsintegrityinitiative.com/analysis-criminalisation-supply-drugs-athletes-recommended/">calls for tougher measures</a> all point towards a need for new solutions. </p>
<p>Our recent <a href="https://www.routledge.com/The-Anti-Doping-Crisis-in-Sport-Causes-Consequences-Solutions/Dimeo-Moller/p/book/9781138681675">research</a> shows that the current system is highly ineffective. Of 300,000 global anti-doping tests conducted every year, fewer than 2% return a positive result – and of those a substantial number are either legitimate drug use (with a <a href="https://ukad.org.uk/medications-and-substances/about-TUE/">Therapeutic Use Exemption</a>), recreational drugs or inadvertent use of a banned substance (not intentional and often with little or no performance enhancing effect).</p>
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<p>By contrast, <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs40279-017-0792-1">several studies</a> point to a true prevalence rate of over 20% and, in some instances, over 50%. If an athlete wants to dope, and has the required support, they can get away with it. The Russians were only caught because of whistleblower evidence and media investigations, not because the testing system works. Sport is not “clean”.</p>
<h2>How do you solve a problem like doping?</h2>
<p>But how do you prevent athletes from using banned drugs in and out of competition? The current approach of occasional testing – and the vain hope that the threat of being caught is a deterrence – is obviously not enough. To properly address the problem, we need a more radical solution: athletes could be assigned a 24-hour chaperone to observe their daily life and ensure they are not doping.</p>
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<span class="caption">British cyclist Christ Froome returned an abnormal test result for the asthma drug Salbutamol at the Vuelta a España in 2017.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.paimages.co.uk/image-details/2.32164497">PA</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
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<p>This might sound ridiculous, because of intrusions into athletes’ privacy and the practicalities. But the current system already involves extensive surveillance of athletes. Athletes need to provide daily information on their whereabouts and those in the <a href="https://ukad.org.uk/education/athletes/high-performance/testing-programmes/">Registered Testing Pool</a> need a fixed location for one hour each day. They have their blood samples monitored for biological profiling, their urine samples analysed and then stored for 10 years for retesting. They are strictly liable if one of hundreds of banned drugs is detected, ruled ineligible for competition for four years if tested positive and excluded for life for second offences. </p>
<p>The practicalities of a 24-hour chaperone system can be addressed. The athlete would be assigned chaperones who work in shifts. They would initially search the house and training facilities for any doping products. Thereafter, it would only be a case of keeping a distance and following the athlete wherever they go. Almost like a celebrity or politician has a bodyguard.</p>
<p>The chaperones would ensure the athlete does not visit a corrupt doctor, meet with drug dealers or consort with coaches or other athletes who might be suppliers. Given that the internet is a source of doping products, the chaperone would have access to their computer (or have software installed to alert them to certain search words).</p>
<h2>The way forward</h2>
<p>Such an approach might actually be less intrusive than the current system. Any athlete who is tested needs to be observed urinating. They can currently be tested at home or on holiday, at which point the Drug Control Officer (DCO) follows them literally everywhere (even to their bedroom to change clothes) until they are ready to provide a sample. If they are under 18 the DCO and another person watches them urinate, which might be their coach or a team manager (if a parent is not available). The 24-hour chaperone system would not involve any of this.</p>
<p>Our proposal would solve a number of other problems that have long plagued anti-doping organisations and athletes. Less testing means much less chance of a false positive, a mistake in a laboratory, corruption of the scientific process or a sanction emerging from inadvertent use. An example of the latter would be recent <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/news/8833438/Over-100-players-test-positive-for-banned-drug-clenbuterol-at-Fifa-Under-17-World-Cup-in-Mexico-this-summer.html">clenbuterol cases</a> (a drug used to treat asthma) in which the athlete might have consumed the drug when in a country like Mexico, where it is in the food chain. The chaperone would be able to confirm or deny such explanations.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/216645/original/file-20180427-175044-o2kup.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/216645/original/file-20180427-175044-o2kup.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/216645/original/file-20180427-175044-o2kup.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/216645/original/file-20180427-175044-o2kup.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/216645/original/file-20180427-175044-o2kup.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/216645/original/file-20180427-175044-o2kup.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/216645/original/file-20180427-175044-o2kup.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Olympic Athletes from Russia’ replaced the banned Olympic Russian team at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, after athletes were stripped of 13 Sochi 2014 medals for doping.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.paimages.co.uk/image-details/2.34866982">PA</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This system offers a potential way forward for countries that are currently suspected of allowing doping to occur and face the possibility of being excluded from international events. A country could set up the chaperone system with help from other countries, perhaps for 12 months leading up the event, thus being able to provide evidence that their athletes are clean. </p>
<p>Suppliers would soon recognise that their access to athletes would be so limited that they would go out of business: supply reduces if demand reduces – and this, in the long term, would be the best deterrent.</p>
<p>The system would be expensive, but there is enough money in sport to pay for it – and the savings from current testing could be diverted towards it. The risk of corrupt chaperones could be solved by extensive vetting. </p>
<p>While there are practical challenges and concerns over athletes’ human rights, the potential acceptance of such a model boils down to the question: do we want sport to be clean or not? This is the only way to address the ambition of anti-doping policy – that all athletes, in all sports, in all countries follow the rules 365 days a year.</p>
<p>If there is a critical reaction to this solution then it is the policy that needs to be reconsidered, as it is naïve, idealistic and flawed. This solution is a logical outcome of how the problem is defined. It might not be ideal, but it would be an improvement – more effective, less intrusive and would reduce demand for, and supply of, banned drugs. It would be one step toward clean sport.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/95616/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>We need a radical solution to clean up doping in elite sport.Paul Dimeo, Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Health Sciences and Sport, University of StirlingVerner Møller, Professor of Sports Science, Aarhus UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/921612018-02-28T11:40:55Z2018-02-28T11:40:55ZHow a nuclear attack on North Korea would add to global cancer epidemic<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207924/original/file-20180226-140184-kw1ozc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Visitors to Imjingak Pavilion in Paju, South Korea at the border of North Korea and South Korea on Jan. 1, 2018. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/South-Korea-North-Korea-Kim/4adf7e911f394e05a1a1fdabe03cbea5/6/0">AP Photo/Lee Jin-man</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>With tensions high between the United States and North Korea, there is the possibility that the U.S. would launch a “tactical” nuclear strike in the Korean peninsula. There would be consequences far beyond damage to military sites proposed in such an attack. </p>
<p>There is, of course, the danger that North Korea <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2018/02/26/a-bloody-nose-attack-in-korea-would-have-lasting-consequences/">would retaliate and that tensions would escalate</a>. That’s serious political fallout. As a physician scientist who has has worked with radiation for more than 30 years, I am also concerned about a cancer epidemic that would result from such an attack’s nuclear fallout.</p>
<p>Even without a nuclear war, the <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cancer-rates-rise-worldwide-over-past-decade/">incidence of cancer</a> is already rising around the world, up by 33 percent worldwide in the past decade. This is largely due to aging of the population and environmental and behavioral patterns such as cigarette smoking. The last thing we need is more of this dreadful disease.</p>
<p>In my research laboratory, we use extremely small doses of radiation to image very small molecules in order to understand how the body works. All of us who work with radiation know about the lethal effects of large doses, but the <a href="https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10098">radiation exposure</a> to the scientists in my laboratory is monitored very closely. Strict federal guidelines define how much radiation is considered “safe.”</p>
<p>During early morning walks in Seoul last year, while on sabbatical at Yonsei University, I could sense the city’s vulnerability as I heard target practice from the top of nearby hills. Seoul, with a population of 22 million, is a mere 35 miles from the North Korean border and would be affected by nuclear fallout. Indeed, it is a medical likelihood that cancer rates in Seoul and the Korean peninsula would be increased for decades following a nuclear attack.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207925/original/file-20180226-140178-1s5npoq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207925/original/file-20180226-140178-1s5npoq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207925/original/file-20180226-140178-1s5npoq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207925/original/file-20180226-140178-1s5npoq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207925/original/file-20180226-140178-1s5npoq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207925/original/file-20180226-140178-1s5npoq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207925/original/file-20180226-140178-1s5npoq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A hill near Fukushima, Japan, that in April 2016 has been denuded by efforts at radiation decontamination following the nuclear power plant meltdown there in 2011.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Andrew Marks</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How nuclear fallout causes cancer</h2>
<p>Nuclear fallout occurs when the debris from a nuclear bomb explosion rises up in the familiar mushroom cloud into the atmosphere and is then dispersed by winds over a large area. Much of what we know scientifically about nuclear fallout comes from testing nuclear bombs in remote areas, such as the Marshall Islands in the Pacific in the 1950s, where high exposures resulted in <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2015/11/27/a-ground-zero-forgotten/?utm_term=.316ad7d0179e">increased in colon and stomach cancers</a>. We have also learned about the effects of nuclear fallout from cancers that occurred years after the U.S. bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and from cancers diagnosed after nuclear plant meltdowns at Chernobyl and Fukushima. </p>
<p>High doses of radiation can cause cancer by <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4060780/">damaging DNA</a>, the carrier of the genetic code. The damage to DNA caused by radiation is <a href="https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/radiation/nuclear-accidents-fact-sheet">magnified in children</a> because they are growing, and thus their DNA is dividing faster.</p>
<p>It takes years for most types of radiation-induced cancer to develop, and we might not know the full toll for decades. One long-term study found that about <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3907953/">5 percent of solid cancer cases</a> were attributable to radiation. And for those people who were exposed to high doses of radiation (>1 gray, or about 1,000 chest x-rays), as much as <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3907953/">48 percent of solid tumors in survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki</a> were attributable to radiation exposure. </p>
<p>Because radioactive iodine released during nuclear power plant accidents is taken up by the thyroid gland, increased incidences of thyroid cancer have been observed, for example, after the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3107017/">Chernobyl meltdown</a>. Indeed, the Chernobyl meltdown in 1986 has caused an approximately <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28662277">30 percent increase in thyroid cancer</a>. And, Fukushima prefecture residents are already exhibiting increased rates of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3996282/">thyroid cancer</a> seven years after the radiation exposure there.</p>
<p>Epidemiological data collected following the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have documented that over the past 70 years the incidence of both <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28319463">solid tumors</a> and <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23398354">leukemias</a> have been increased by about <a href="http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)61167-9/fulltext">10 percent among survivors</a>. </p>
<p>One of the fallacies of tactical nuclear bombs is that they will be delivered such that they explode deep underground, limiting the nuclear fallout and its effects on humans. However, the best evidence suggests that the <a href="https://fas.org/faspir/2001/v54n1/weapons.htm">ability of these bombs to penetrate deeply below</a> the surface is limited, and significant fallout will occur.</p>
<h2>Scary prospects</h2>
<p>The radiation exposure from a nuclear attack on North Korea is difficult to predict, but based on what is known from atmospheric nuclear testing from 1945 to 1980, there would be <a href="http://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(15)61037-6.pdf">significant radioactive contamination</a> due to dispersal of radioactive debris high into the atmosphere. This would ensure that a nuclear bomb explosion would result in worldwide radioactive contamination. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/12/science/as-us-modernizes-nuclear-weapons-smaller-leaves-some-uneasy.html">tactical nuclear weapons</a> that could be used for an attack on North Korea are up to 20 times the size of the <a href="https://www.quora.com/Just-how-powerful-are-modern-nuclear-weapons-compared-to-Little-Boy-Hiroshima-and-Fat-Man-Nagasaki">bomb used in Hiroshima</a>.</p>
<p>In Korea and surrounding areas subjected to the most intense nuclear fallout, the radiation dose to humans <a href="http://time.com/4949262/north-korea-japan-nuclear-missiles-drills/">may well be higher</a> than that experienced by the 200,000 or so Japanese living near the Fukushima nuclear plant which suffered an earthquake- and tsunami-induced meltdown in 2011. </p>
<h2>US troops and citizens in South Korea vulnerable</h2>
<p>Any nuclear strike will result in local contamination. However, it will be impossible to completely clean up the radiation from the soil and water in the region, as has been proven in Fukushima where radioactive soil is now contained in <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27214552">thousands of large plastic bags</a> piled high throughout the region. Our troops and more than 230,000 U.S. civilians who live in South Korea would be at risk. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207926/original/file-20180226-140204-wd0k9c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207926/original/file-20180226-140204-wd0k9c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207926/original/file-20180226-140204-wd0k9c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207926/original/file-20180226-140204-wd0k9c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207926/original/file-20180226-140204-wd0k9c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207926/original/file-20180226-140204-wd0k9c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207926/original/file-20180226-140204-wd0k9c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bags filled with radioactively contaminated soil from the Fukushima nuclear plant meltdown in 2011 are piled high near Fukushima, Japan, in April 2016.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Andrew Marks</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
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<p>Despite this attempt at decontamination by scraping the surface layer of contaminated soil and putting it into plastic bags, the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27214552">ambient radiation exposure in the Fukushima</a> region remains elevated above limits considered safe for laboratory workers here in the U.S.</p>
<p>Moreover, streams and rivers, and animals, including birds and insects, would ensure that the contaminating radiation is spread throughout the Korean peninsula and that food crops will be contaminated. All of this has happened in <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/03/evacuees-move-back-fukushima-cleanup-faces-daunting-obstacles">Fukushima</a>, where the attempted decontamination continues to be a huge and enormously costly problem for the Japanese government.</p>
<p>Since it is most probable that we are not sure where the targets for a tactical nuclear attack are in North Korea, there is also the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26929347">possibility that nuclear contamination</a> will affect the oceans surrounding the peninsula. Following the Fukushima disaster, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4321241/">radiation contamination</a> in the Pacific Ocean reached the shores of California. In the waters near Fukushima, significant radiation <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26929347">contamination is feared to be spreading to fish</a> and other sea animals. One <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26929347">study</a> found that the contamination risk to seafood is low, but no one knows what the long-term consequences of this radioactive contamination will be. </p>
<p>I believe that these long-term health legacies must be considered along with overwhelming ethical concerns as part of the “downside” of a nuclear attack anywhere on the planet.</p>
<p>There are disputes about whether thousands or millions would die during a nuclear attack. What is indisputable is that any of the magnitudes of <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/SpecialReports/2018NuclearPostureReview.aspx">nuclear bomb explosions</a> being considered will have long lasting effects on the health of the people living in North and South Korea and likely China and Japan as well.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/92161/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Andrew Marks does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The Trump administration shelved its plans for a ‘bloody nose’ attack while the Olympics in South Korea were under way. With the games over, it’s time to consider the consequences of a strike.Andrew Marks, Professor of Physiology, Columbia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/921792018-02-26T01:21:34Z2018-02-26T01:21:34ZAustralia’s Winter Olympics results suggest we might need a new measure of success<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207778/original/file-20180226-140194-1en1sfw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The Australian team finished 23rd on the medal tally in Pyeongchang.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Vassil Donev</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As the Winter Olympic Games wrap up for another four years, questions will be raised about the Australian team’s performance, the significance of winter sports in our sporting landscape, and the amount of taxpayer funding they receive.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/australias_winning_edge">Winning Edge strategy</a> was introduced in late 2012 as a way of allocating funding based on performance (especially international medals). After <a href="https://theconversation.com/winning-edge-fails-to-deliver-so-what-now-for-australias-olympic-hopes-64051">much controversy</a>, the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) announced late last year it will no longer use the name Winning Edge; it has replaced it with values that promote sport success as influential on national pride and inspiration.</p>
<p>However, measuring the success of the Australian team in Pyeongchang – and the investment of <a href="https://www.ausport.gov.au/games/pyeongchang2018/games_news/story_667679_australias_winter_olympians_show_steely_resolve">A$16 million</a> to support it – may still be aligned to the ambitious Winning Edge targets. The target was to finish in the top 15 on the medal table. So, how will the AIS measure the success (or otherwise) of Pyeongchang?</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/will-a-controversial-sports-funding-strategy-give-australias-winter-olympians-the-winning-edge-90854">Will a controversial sports funding strategy give Australia's Winter Olympians the winning edge?</a>
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<h2>Did the Australian team disappoint?</h2>
<p>The Australian team finished 23rd on the medal table in Pyeongchang, with two silver medals and one bronze medal. While this is the same number of medals it won at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, this team was expected to perform better. <a href="http://pyeongchang2018.olympics.com.au/news/australian-olympic-team-selected-for-pyeongchang-2018">Chef de Mission Ian Chesterman</a> said before the Games:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>This is the best-performed team that we’ve taken to an Olympic Games with a large number of athletes who have established that they are among the very best in their sports globally.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Medal favourites and Olympic veterans David Morris and Lydia Lassila had high expectations, but were unable to achieve back-to-back Olympic medal wins. As a result, Australia failed to win a medal in the Winter Olympic sport it has been most successful in: aerial skiing. It was the first time in <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/sport/olympics/20year-first-as-no-olympic-medals-for-australian-aerials-women-20180216-h0w8jl.html">20 years</a> the Australian women’s aerial skiing team has not won a medal. </p>
<p>The three <a href="http://pyeongchang2018.olympics.com.au/medal-tally/aus-medallists">Australian medals</a> were won by young athletes competing in the moguls, snowboard cross, and halfpipe events.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-makes-a-winning-mogul-skier-like-matt-graham-91743">What makes a winning mogul skier like Matt Graham?</a>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-makes-a-winning-halfpipe-snowboarder-like-scotty-james-91833">What makes a winning halfpipe snowboarder like Scotty James?</a>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-makes-a-winning-snowboard-cross-athlete-like-jarryd-hughes-91927">What makes a winning snowboard cross athlete like Jarryd Hughes?</a>
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<p>While unexpected medals are always the highlight of any Olympics, it does raise questions about Winning Edge. Funding leading into these Olympics was allocated based on Winning Edge, which directed financial support to athletes with the most potential to win a medal.</p>
<h2>Where to for funding of high-performance sport?</h2>
<p>The federal government has made no announcement on the direction or focus of high-performance sport and its funding priorities.</p>
<p>While Winning Edge published clear guidelines on performance expectations and funding allocations, it is unclear how the success of Australia’s Pyeongchang Olympic team – and, very soon, its Commonwealth Games team – will be measured in terms of government policy and spending.</p>
<p>The performance targets and funding allocations for Winter Olympic athletes as they prepare for Beijing in 2022 are similarly unknown.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/australias_winning_edge">message from the AIS</a> is that high-performance sport is about:</p>
<blockquote>
<ul>
<li><p>consistent and sustainable success for Australian athletes and teams on the world stage</p></li>
<li><p>greater levels of accountability for performance results</p></li>
<li><p>improved governance structures and contemporary reporting and monitoring of performance</p></li>
<li><p>engaging, uniting, inspiring and motivating all Australians.</p></li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<p>While these key areas are very closely aligned to Winning Edge, the ambitious targets and linking funding to podium success may be under review. </p>
<p>AIS director Peter Conde <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/olympics/no-more-winning-edge-for-high-performance-funding-system/news-story/8e2e6363eec27ef13c5f3f6dc3c6747c">explained his vision</a> for high-performance sport policy:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>It is about national pride and inspiration through sporting success, and that comes from more than a medal count. We want a real focus on the value that athletes bring to the community.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Are Australians interested in the Winter Olympics?</h2>
<p>Despite questions over Australians’ level of interest in the Winter Olympics, viewer statistics suggest they were interested. The ratings for the first week of the Games were strong: broadcaster Channel Seven attracted close to 1 million viewers nationwide per night. Overall, Australians spent 43 million minutes over the first week <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/australians-spent-43-million-minutes-watching-the-winter-olympics-last-week-20180216-h0w83o.html">watching the Olympics</a>.</p>
<p>Many younger viewers streamed coverage to personal devices. This demonstrates the appeal the Winter Olympics have for younger people – who, according to the <a href="https://www.olympic.org/olympic-agenda-2020">International Olympic Committee</a>, have generally lost interest in watching them. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/live-from-pyeongchang-how-an-olympic-broadcast-works-91238">Live from Pyeongchang: how an Olympic broadcast works</a>
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<p>So, perhaps the AIS leaders are considering the value Australian athletes bring to the community when competing on the world stage. Do their performances inspire and excite the nation? Does our participation – as an island nation, with minimal snow or ice – bring about feelings of national pride? </p>
<p>While the jury may be still be out on these questions, there is no doubt many Australians thoroughly enjoyed the Winter Olympics and felt pride and admiration for our courageous athletes – regardless of the number of medals they brought home.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/92179/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lisa Gowthorp does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Measuring the success of the Australian team at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang may still be aligned to the ambitious Winning Edge targets.Lisa Gowthorp, Assistant Professor of Sport Management, Bond Business School, Bond UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/922732018-02-23T20:12:42Z2018-02-23T20:12:42ZThe selfie Olympics: What’s the impact of social media on performance?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207557/original/file-20180222-152366-15u3xuk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Australian cross country skier Phil Bellingham takes a selfie during a welcoming ceremony at the Pyeongchang Olympic Village ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2018. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>There has always been a symbiotic relationship between media, sports and athletes. Sports provides content for media, which in turn promotes the performances of athletes. But the advent of social media has disrupted this traditional connection.</p>
<p>Rather than relying solely on media to be the gatekeeper of sports news and information, athletes are now controlling their own narratives through Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.</p>
<p>At the Olympic Games, this has become the new normal for keeping up with athletes. But does the use of social media help or hinder an athlete’s performances at the Olympics? </p>
<p>Social media offers a host of benefits for athletes. They are able to stay connected with friends and family, interact with fans, allow spectators to feel part of the action, while also capturing invaluable memories.</p>
<p>Most of the research concerning athletes’ use of social media centres on its marketing advantage. In <a href="https://is.muni.cz/el/1423/podzim2013/ZUR589b/um/SM_W8_Twitter_Sports_Marketing.pdf"><em>Sport Marketing Quarterly</em></a>, researchers recommended athletes engage more with fans and share information about their lives to better leverage marketing opportunities. Similarly, Ryerson University professor <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/doi/abs/10.1123/ijsc.5.4.461">Katie Lebel and her colleague</a> examined how athletes presented themselves on Twitter and determined it to be an extension of the athlete’s brand, providing a means for them to build and promote themselves. </p>
<h2>Social media is a marketing tool</h2>
<p>While social media may assist athletes with sports marketing, ultimately performance is the most important factor for any Olympian. What is the relationship between social media and performance? Currently, little research exists to help answer this question.</p>
<p>As an Olympian, researcher and consultant in sport psychology, I am intrigued by this phenomenon and am currently conducting a study in this area on the Pyeongchang Games. </p>
<p>The field of sport psychology is concerned with understanding the psychosocial factors that positively and negatively influence performances of athletes, as well as the strategies that will promote excellence.</p>
<p>Specifically, researchers have been able to identify the characteristics, which distinguish successful Olympians from those less successful. In a study examining the development of Olympic champions, <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/241673552_Psychological_Characteristics_and_Their_Development_in_Olympic_Champions">Daniel Gould, Kristen Dieffenbach and Aaron Moffet</a> found athletes to have a high degree of confidence, mental toughness, optimism, and were goal oriented and students of their sport. These athletes were also able to block out distractions and control their level of anxiety. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207559/original/file-20180222-152375-1c2d5uw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207559/original/file-20180222-152375-1c2d5uw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=364&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207559/original/file-20180222-152375-1c2d5uw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=364&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207559/original/file-20180222-152375-1c2d5uw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=364&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207559/original/file-20180222-152375-1c2d5uw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=457&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207559/original/file-20180222-152375-1c2d5uw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=457&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207559/original/file-20180222-152375-1c2d5uw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=457&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The United States team team pose for a selfie on the podium after their third place finish in the figure skating team event at the 2018 Winter Olympics.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Comparatively, many studies have found media exposure to be an Achilles’ heel for sport performance, negatively affecting athletes at the Olympics. For example, a survey of Winter Olympians <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/026404100365090">published in the <em>Journal of Sports Sciences</em></a> found media to be one of four major sources of stress. Likewise, athletes competing in the <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/11282646_A_Survey_of_US_Atlanta_and_Nagano_Olympians_Variables_Perceived_to_Influence_Performance">Atlanta Summer Games and Nagano Winter Games</a> identified media as a factor which negatively impacted their performance. </p>
<h2>The negative impact on performance</h2>
<p>One of a few <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303501475_Facebook_use_and_its_relationship_with_sport_anxiety">studies exploring the use of social networking sites by athletes</a> found a large majority of athletes used Facebook two hours before their sport competition, with many using it during the competition. More importantly, they determined sport anxiety to increase when athletes spent time on Facebook prior to competition. Elevated sport anxiety can bring a wide array of other negative consequences like fear of failure and choking. </p>
<p>In an effort to combat the negative effect media can have on performance, some athletes will engage in a “media diet” or a blackout period. This may involve decreasing interaction with the media or directing all media requests to a team manager.</p>
<p>This is what I did when I competed at the Olympic Games and other major events. It allowed me to control my environment and my emotions. It is very easy for an athlete to shift their focus to the thoughts and opinions of others, taking them away from what it is they should be focusing on.</p>
<p>For example, self-efficacy — the belief one has in their ability — can be easily influenced by what others tell an athlete.</p>
<h2>The impacts of positive and negative feedback</h2>
<p>If an athlete is receiving positive feedback, <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-olympians-train-their-brains-to-become-mentally-tough-92110">their self-efficacy</a> can be elevated. If they are receiving negative commentary, their belief in their ability can be compromised. This means fans and those trolling social networking sites have the subtle power to influence the mental state of an athlete.</p>
<p>However, in this new era of social media perhaps this new generation of athletes are developing skills that enable them to better manage social media’s negative impact.</p>
<p>U.S. snowboarder Chloe Kim, tweeted her frustration of not finishing her breakfast sandwich and <a href="http://ftw.usatoday.com/2018/02/chloe-kim-tweets-shes-hangry-halfway-through-halfpipe-competition">feeling hangry during</a> the halfpipe competition. She ended up winning gold. On the other hand, <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4349738/Cate-Campbell-reveals-text-caused-choke.html">Cate Campbell</a> from Australia was not so fortunate in the 100m freestyle at the Rio Olympics. The world record holder would finish sixth in the finals after receiving a message from a friend. </p>
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<p>For athletes like U.S. figure skater <a href="https://www.elitedaily.com/p/adam-rippons-tweets-during-the-olympics-have-been-so-so-hilarious-8217296">Adam Rippon</a>, social media can allow them to win the hearts of spectators. For others like Canada’s <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/olympics/olympic-athletes-discover-it-doesnt-take-much-to-burst-the-social-media-bubble/article38047185/">Gabrielle Daleman </a>(who violated her own social media diet at the Olympics), it can be a gateway for bullies.</p>
<p>The verdict is still out as to whether most athletes can use social media during the Olympic Games and still perform well. For now, I would recommend athletes go on a media diet to control their environment and feelings as much as possible. Why give anyone the opportunity to have power over you after years of training for this one moment in time?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/92273/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicole W. Forrester research is receiving funding from Ryerson University's FCAD grant.</span></em></p>What harm could a simple Tweet possibly have on the performance of an Olympian? More than you might think. Social media can be a distraction that impacts the performance of some athletes.Nicole W. Forrester, Assistant Professor, School of Media, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/921992018-02-23T16:25:46Z2018-02-23T16:25:46ZHow informal diplomacy might just get the Koreas to the negotiating table<p>As the 2018 Winter Olympics draw to a close in Pyeonchang, the medal count has taken a back seat to a remarkable diplomatic moment. International attention is being given to North and South Korea – <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10165796">still technically at war</a> after 65 years, and yet apparently making steps to reach out to each other more than at any time in recent years.</p>
<p>Only weeks before the games, an exchange of olive branches began. In the event, North Korea sent 22 qualified athletes, a 229-member cheering squad, and a delegation that included North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s younger sister, Kim Yo-jong. The Koreas fielded a unified women’s hockey team, and marched into the opening ceremony <a href="https://theconversation.com/north-and-south-korea-extend-hands-of-peace-after-symbolic-olympic-opening-ceremony-90569">under a single flag</a>. The 140-member North Korean <a href="https://theconversation.com/glad-to-meet-you-north-koreas-pop-orchestra-warms-hearts-in-the-south-91499">Samjiyon Orchestra</a> held a concert at the National Theater of Korea in Seoul to congratulate the Winter Olympics, where a former member of K-pop girl group Girl’s Generation joined a North Korean art troupe to sing songs about unification and peace.</p>
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<p>Only months before, north-south tensions were high due to North Korea’s nuclear warhead and long-range missile tests. But then Kim Jong-un said he was in principle <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-kimjongun/north-koreas-kim-open-to-dialogue-with-south-korea-will-only-use-nukes-if-threatened-idUSKBN1EQ0NJ">open to dialogue</a> with his southern counterpart, Moon Jae-in – and out of that gesture came the Olympic collaborations. So why has Kim Jong-un apparently changed course, and will the south prove genuinely receptive?</p>
<p>While North Korea will probably never explain why, the spectacle of the two countries coming together at the Winter Olympics indicates that Kim has taken note of Moon’s attitude. The southern president has adopted a far warmer tone than his predecessors Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak, and is at odds with the harsher pronouncements of the Trump administration. (US vice-president, Mike Pence, attended the games, but a scheduled meeting with the North Koreans <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/20/mike-pence-north-korea-olympic-games-meeting-cancelled">fell through</a>). </p>
<p>As far as Kim is concerned, Moon has opened up space for Track II, or unofficial, inter-Korean diplomacy – perhaps the North’s current best chance to get proper negotiations started, and alleviate the harsh conditions that have been imposed from outside.</p>
<h2>Strategic optimism</h2>
<p>The term “track II diplomacy” was coined in 1981 by Joseph V. Montville, a former foreign service officer in the US State Department. In his article, “The Arrow and the Olive Branch: A Case for Track Two Diplomacy,” Montville argues that the diplomats and leaders of Track I, or official, diplomacy are faced with certain limitations, such as the need to be strong, wary, and indomitable in the face of the enemy. Moreover, he assumes that the resources and procedures of formal diplomacy may not be enough to resolve the fundamental issues that underpin seemingly intractable and long-running conflicts. </p>
<p>As Montville wrote: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Track II diplomacy is unofficial, non-structured interaction. It is always open minded, often altruistic, and … strategically optimistic, based on best case analysis. Its underlying assumption is that actual or potential conflict can be resolved or eased by appealing to common human capabilities to respond to good will and reasonableness.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>To be sure, this sort of engagement is not a substitute for Track I negotiation. But it has the capability of playing a complementary role to official processes, not least by helping two parties break the psychological barriers to formal, official negotiation.</p>
<p>Montville’s analysis helps explain why Kim Jong-un might have chosen to use Track II outreach to an olive branch to South Korea, rather than resorting to formal Track I methods – and why he might have done so now.</p>
<p>North Korea is currently struggling under the weight of tough economic sanctions, imposed as punishment for cyber attacks, money laundering and the nuclear programme. The sanctions seriously restrict the North’s energy supplies, such as gasoline and diesel, and clamp down on smuggling and the employment of North Korean workers overseas. The North’s economy is already in trouble – and it looks to be headed for worse. </p>
<p>As argued by Montville, Kim Jong-un is constrained by the understandable need for him to be, or at least be seen as, strong, wary, and indomitable in the face of the South Korean government. He cannot afford to look weak, or to be seen as giving into pressure from the international community. By turning to track II diplomatic endeavours as his main channel to achieve his objectives, Kim is able to save face and avoid being perceived as weak. </p>
<p>Kim Jong-un has, therefore, initiated and agreed to the recent series of events surrounding the 2018 Winter Olympics, to help compensate for his inability to maintain his state’s current economic position.</p>
<h2>Warming up</h2>
<p>The performance by the North Korean art troupe and the unified hockey team seem to demonstrate that North Korea is genuinely interested in improving relations with South Korea and building a collaborative relationship. And crucially, the events seem to have created a spirit of comradeship among everyday South Koreans.</p>
<p>A <a href="http://www.dw.com/en/majority-of-south-koreans-favor-north-korea-friendship/a-42643399">poll</a> conducted on February 15 – halfway through the Winter Olympics – found that 61.5% of South Korean adults were in favor of inter-Korean dialogues between Moon and Kim Jong-un. Although the polling results may not be a direct result of the spectacle at the games, it does underline that a majority of South Koreans are friendly enough towards the North that their leaders can confidently make some kind of overture.</p>
<p>Having officially invited his counterpart to visit North Korea after the Olympics were over, Kim Jong-un might just have opened a path to real negotiations. If Moon and Kim do sit down at a formal bilateral summit, they’ll have plenty to talk about besides the nuclear issue. They might discuss re-opening the once-shared <a href="https://www.nknews.org/gallery/in-photos-whats-become-of-the-mount-kumgang-tourism-resort/">Mount Kumgang Tourist Region</a> and the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22011178">Kaesong Industrial Complex</a>, where southern companies until recently employed northern workers. </p>
<p>Set against the challenge of clearing the peninsula of nuclear weapons, these might sound like small steps – but until recently, even they seemed impossible. The two Koreas, however, have to start somewhere.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/92199/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Priscilla Jung Kim does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>North Korea clearly understands that going straight into high-level negotiations isn’t always the way to make a breakthrough.Priscilla Jung Kim, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Central LancashireLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/922692018-02-22T23:52:33Z2018-02-22T23:52:33ZAs the Pyeongchang Olympics comes to a close, what legacy will it leave?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207434/original/file-20180222-65236-1abdbw9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The main objective for most sporting event organising committees is to deliver an efficient and safe event.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Dan Himbrechts</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>When major sporting events like the Olympics come to a close, the focus often shifts to the question: “so what?” For all the costs, the planning, and the efforts of athletes, officials, volunteers and staff, what will be the legacy? What will remain?</p>
<p>In his keynote address to the <a href="https://www.pyeongchang2018.uni-mainz.de/symposium-information-2/program/">International Sport Business Symposium</a> held in Pyeongchang to coincide with this year’s Winter Olympics, veteran sports official Dick Pound said of legacy:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>No-one promoting an Olympic bid would dream about not including the word in virtually every public statement made in support of the bid. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Yet, as he further noted, there is little research supporting legacy. Much of it is anecdotal, rather than empirical, which may have resulted in “decisions that are not based on reliable data”.</p>
<h2>The importance of ‘legacy’</h2>
<p>The increasing importance of legacy for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is reflected in the launch in December 2017 of a document, <a href="https://www.olympic.org/%7E/media/Document%20Library/OlympicOrg/Documents/Olympic-Legacy/IOC_Legacy_Strategy_Full_version.pdf?la=en">Legacy Strategic Approach: Moving Forward</a>. </p>
<p>The key elements of this document may be new for the IOC. But for those versed in managing mega sporting events, what it suggests <a href="https://hbr.org/2007/01/leading-change-why-transformation-efforts-fail">isn’t new</a>: have a vision, plan for it, put the structures and finance in place, evaluate, learn, and celebrate.</p>
<p>But why did the IOC feel the need to put this on the public record now, when they note that in the document that legacy has been in Olympic discourse since the 1956 Melbourne Olympics? </p>
<p>Maybe the drop-off in countries bidding to host the Olympics is part of it. Maybe, too, the rise of BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) as hosts of mega sporting events highlights the need for a demonstrated return on investment – not just more hype.</p>
<p>The main objective for most sporting event organising committees is to deliver an efficient and safe event. But is this the most important objective? For those outside the “fence” like the general public, the question becomes: what did we get for our multi-billion-dollar investment? </p>
<p>In some ways, the offer of legacy beyond the event helps organisers achieve a social licence to operate: that is, they obtain support to go ahead with the project. Policymakers and politicians need to clearly demonstrate that hosting sporting events is a better investment than spending in other public goods like education and health.</p>
<h2>What for Pyeongchang?</h2>
<p>The Pyeongchang Olympics’ <a href="https://issuu.com/thatsnotmypuppy/docs/pyeongchang2018volume1">proposed legacies</a> include purpose-built venues, sports legacies, and promoting the Olympic movement.</p>
<p>But, in contrast to many previous host cities, Pyeongchang did not offer a volunteer legacy. Rather, it aimed to draw upon the legacy of hosting a series, or portfolio, of previous events like the athletics World Championships in Daegu in 2011, the Asian Games in Incheon in 2014, and the World University Games in Gwangju in 2015.</p>
<p>Hosting the Olympics may have accelerated the delivery of some of these legacies, such as roads and railways. It may have also initiated others, like new venues.</p>
<p>The budget for Pyeongchang is in the vicinity of <a href="https://library.olympic.org/Default/doc/SYRACUSE/172488/questions-answers-regarding-volunteer-programmes-pyeongchang-2018-the-pyeongchang-organising-committ">US$13 billion</a>, up 50% from initial estimates. Before gasping at the amount of money involved, it is worth noting that the bulk of these costs are allocated to capital investments, such as new stadiums and infrastructure.</p>
<p>This includes the cost of building a 35,000-seat temporary stadium that will be used just four times: for the opening and closing ceremonies for both the Olympics and Paralympics. </p>
<p>It might seem strange to pull it down, but Pyeongchang is a poor rural community with a population of just 45,000. There is no obvious need for it to have such a stadium. And new stadiums are not cost-neutral: it has been suggested that a stadium’s maintenance costs alone could be in the vicinity <a href="http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/681591.html">of $20 million per year</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207466/original/file-20180222-152372-1edbvnd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207466/original/file-20180222-152372-1edbvnd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207466/original/file-20180222-152372-1edbvnd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207466/original/file-20180222-152372-1edbvnd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207466/original/file-20180222-152372-1edbvnd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207466/original/file-20180222-152372-1edbvnd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207466/original/file-20180222-152372-1edbvnd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A temporary stadium used for the Olympic ceremonies in Pyeongchang will be pulled down after the Games.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Tracey Dickson</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Future Olympics will be required to report on their legacies for up to five years after the event under the IOC’s new framework. This will include analysis of relevant data and the production of case studies to highlight how they achieved their positive legacies, so future organising committees may learn from them. </p>
<p>This will hopefully result in better planning for and delivery of not just a great event, but a legacy for host communities that is economically, socially and environmentally positive and sustainable.</p>
<p>Mega sport events can deliver legacies, but most examples to date have been about infrastructure. An era could soon be upon us when they can deliver on the other legacies like sport participation, volunteer legacies, tourism, and sustainability.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/92269/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tracey J Dickson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Future Olympics will be required to report on their legacies for up to five years after the event under the IOC’s new framework.Tracey J Dickson, Associate Professor, Centre for Tourism Research, Faculty of Business, Government and Law, University of CanberraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/917662018-02-22T02:03:53Z2018-02-22T02:03:53ZThe Winter Olympics reminds us of the value of learning a second language<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207022/original/file-20180219-116333-13j3ds4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Hosting sporting events to spark an interest in language and culture is known as 'soft diplomacy'.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Vassil Donev</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Big-ticket sporting events are an opportunity for countries to showcase their cultures. <a href="https://theconversation.com/live-from-pyeongchang-how-an-olympic-broadcast-works-91238">TV broadcasts</a> show stories about the cultural, historical and social aspects of the host country – which, for this year’s Winter Olympics, is South Korea.</p>
<p>We hear other languages at global sporting events, too. Almost 80 million people <a href="http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2014/05/116_157214.html">speak Korean</a>; it’s the world’s 13th-most-widely spoken language.</p>
<p>Potentially <a href="https://www.dramafever.com/news/are-korean-and-japanese-related-languages/">related to Japanese</a>, Korean first borrowed its writing system from Chinese characters. But King Sejong the Great introduced a new writing system in the 15th century. He wanted everybody to be able to read and write, which had been difficult when using Chinese characters. </p>
<p>The new writing system, <em>Hangul</em>, was an innovation Koreans are still proud of today. The <a href="http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/memory-of-the-world/register/full-list-of-registered-heritage/registered-heritage-page-8/the-hunmin-chongum-manuscript/">document</a> in which it was introduced, the <em>Hunminjeongeum</em>, is one of Korea’s most important historical documents; the date of its publication – October 9, 1446 – is now <a href="https://www.90daykorean.com/hangul-day/">Hangul Day</a>, a public holiday.</p>
<h2>Languages, Olympics, and soft diplomacy</h2>
<p>The Korean peninsula has been split into North Korea and South Korea for about 70 years. North Korea’s isolation means its residents haven’t taken up English words as much as South Koreans; they also <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2994774/A-tale-two-languages-70-years-separation-seen-vocabulary-North-South-Korea-splinter-two-different-dialects.html">use many different words</a> for day-to-day items.</p>
<p>This is basically what happens to all languages when some speakers form new communities. The linguistic differences in the two Koreas came to light when members of a combined women’s hockey team <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-06/winter-olympics-language-problems-unified-korea-ice-hockey-team/9399410">had trouble understanding one another</a>. A dictionary of North and South Korean terms had to be written to help them out.</p>
<p>Other countries have also used hosting the Olympics to tell the world about their language. For example, the Office of Chinese Language Council <a href="http://www.china.org.cn/learning_chinese/news/2008-08/18/content_16263061.htm">saw the 2008 Beijing Olympics</a> as a great way to showcase Chinese. </p>
<p>Sparking an interest in languages is sometimes called <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304451104577389923098678842">“soft diplomacy”</a>. Hosting Summer and Winter Olympics, Eurovision, and football World Cups is all about influencing what others in the world like about your country by presenting its appealing and attractive aspects.</p>
<p>Some people connect soft diplomacy with sneaky attempts to make a country’s culture and political aims more successful on the world stage, but it is also about understanding other cultures. It’s an opportunity for the world to learn about a nation’s cultural achievements, about the ways people from that culture might see the world, what makes them tick, what makes them proud, and what they are worried or sad about. </p>
<p>And, sometimes, deep differences in cultures and ways of living and doing things disappear when people start to “get” one another.</p>
<h2>Korean language studies in Australia</h2>
<p>For South Korea, hosting the Winter Olympics is a great opportunity to engage Australians with Korean language and culture.</p>
<p>The Korean Culture Centre in Sydney <a href="http://www.koreanculture.org.au/australian-national-athletes-visited-the-kcc-for-the-korean-culture-experience-program/">hosted five athletes</a> taking part in the Olympics to experience Korean culture and some language lessons before their departure.</p>
<p>Korean as a second language is taught in <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/yourlanguage/korean/en/audiotrack/8621-students-are-learning-korean-71-schools-around-australia">more than 70 schools</a> across Australia. In the 1990s, Korean – along with Japanese, Chinese and Indonesian – was one of the <a href="http://www1.curriculum.edu.au/nalsas/about.htm#intro">four highlighted Asian languages</a> in national language learning policies. But while Japanese and Chinese are still going strong, Korean and Indonesian have had their struggles. </p>
<p>Indonesian was taught in many schools in the 1990s, but it has since lost its momentum. It <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-05-19/indonesian-language-declining-schools/7405422">has been in severe decline</a> since a travel warning to Indonesia followed the Bali bombings in 2002.</p>
<p>Korean language studies are today <a href="http://dfat.gov.au/people-to-people/foundations-councils-institutes/australia-korea-foundation/news/Pages/korean-language-studies-on-the-rise-again-in-australia.aspx">well represented in New South Wales</a>, but they have a smaller presence in other Australian states. The <a href="http://www.koreanculture.org.au/">Korean Cultural Centre</a> is in Sydney, and many people with a Korean background have settled in the state. There is even a primary school <a href="http://www.campsie-p.schools.nsw.edu.au/korean-bilingual-program">with Korean bilingual classes</a>. </p>
<p>Most soft diplomacy takes place in second-language classrooms. Learning a second language helps kids learn about other cultures, and hopefully understand and like them.</p>
<p>Korean language studies have received increased interest over last decade, since the <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/06a541aa-8725-11e7-8bb1-5ba57d47eff7">cultural phenomenon of the “Korean Wave”</a> swept the world. This was the great success of Korean pop music, boy bands, and popular soap operas and dramas in many other Asian nations. It also went beyond Asia: K-pop became popular in Australia and Europe too.</p>
<p>The Korean government realised this, and <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10286632.2013.829052?src=recsys">increased grants</a> to artists, film-makers and other creative types to foster the development of more Korean Wave products.</p>
<p>The Winter Olympics and its sideshows of Korean culture and language are great reminders of the value of second-language learning. Engaging with the language of another country is an opportunity to increase understanding, to dive deeper into a country’s culture, history and society.</p>
<p>So, let’s encourage children to learn at least one other language well, ideally to Year 12 and beyond. And it’s never too late to start learning another language as an adult.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91766/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Simone Smala does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>For South Korea, hosting the Winter Olympics is a great opportunity to engage the world with Korean language and culture.Simone Smala, Lecturer in Education, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/921102018-02-21T23:58:54Z2018-02-21T23:58:54ZHow Olympians train their brains to become mentally tough<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207052/original/file-20180220-116343-z22voa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Olympic gold medallists Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada are artists on ice, but behind their performance is years of training to be mentally tough during competition.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>We have witnessed <a href="http://nationalpost.com/sports/olympics/canadas-tessa-virtue-and-scott-moir-win-gold-in-olympic-ice-dance">some exceptional performances during the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics</a>. For any athlete to deliver a gold medal performance, mental toughness is an essential ingredient. But what exactly is mental toughness — and how does an athlete develop it?</p>
<p>Research published in the <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02640410903081845"><em>Journal of Sports Sciences</em></a> has found successful Olympians have a high degree of self-confidence, are able to block out distractions, manage their arousal level, are goal-oriented and demonstrate a healthy form of perfectionism. </p>
<p>On a personal note, as an Olympian and a registered member with the Canadian Sport Psychology Association, I have used both strategies to enhance my own mental toughness and I now assist athletes as a consultant to develop those skills. </p>
<p>When it comes to sport psychology, mental toughness is possibly one of the most widely used terms, and yet, there is no agreement on its definition.</p>
<p>In a seminal study, researchers Graham Jones, Sheldon Hanton and Declan Connaughton <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235913830_What_Is_This_Thing_Called_Mental_Toughness_An_Investigation_of_Elite_Sport_Performers">determined mental toughness to be an athlete’s ability to outperform their competitors in managing demands and demonstrating consistency, drive, focus, confidence and control under pressure</a>. They also found mental toughness to be a characteristic that was both innate and developed over time, meaning an athlete who doesn’t appear to be “born with it” can certainly cultivate it. </p>
<p>Mental toughness is essentially a constellation of various mental skills, including unshakeable self-belief, resiliency, motivation, focus and the ability to perform under pressure, as well as to manage physical and emotional pain.</p>
<p>In sport psychology, we use mental skills training to help athletes develop mental toughness. Mental skills training involves assessing athletes’ areas of strengths and weaknesses and devising a program that builds key areas essential to their sport and their individual needs. </p>
<p>While the needs of each athlete will vary, there are common strategies used by many Olympians. </p>
<h2>Goal-setting</h2>
<p>Olympians will engage in various goal-setting strategies to deliver a successful performance. While they may have an outcome goal of winning a medal or placing among the top finishers, they will also set performance goals and process goals.</p>
<p>Performance goals are self-referenced and may involve the goal of achieving a new personal best. Process goals direct athletes’ attention to the execution of technical elements necessary to be successful. They are the “hows” and “ways” to achieving an outcome or performance goal.</p>
<p>For example, a figure skater who has a goal of winning a medal and successfully executing his quad jumps may shift his attention to the elements within the jump he knows he can do — and must do — to be successful in landing each jump. This will also elevate his confidence and minimize any distracting thoughts of failure or things he cannot control, such as his opponents. For some athletes, focusing on the outcome can actually distract them and cause them to become their own worst enemy. </p>
<p>Nathan Chen, the U.S. figure skater who bounced back from a disastrous short program to execute a record six quad jumps in the free skate at the Winter Olympics, has talked about <a href="http://time.com/5164041/quad-jump-figure-skating-olympics/#t=28s">the “mental energy” needed for each specific jump in his free skate program</a>. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207313/original/file-20180221-132674-190cz5d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207313/original/file-20180221-132674-190cz5d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207313/original/file-20180221-132674-190cz5d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207313/original/file-20180221-132674-190cz5d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207313/original/file-20180221-132674-190cz5d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207313/original/file-20180221-132674-190cz5d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207313/original/file-20180221-132674-190cz5d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=504&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">U.S. figure skater Nathan Chen, who executed a record six quad jumps during the men’s free skate at the Pyeonchang Olympics, says he mentally breaks down each jump before his performances.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson</span></span>
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<h2>Self-talk</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.uky.edu/%7Eeushe2/Bandura/BanEncy.html">Self-efficacy</a> is the unshakeable belief of an athlete that they can meet the challenge they are facing. It is arguably the cornerstone for any great performance. Self-talk is a strategy that can positively influence self-efficacy and performance.</p>
<p>Self-talk is the internal dialogue we have with ourselves. In a given day we have over 50,000 thoughts. Thoughts are powerful and can affect an athelete’s confidence. While it’s impossible for an athlete to keep track of all the thoughts they may have in a given day, athletes can engage in positive self-talk. Such talk can include affirmations of their strength, and cue words that pump them up or manage their nerves. It can include simple reminders of where their focus should be and what it is they need to execute.</p>
<p>Successful Olympians manage their thoughts effectively, ensuring they are their own best friend at the top of the slope or stepping out onto centre ice. Ultimately, this process has the incredible ability to make an athlete feel confident, in control and ready to face any challenge. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207188/original/file-20180220-161902-cz8ync.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207188/original/file-20180220-161902-cz8ync.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207188/original/file-20180220-161902-cz8ync.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207188/original/file-20180220-161902-cz8ync.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=415&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207188/original/file-20180220-161902-cz8ync.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207188/original/file-20180220-161902-cz8ync.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/207188/original/file-20180220-161902-cz8ync.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=522&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Canada’s Cassie Sharpe skis to a gold medal win during the women’s ski halfpipe at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Competitors like Sharpe often visualize their entire performance – including twisting their bodies to simulate the moves – moments before starting their routines.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward</span></span>
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<h2>Imagery</h2>
<p>Imagery can be one of the more difficult skills to learn but, when well executed, it enables an Olympian to envision performing their discipline from start to finish as if they were doing it in real time.</p>
<p>Imagery involves visualizing the actual action an athlete would like to execute and engages all of their senses. What is most incredible is that when it is well practised, the muscles involved in the activity in real life will fire in the same sequence and rate — as if the activity was actually being performed.</p>
<p>As an Olympian, imagery was one of the mental skills I relied on the most.</p>
<p>In my preparation for competition, I would spend hours envisioning what I wanted to execute and how it should feel. I would even create bad scenarios that could occur, feeling the pressure and discomfort, and rehearse what my appropriate response would be. When it was time to compete, I felt ready for any and every situation. This was easily the hardest area of my preparation but something critical to perform well when it counted most.</p>
<p>In the <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/olympics/2018-pyeongchang-winter-olympics-sledding-team-canada-interactive/article37836637/">sliding events like luge and bobsleigh, we see athletes practice imagery</a> the most. The gravitational force these athletes are subjected to poses a health risk and limits their ability to physically practice their discipline. </p>
<h2>Arousal control</h2>
<p>Olympians have a sweet spot for how they like to feel when performing their best. This is their optimal arousal level. Some athletes prefer being very pumped up while others may enjoy being so calm you wonder whether they know they are about to compete.</p>
<p>Like a thermostat that regulates the temperature of a house, successful Olympians are well dialed into their level of arousal. If they find they are outside of this zone, they will regulate it.</p>
<p>For example, an athlete can lower their arousal level by taking deep breaths from their diaphragm and engaging in self-talk to become more calm. Likewise, an athlete may elevate their arousal level with shorter breaths or by listening to music. The most important thing here is for the athlete to feel in control of how they feel. </p>
<p>When it comes to high performance, there is no question being mentally tough places any athlete at an advantage over their competitor. While it may be possible for some athletes to have this innate quality, it can certainly be harnessed and developed.</p>
<p>The importance of the mental toughness is well understood by successful Olympians. Most world-class athletes understand developing their mental skills is as important as working on their physical and technical skills.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/92110/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicole W. Forrester does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>For any athlete to deliver a gold medal performance, mental toughness is an essential ingredient. But what exactly is mental toughness — and how does an athlete develop it?Nicole W. Forrester, Assistant Professor, School of Media, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/921032018-02-21T01:37:24Z2018-02-21T01:37:24ZExplainer: the doping case against Russian curler Aleksandr Krushelnitckii<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207029/original/file-20180219-116327-n173bv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Russian curler Aleksandr Krushelnitckii faces being stripped of his bronze medal from Pyeongchang.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Javier Etxezarreta</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Thus far at this year’s Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has brought disciplinary proceedings against <a href="http://www.tas-cas.org/en/index.html">three athletes</a> suspected of doping. One of them is <a href="http://www.tas-cas.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Media_Release_ADD_p2018__English__2.pdf">Aleksandr Krushelnitckii</a>, who won bronze in the mixed curling event. He has <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/feb/18/winter-olympics-russian-athlete-reportedly-fails-drugs-test">tested positive for meldonium</a>.</p>
<p>Some have delighted in noting that the strange “broom and stone” sport of curling had been “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/19/sports/olympics/olympic-curling-doping-reaction.html">rocked</a>” by the doping allegation. It has also raised memories of Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova, <a href="https://theconversation.com/centre-court-and-15-love-cas-reduces-sharapova-ban-66747">who was banned</a> for 15 months after testing positive to meldonium in 2016.</p>
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<a href="https://theconversation.com/centre-court-and-15-love-cas-reduces-sharapova-ban-66747">Centre court and 15-love: CAS reduces Sharapova ban</a>
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<p>Krushelnitckii is also Russian, though technically competing in Pyeongchang as an Olympic Athlete from Russia (OAR). This is the term the IOC has given to the 160 or so Russian athletes deemed eligible to compete despite <a href="https://theconversation.com/russias-humiliating-ban-from-the-winter-olympics-is-the-right-move-to-protect-integrity-in-sport-88689">the continuing suspension</a> of the Russian Olympic Committee over doping allegations at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/russias-humiliating-ban-from-the-winter-olympics-is-the-right-move-to-protect-integrity-in-sport-88689">Russia's humiliating ban from the Winter Olympics is the right move to protect integrity in sport</a>
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<h2>Krushelnitckii and the ‘sabotage’ defence</h2>
<p>The construction of the case against Krushelnitckii seems straightforward; his routine doping sample has come back positive for meldonium.</p>
<p>Although he left the Olympic Village <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-19/russian-curler-leaves-olympic-village-amid-doping-probe/9461116">without comment</a>, it seems his defence will be that a fellow competitor – disgruntled at having not been selected to go to the Olympics – <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/feb/19/russian-curler-banished-from-winter-olympics-after-failed-drug-test">spiked or sabotaged his drink</a> with the prohibited substance.</p>
<p>The burden of proof with this defence will be on Krushelnitckii. The “someone spiked my drink” <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2018/feb/20/facts-fiction-drug-tests-japanese-kayakers-winter-games-krushelnitsky">defence</a> is rarely credibly argued in doping cases and even more seldom successful.</p>
<p>In the build-up to the 2016 Rio Olympics, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) appealed a decision by India’s National Anti-Doping Agency that annulled a doping infraction against wrestler <a href="http://www.tas-cas.org/fileadmin/user_upload/Award_16-25_FINAL.pdf">Narsingh Yadav</a>. The Indian body had accepted Yadav’s plea of “sabotage by another”, and the annulment permitted him to be selected to compete in Rio.</p>
<p>But, days before his first bout, WADA appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).</p>
<p>CAS imposed a four-year ban on Yadav. It argued any contention that seeks to undermine the scientific integrity of a positive test needs more than vague, circumstantial assertions by the athlete that persons unknown and at a time unknown had the motive and opportunity to conspire to sabotage the athlete’s sample.</p>
<p>Also, in the Yadav case, the expert scientific witness noted that the prohibited substance in question – a steroid – would not have dissolved fully, and Yadav would likely have noticed sediment in his drink bottle.</p>
<p>Although the Yadav case gives an insight into the difficulties Krushelnitckii’s defence will face, athletes have, on occasion, mounted successful sabotage defences.</p>
<p>The most-celebrated example at CAS was that of Belgian judoka <a href="http://www.espn.com.au/skiing/judo/story/_/id/11175506/charline-van-snick-wins-doping-appeal-loses-medal">Charline Van Snick</a>. She tested positive for cocaine at the 2013 World Championships and faced a two-year ban, but claimed that someone must have sabotaged her drink bottle with the substance.</p>
<p>At CAS, she provided detailed toxicology reports showing she was not a habitual user of the drug. This evidence, combined with the spiked bottle’s testing results, was enough to <a href="http://wadc-commentary.com/vansnick/">clear her of wrongdoing</a>.</p>
<p>The only other example of the “spiking” defence being successful is where the athlete has specific evidence against another person – usually a rival or disaffected member of that athlete’s entourage – who had the motive and access to carry out the act.</p>
<p>A very recent example of this occurred last month. One of Japan’s top sprint canoeists, <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/sport/japanese-kayaker-yasuhiro-suzuki-banned-for-eight-years-for-spiking-rivals-drink-20180109-h0g01f.html">32-year-old Yasuhiro Suzuki</a>, was banned for eight years for spiking a younger rival’s drink with an anabolic steroid. The rivalry between the two had, by all accounts, intensified as their preparations for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics began in earnest.</p>
<h2>The wider context</h2>
<p>Returning to Krushelnitckii, many will probably roll their eyes at his purported defence and dismiss it as just another Russian excuse.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, there is <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/leeigel/2018/02/20/russian-doping-case-in-olympic-curling-isnt-what-it-appears-to-be/#2a5ccbc7423b">something odd</a> about the circumstances. All those on the OAR team would have known they would be subject to enhanced testing in the immediate weeks prior to, and during, the Olympics. </p>
<p>And Krushelnitckii was, it seems, independently tested at the end of January <a href="https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1061644/russian-mixed-doubles-curling-bronze-medallist-reportedly-fails-drugs-test">at a training camp in Japan</a> before his departure to Pyeongchang. The results were negative.</p>
<p>OAR participants would also have been acutely aware that they were part of a <a href="https://olympics.cbc.ca/news/article/oar-doping-violation-may-prevent-country-from-reinstatement-before-closing-ceremony.html">sophisticated political choreography</a> between Russia and the IOC, which it is claimed may even have resulted in athletes <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-21/russian-curler-b-sample-tests-positive-meldonium/9468402?section=sport">entering the closing ceremony</a> under the Russian flag and in the national uniform. Krushelnitckii’s positive test now puts <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/winter-olympics-2018/2018/02/19/ioc-should-not-even-think-reinstating-russia-curling-doping/350404002/">pressure on the IOC</a> not to allow this. </p>
<p>And the closing ceremony in Pyeongchang was an opportunity for Russia to draw a line under the past four years of doping allegations, in a year when it hosts another big sporting event – the FIFA World Cup.</p>
<p>A more immediate question is why an athlete might take a substance such as meldonium. It is widely used for treating different heart and vascular diseases and helps improve circulation, particularly in the brain. In terms of its <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/06/14/482010754/what-does-it-take-to-get-a-drug-banned-for-enhancing-athletes-performance">performance-enhancing qualities</a>, it appears it could have a positive effect on an athlete’s stamina and concentration.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/maria-sharapovas-positive-drug-test-what-is-it-and-what-does-it-mean-for-her-55927">Maria Sharapova's positive drug test: what is it and what does it mean for her?</a>
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<p>Although the immediate reaction of many was to <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/winter-olympics-the-big-question-over-curler-s-doping-why">treat doping in curling as a joke</a>, the pressurised nature of an Olympics and the demands it makes on athletes – both physically and mentally – could, presumably, tempt someone to use meldonium.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/92103/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jack Anderson is a member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport.</span></em></p>Athletes have, on occasion, mounted successful defences of sabotage in doping cases.Jack Anderson, Professor of Sports Law, Melbourne Law School, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/915432018-02-20T11:39:36Z2018-02-20T11:39:36ZThe other feats US Olympians pull off<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/207041/original/file-20180220-116346-1ybexdz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Jonathan Cheever is an Olympic snowboarder -- and a plumber.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Pyeongchang-Olympics-Snowboard-Men/aaef79f6b6564a1eb769e3cc89027c78/2/0">AP Photo/Lee Jin-man</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Millions of Americans watch the Olympics, rooting for members of Team USA. Most of them can probably appreciate how hard those athletes worked on their physical training.</p>
<p>But few realize the lengths these Olympians must go to pay their bills.</p>
<p>Because <a href="https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/08/olympic-american-athletes-rio-money-costs-usoc/">the U.S. government</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetorch/2016/07/23/486747453/fast-track-program-kenyan-runners-join-u-s-army-and-olympic-team">generally</a> doesn’t help athletes who represent it in the Winter or Summer Games make ends meet, <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/a-13-2008-06-16-olympic-funding-often-reflects-countrys-values-66821302/374425.html">unlike nearly every other country</a>, these Olympians squeeze day jobs into schedules packed with workouts and competitions, seek crowdfunding and scramble for sponsorships.</p>
<h2>Keeping their day jobs</h2>
<p>For every gold medal-winning champion like snowboarder <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/chloe-kim-s-olympics-triumph-realizes-american-dream-immigrant-family-n847541">Chloe Kim</a>, downhill skier <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/05/olympics-skiier-lindsey-vonn-wants-gold-in-south-korea-games.html">Lindsey Vonn</a>, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2017/02/16/5-habits-michael-phelps-developed-that-made-him-a-winner.html">swimmer Michael Phelps</a> and <a href="http://www.nbcolympics.com/news/simone-biles-best-gymnast-ever-or-just-best-gymnast-planet">gymnast Simone Biles</a>, there are hundreds of other Olympic athletes who won’t land big endorsement deals.</p>
<p>And since no one gets big bucks for being on the U.S. Olympic team, those lower-profile Olympians must get resourceful.</p>
<p>Personally, I’ve been pretty lucky. While I have never made it to the Olympics, I did try out twice and I competed on the U.S. team at the 2015 Pan American Games. <a href="https://www.mizunousa.com/category/sports/running.do">Mizuno</a>, a Japanese sports equipment and sportswear company, is my sponsor. It gives me all the shoes and apparel I need, on top of a modest salary and bonuses tied to my performance. Even so, I have always held part-time or full-time jobs to round out my income. </p>
<p>Currently, I’m working for the <a href="https://business.uoregon.edu/faculty/craig-leon">University of Oregon</a> – where I get to share with students what I’ve learned firsthand about the business of sports. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"694925868473257985"}"></div></p>
<p>I’m hardly alone. Many members of <a href="https://www.teamusa.org/athletes">Team USA</a>, most of whom are adults, are <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/15/2018-us-olympians-open-up-about-money-struggles.html">holding down day jobs</a>. </p>
<p>Decathlete <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/olympics/rio-2016/2016/07/28/jeremy-taiwo-olympics-decathlon-gofundme-campaign/87530688/">Jeremy Taiwo</a>, for example, worked part-time at Dick’s Sporting Goods before qualifying for the Rio Games, where he finished in <a href="http://gohuskies.com/news/2016/8/18/track-field-taiwo-completes-olympic-decathlon-in-11th-place.aspx">11th place</a>. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"766440400970219520"}"></div></p>
<p>And fencer <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2016/07/07/news/olympics-rio-us-athletes-finances/index.html">Ibtihaj Muhammad</a> started her own <a href="http://www.louellashop.com/about-us/">clothing brand</a> geared toward Muslim women before winning a bronze medal at the Rio Games. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206800/original/file-20180216-50525-1y0w5gn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206800/original/file-20180216-50525-1y0w5gn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206800/original/file-20180216-50525-1y0w5gn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206800/original/file-20180216-50525-1y0w5gn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206800/original/file-20180216-50525-1y0w5gn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=421&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206800/original/file-20180216-50525-1y0w5gn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206800/original/file-20180216-50525-1y0w5gn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206800/original/file-20180216-50525-1y0w5gn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=529&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Olympic medal-winning fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad, holding the Barbie doll made in her likeness.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/2017-Glamour-Women-of-the-Year-Awards/ea44cc9c2c984ef4927484a881d3392f/3/0">Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP</a></span>
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<p>Snowboarder <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/thetorch/2018/02/11/584751214/when-being-an-olympic-snowboarder-doesnt-pay-the-bills">Jonathan Cheever</a>, who competed in Pyeongchang, is a part-time plumber. His <a href="https://www.olympic.org/pyeongchang-2018/results/en/snowboard/athlete-profile-n3014739-michael-trapp.htm">teammate</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=9&v=SVu6xQanRpQ">Mike Trapp</a> is a mechanic.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"963101796758470656"}"></div></p>
<h2>Following the money</h2>
<p>The most I have earned to date in a single year from running was US$39,000 – not enough to pay my expenses tied to the sport, which can total as much as $20,000 – and the rest of my bills.</p>
<p>But even making that kind of money from athletics is just not possible for most Olympians – especially athletes who excel at less lucrative sports, such as <a href="http://time.com/money/5116734/winter-olympic-athletes-with-jobs/">curling</a> or archery.</p>
<p>Instead of getting the financial freedom to dedicate their time and
energy to training – like the Olympic stars who land <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/16/stars-of-the-olympics-are-changing-the-sponsorship-game.html">big endorsement deals</a> – they
perhaps can land a flexible job at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npHDQ8tWmFk&feature=youtu.be">Dick’s Sporting Goods</a>, which runs a
special program for Olympians. Or they can receive in-kind support
like free equipment from smaller-scale retailers.</p>
<p>They also ask fans to pitch in.</p>
<p>If you search the <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/">GoFundMe</a> crowdsourcing website for “Rio Olympics,” you’ll get more than 800 hits for athletes who sought help paying their bills and for their families to travel to the games on their own dime. This extensive crowdfunding, however, began long before digital platforms made it easy to connect athletes with patrons <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-15/for-olympic-glory-athletes-need-talent-and-a-billionaire-backer">large</a> and <a href="https://www.parkrecord.com/sports/the-gofundme-phenomenon-and-cost-of-supporting-a-2018-winter-olympian/">small</a>. </p>
<h2>A big business</h2>
<p>Although most U.S. athletes must get resourceful to cover their bills, the Olympics are a big business that generates <a href="https://deadspin.com/where-does-the-iocs-money-go-1822983686">billions of dollars in revenue</a> a year. The International Olympic Committee distributes the bulk of this money to national committees operating in every country that competes, which then choose how to spend those dollars.</p>
<p>The U.S. Olympic Committee, an independent nonprofit, drew a total of <a href="http://2016annualreport.teamusa.org/USOC_32554_AR16.pdf">$920 million</a> between the 2012 Winter Games in Sochi and the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro. But it has many expenses on top of paying athletes. That means it can’t distribute all of this money to the many American governing bodies responsible for different sports. </p>
<p>In 2016, for instance, the U.S. Olympic Committee handed out <a href="http://2016annualreport.teamusa.org/USOC_32554_AR16.pdf">$84.7 million in grants</a>. It parceled out more to the governing bodies for the sports that had been <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2016-olympics-usoc-return-on-investment/">winning the most medals</a>, including those overseeing <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2016-olympics-usoc-return-on-investment/">skiing and snowboarding, track and field, and swimming</a>, than the rest.</p>
<p>These organizations give both current Olympians and potentially Olympic-bound athletes stipends that help cover the cost of training. As <a href="http://usathletictrust.org/athlete-advocacy/usat-publications/how-well-are-us-athletes-supported-by-the-usoc-and-11-other-important-olympic-questions/">the system</a> works today, there simply isn’t enough of this money to go around.</p>
<h2>Sparse financial rewards</h2>
<p>In the U.S., most of these <a href="http://money.cnn.com/2016/07/07/news/olympics-rio-us-athletes-finances/index.html">stipends are meager</a>, sometimes amounting to only $1,000 per month, below the official <a href="https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty-guidelines">poverty line</a>. </p>
<p>The U.S. athletes who win medals also collect <a href="https://www.teamusa.org/News/2016/December/13/US-Olympic-Committee-Significantly-Increases-Payments-To-Athletes-For-Olympic-World-Medals">cash prizes</a>: $37,500 for gold, $22,500 for silver and $15,000 for bronze. This windfall, in reality, is just enough for a down payment on next year’s expenses. </p>
<p>There are very few options for most athletes no matter how entrepreneurial or victorious they are. Male and female figure skaters can spend a few years making a living by performing on <a href="http://www.espn.com/olympics/story/_/id/18615302/why-some-athletes-even-olympians-take-their-talents-disney-ice-cirque-du-soleil">Disney on Ice</a> tours, and male hockey and basketball players who compete at the Olympics can keep playing on professional teams. But there are virtually no gigs for bobsledders. </p>
<p>So the next time you watch your country’s Olympic contenders compete, remember that these elite athletes probably had to overcome financial hardships before they could represent the U.S. at the games.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91543/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Craig Leon has an athlete endorsement contract with Mizuno, a Japanese company that makes sports equipment and gear. </span></em></p>A lack of federal funding for their training, travel or living expenses leaves many elite American athletes juggling day jobs and scrambling to pay their bills.Craig Leon, MBA Program Manager, Warsaw Sports Marketing Center, Lundquist College of Business, University of OregonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/915972018-02-20T10:17:02Z2018-02-20T10:17:02ZFour historic moments when sport and diplomacy collided<p>It was an unexpected addition to the “ice diplomacy” of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. North Korean cheerleaders, who had supported the unified Korean women’s ice hockey team, then showed up <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-olympics-2018-iceh-m-cze-kor-cheerlea/north-korean-cheerleaders-appear-at-south-korean-mens-game-idUSKCN1FZ1GR">en masse</a> to cheer on the South Korean men’s team in their defeat to the Czech Republic. </p>
<p>Aside from the symbolic unity on display at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics, when athletes from the North and South marched out under a unified flag, real diplomacy has happened on the sidelines and in the stands. South Korean president, Moon Jae-in and Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, <a href="https://theconversation.com/north-and-south-korea-extend-hands-of-peace-after-symbolic-olympic-opening-ceremony-90569">met on the sidelines</a> of the games in a meeting that culminated in Moon’s invite to visit Pyongyang. They both then went on <a href="http://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/Sports/view?articleId=154011">to watch</a> the combined Korean team.</p>
<p>Sport and politics often collide, and leaders have increased their efforts to harness the role of sport in furthering their national interests. But sporting competitions have been taking place between nation states in conflict for millennia. </p>
<p>At the ancient Olympics, a <a href="https://www.olympic.org/news/the-history-of-the-olympic-truce">truce</a> enabled athletes and spectators from the warring states of ancient Greece to travel safely to and from the games held in the host state of Elis, which was in control of Olympia. It’s unclear whether the Olympic truce sparked greater dialogue between the leaders of the warring countries, or whether the athletes brought national politics to the event – but clearly a truce was deemed necessary for the games to take place. </p>
<p>This “Olympic truce” did not always hold true in the modern era, and the games were cancelled due to war in 1916, 1940 and 1944. In more recent decades, as geopolitical rivals have met at international sporting events, greater oversight and care has ensured athletes promote official policy as national representatives on a global stage. Sometimes diplomacy won the day, sometimes it didn’t. </p>
<h2>1914: World War I Christmas football truce</h2>
<p>One of the most iconic and earliest illustrations of the relationship between sport, diplomacy and peace in the modern era happened in Belgium in December 1914, during a sporadic cessation of hostilities in World War I aimed mainly at tending to the dead and wounded left out in No Man’s Land. </p>
<p>Small-scale kickabouts are <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/The_Christmas_Truce.html?id=rX20CgAAQBAJ&source=kp_cover&redir_esc=y">said to have taken place</a> between German and British soldiers as one of many different activities, particularly the barter of goods. Such socialising was quickly curtailed by commanders fearing it would lessen the desire to fight – and with it the threat of harsh punishment for any man caught fraternising. </p>
<h2>1956 Melbourne Olympics: USSR v Hungary water polo</h2>
<p>The Hungarian water polo team arrived in Melbourne to be told Soviet tanks and troops had rolled into Budapest to crush an anti-Soviet uprising, which had resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths and thousands of arrests. The team had been at a pre-Olympic training camp in Czechoslovakia. </p>
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<p>The Hungarians met the Russian team in the semi-final on December 6, 1956 and devised a plan to provoke their opponents to fight, primarily as a strategy to win the match. The match was littered with kicking and punching from both sides. Five players were ejected and the Hungarians comfortably won the game 4-0 on their way to winning gold. </p>
<h2>2004: Indian cricket tour to Pakistan</h2>
<p>After a break of nearly 15 years following armed conflict, primarily over long-running disputes about the sovereignty of Kashmir, in 2004 India’s cricket team went on a cricket tour to neighbouring Pakistan.</p>
<p>Thousands of Indians travelled to Pakistan to watch the matches and at the time, former Pakistan captain-turned politician Imran Khan stated: “(The tour) transcends sports, it is much more than cricket, it is passion.” </p>
<p>The series heralded the start of a sequence of reciprocal test series between 2004 and 2007. This was abruptly halted following the 2008 attacks in Mumbai – and no home test match series has taken place between the two countries since, though they have played each other in other formats of the game, and in test series <a href="http://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/pakistan/uae-to-host-pakistan-vs-india-cricket-series-1.1508275">hosted</a> in the United Arab Emirates. </p>
<h2>1998 FIFA World Cup in France: Iran v USA</h2>
<p>Mirroring contemporary quarrels, this football game was overshadowed by the political backdrop of ongoing tensions between Iran and the US. </p>
<p>Both sides traded flowers, gifts and photographs before the kick-off and showed the utmost respect during the game. Iran’s 2-1 <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/world-cup-2014-countdown-iran-vs-usa-at-france-98-9168956.html">victory</a> sparked wild celebrations that, for a short time, threatened to destabilise the government. Warnings were ignored by hundreds of thousands of young Iranians, including women, who saw the victory as a good excuse to take to the streets in large numbers, which was considered a political act of defiance.</p>
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<p>Sporting events such as those occurring on the Korean peninsula can have significant political symbolism, but their contribution to actual peacemaking efforts is not always assured. Sport’s primary diplomatic role is usually as a catalyst to press politicians to undertake the serious hard work of diplomacy. But that requires perseverance and commitment, which may fade once the public gaze moves on after the competition ends, and other national narratives regain prominence. </p>
<p>In the context of national conflict, perhaps the most we can expect from sport diplomacy is that it provides an isolated token moment that requires us to see and appreciate others differently – rather than provide a model for replicating wider forms of cross-national cooperation and integration.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91597/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alun Hardman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Sometimes diplomacy won the day, sometimes it didn’t.Alun Hardman, Senior Lecturer and Associate Dean, International, Cardiff Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/913222018-02-20T00:38:32Z2018-02-20T00:38:32ZThirty years since the Seoul Olympics, South Korea is still tackling the legacy of overseas adoption<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206333/original/file-20180214-174982-2eh4r3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=29%2C390%2C3229%2C1836&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">South Korea continues to have a problem with abandoned babies and ongoing overseas adoption despite economic growth.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jessica Walton</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>South Korea holding this year’s Winter Olympics comes 30 years after the country first hosted the Summer Olympics, in the capital Seoul. It has undergone huge social changes since that time, but there is still a long road ahead for South Korea to become a more equal nation. </p>
<p>As with all major sporting events, the Olympics places a host country’s social issues <a href="https://theconversation.com/two-koreas-working-together-on-winter-olympics-is-a-small-but-important-step-toward-peace-90931">firmly in the international spotlight</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/two-koreas-working-together-on-winter-olympics-is-a-small-but-important-step-toward-peace-90931">Two Koreas working together on Winter Olympics is a small but important step toward peace</a>
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<p>In 1988, South Korea was still under the authoritarian rule of Chun Doo-hwan and – later and to a lesser extent – Roh Tae-woo. The country’s rapid industrialisation and urbanisation had only begun in earnest under Park Chung-hee (the father of ousted former president Park Geun-hye) in the 1960s and 1970s. This came at enormous human cost and sacrifice.</p>
<p>Occasionally, hosting an Olympic Games provides an opportunity for change. The 1988 Olympics shed light on South Korea’s institutionalised practice of international adoption; the country was criticised for being a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/21/world/seoul-journal-babies-for-export-and-now-the-painful-questions.html">baby-exporting nation</a>.</p>
<h2>An ongoing issue</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.tobiashubinette.se/country_korea.pdf">At its peak</a> in 1985, 8,837 children were sent overseas from South Korea for adoption. This amounts to about 24 children per day.</p>
<p>Efforts to curtail the number of children sent overseas were discussed after South Korea was internationally shamed. But although adoptions dropped to 4,191 in 1989 and 2,962 in 1990, they continued in the thousands well into the early 2000s. South Korean children continue to be adopted overseas today. </p>
<p>Since the Korean War ended in 1953, South Korea has systematically sent an estimated 200,000 children to be adopted internationally to the US, Western European countries, and Australia. </p>
<p>A fundamental issue about adoption since the 1980s – and particularly since South Korea joined the OECD in 1996 – is that most occur not due to poverty, but because of entrenched social discrimination against single mothers in a society that makes it incredibly difficult for single mothers to keep their children – even with modest financial support. </p>
<p>Some 90% of international adoptions from South Korea today are from <a href="http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/830741.html">single mothers</a> owing to the deep social stigma they continue to face.</p>
<p>An estimated 2,000 Korean adoptees return every year to the country of their birth; many try to search for their birth family. There are also about six people adopted to the US who have been deported back to South Korea, due to their adoptive parents and the system of adoption failing to ensure they have US citizenship. There are thousands of others who also may not have citizenship, and <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/stop-the-unjust-deportation-of-internationally-adopted_us_5930acd1e4b062a6ac0ace60">thus risk deportation</a>. </p>
<p>Over the last 30 years, adult adoptees in South Korea and internationally <a href="https://www.goal.or.kr">have fought</a> not only for their rights and post-adoption support for adoptees, but also for the <a href="http://www.koroot.org/eng/">rights of single mothers</a>.</p>
<p>More recently, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/adopteesforchange/">adoptees with Korean allies</a> have been <a href="https://justicespeaking.wordpress.com/2015/10/25/forum-to-improve-birthfamily-search/">campaigning for a revision</a> to the country’s 2011 Special Adoption Law (enacted in 2012). </p>
<p>Specifically, these groups are hoping <a href="https://www.koreaexpose.com/korean-adoptees-search-birth-family/">to change post-adoption services</a> to better connect adoptees with birth families, and to ensure adoptees are able to access information about their family history and the circumstances of their adoption. This is particularly important if their birth parents have passed away, if they cannot be found, or in case of a medical emergency.</p>
<h2>Protests show South Korea can change</h2>
<p>In 2016, I attended a few of the candlelight demonstrations at Gwanghwamun Square against Park’s presidency; these were the biggest protests since the democracy movement of the 1980s. Protesters of all ages endured cold autumn and winter nights to stand against corruption and hope for a fairer South Korea.</p>
<p>I was adopted from South Korea to the US in 1983. In that year I was one of 7,263 babies to be adopted internationally. What I know of my Korean mother is that she moved away from the countryside to work in a printing factory. </p>
<p>As one of many single mothers without the support of her family and society more generally, she had no other viable option but to send me to an agency to be adopted overseas. </p>
<p>In 2018, it continues to remain difficult for adoptees to reunite with Korean family members. Only a very small percentage have managed to do so. </p>
<p>With the Pyeongchang Olympics in full swing and the world’s focus on South Korea, now is the time to reflect on what’s been gained since 1988 and how far there is still to go on social issues. A country that is capable of so much is surely also capable of real social and cultural change.</p>
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<p><em>This article has been amended since publication. It originally said:</em></p>
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<p>There are also dozens who were adopted to the US who have been deported back to South Korea due to their adoptive parents and the system of adoption failing to ensure they have US citizenship.</p>
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<p><em>This has been changed to:</em></p>
<blockquote>
<p>There are also about six people adopted to the US who have been deported back to South Korea, due to their adoptive parents and the system of adoption failing to ensure they have US citizenship.</p>
</blockquote><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91322/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jessica Walton receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p>The 1988 Seoul Olympics shed light on South Korea’s institutionalised practice of international adoption.Jessica Walton, DECRA Senior Research Fellow, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/920182018-02-19T23:57:38Z2018-02-19T23:57:38ZWhy Olympic athletes ‘choke’ at the Winter Games<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206855/original/file-20180218-75990-eg3uxa.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=89%2C175%2C2201%2C1318&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Nathan Chen of the United States, considered a gold medal contender, falls while performing during the men's short program figure skating at the 2018 Winter Olympics. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s easy to get lost in the magic of the performances of Olympians. We have come to expect perfection for things difficult and even impossible for the mere mortal to perform — especially when an Olympic gold medal is up for grabs.</p>
<p>But <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/feb/16/yuzuru-hanyu-nathan-chen-figure-skating-olympics">as we’ve seen in these Winter Games</a> — and <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/more-sports/patrick-chan-needed-time-to-get-over-sochi-disappointment/article19143936/">at every Olympics</a> — the athlete favoured to win doesn’t always make it to the top of the medal podium. Why is it that throughout a season an athlete can demonstrate domination in their respective sport, but fail to perform when it counts most at the Olympic Games?</p>
<p>The easiest answer is to assume that athlete has choked and is not a clutch performer. The elite athlete is a complex machine, further compounded by the infinite factors that influence their performances. As complex as that athlete is, so is the answer to the question about why top athletes come up short at the Olympics.</p>
<p>As an Olympian and a registered mental performance consultant, I’m aware of the many factors that can influence an athlete’s performance under the glare of the world spotlight.</p>
<h2>Changes in normal routine</h2>
<p>Elite athletes lean on routines as a foundation for consistently great performances. Routines involve specific actions the athlete uses to prepare for both practice and competition.</p>
<p>Consider, for example, an athlete’s warm-up, eating habits and bedtime. All of these may appear minor to the non-athlete, but they are instrumental in preparing the athlete for competition.</p>
<p>Disrupting this process can interfere with an athlete’s sense of confidence and readiness. Being away from their normal environment invokes changes in these routines. Now magnify the environment that comes with the Olympic Games — well, any hope of maintaining a routine has just become almost impossible. </p>
<p>U.S. alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin has developed a reputation as being one of the best racers. She is almost equally known for loving her sleep, taking strides to go to bed by 8:30 p.m. while at the Games. However, after winning her first gold medal, the medal ceremony kept her from going to bed until much later.</p>
<p>She took to the slopes the next day in her best event, the slalom, and failed to defend her gold medal, finishing fourth. She later explained that she was more upset with how she felt on her skis than her placing.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="InstagramEmbed" data-react-props="{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/p/BfTDAn5l1fI/?hl=en\u0026taken-by=mikaelashiffrin","accessToken":"127105130696839|b4b75090c9688d81dfd245afe6052f20"}"></div></p>
<p>Shiffrin arrived at the Games favoured to win five medals, but due to the scheduling, she later pulled out of one of her races.</p>
<p>In addition to the excitement of the Olympic Games, researchers
Christy Greenleaf, Daniel Gould and Kristen Dieffenbach have found that <a href="http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.461.2209&rep=rep1&type=pdf">arriving to the Olympics, or a venue, too early</a>, experiencing unexpected nervousness, being forced to change a performance plan as well as different time zones for competition are all factors that take an athlete out of their normal routine.</p>
<p>They also found team coaches acting differently than an athlete’s personal coach, who isn’t always able to come to the Games, can also play a role in distracting them from normal routines.</p>
<p>Ultimately, even though it is the Olympic Games, athletes want to keep things as close to normal as possible. As soon as athletes depart from their normal routine, they invite an opportunity for inferior performances. </p>
<h2>Pressure and media distraction</h2>
<p>For some athletes, the Olympic Games feel like a fishbowl. They are catapulted from minimal attention to intense media focus, which can make the athletes feel like they’re being scrutinized and judged.</p>
<p>This new attention can shift their focus on the need to win and away from what will allow them to be successful — the process. </p>
<p>The advent of social media makes the ability to manage media distraction even more challenging. Twitter gives fans direct access to the athletes. Fans can even interact with athletes between rounds of competition. Whether they are cheering them or jeering them, it can be distracting and disruptive for an athlete preparing to compete.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206854/original/file-20180218-75997-13zg2dd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=12%2C12%2C4109%2C3628&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206854/original/file-20180218-75997-13zg2dd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206854/original/file-20180218-75997-13zg2dd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206854/original/file-20180218-75997-13zg2dd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206854/original/file-20180218-75997-13zg2dd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=659&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206854/original/file-20180218-75997-13zg2dd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=659&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206854/original/file-20180218-75997-13zg2dd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=659&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">American skier Mikaela Shiffrin talks to the media after her first run of the women’s slalom at the 2018 Winter Olympics.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Injury</h2>
<p>You can never plan for an injury. However, when an injury happens, it can be a daunting battle. Often, a greater component of battling injury is controlling those around you.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.uky.edu/%7Eeushe2/Bandura/BanEncy.html">Self-efficacy</a>, the belief that an athlete has the ability to meet a challenge head on, is influenced by four factors. One of those factors is called verbal persuasion — what the athlete or others say about the athlete.</p>
<p>In professional sports, teams are required to declare injuries that athletes may be managing. However, this rule doesn’t apply in amateur sports. Athletes can be battling an injury and choose not to discuss it for fear that it may provide an edge to their competitor, or cause doubt in those that they look to for support. </p>
<p>I can relate all too well. Three days before competing in the high jump at the Beijing Olympic Games, I tore all the ligaments in my ankle while warming up in practice. </p>
<p>Suddenly all my performance goals seemed impossible, but I was still hopeful and determined to compete to the best of my abilities. I was not ready to concede defeat. To keep up an environment of support and optimism, no one knew of my injury except for the medical staff and my teammates.</p>
<p>So when watching your favourite athletes compete, it’s important to know they may be battling something physically or mentally that they haven’t disclosed. What might appear as an unexplained poor performance may in fact be the best performance they could summon on that day given whatever injury they were battling.</p>
<h2>Expect the unexpected</h2>
<p>The Olympic Games is arguably the greatest test for any athlete. The ability to perform when it counts most, with the weight of a nation on your shoulders, is no small feat.</p>
<p>Athletes can equip themselves for performing in the fishbowl with mental-skills preparation and by establishing a support system. Mental-skills preparation can help athletes block out distractions, maintain their routine, control their nerves and elevate their confidence. </p>
<p>A solid support system can further assist by keeping routines as normal as possible and encouraging confidence by providing positive feedback.</p>
<p>Finally, preparing for the unexpected can serve as a life preserver when you are swimming in the ocean of the Olympic Games. When working with super elite athletes, I encourage athletes to do so.</p>
<p>Through this process, athletes identify various scenarios that could occur and establish a game plan for how they should respond in those instances. If you can expect the unexpected, the unexpected ceases to exist. Through this multi-faceted process, I have found athletes not only feel prepared but also have an elevated level of confidence. </p>
<p>Ultimately, just because an athlete does not perform as well as expected does not mean they’ve choked. Athletes are like an iceberg — what we see may only be 10 per cent of what’s really going on.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/92018/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicole W. Forrester does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Why can an athlete dominate their sport, but fail to perform when it counts most at the Olympic Games? A number of factors the viewing audience can’t see can explain poor performances.Nicole W. Forrester, Assistant Professor, School of Media, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/919362018-02-19T13:40:58Z2018-02-19T13:40:58ZWere Team GB’s skeleton suits responsible for fantastic three medal haul?<p>Team GB skeleton rider Lizzie Yarnold won a <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-olympics/42981272">stunning Winter Olympic gold</a> on February 17, backed up by bronzes for Laura Deas and Dom Parsons. Thanks to drag-resistant ridges, 3D laser scanning and topnotch material, Team GB’s skeleton suits are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/feb/12/gb-skeleton-pyeongchang-skin-suits-british-cycling">said to</a> have provided up to a one-second advantage per run over the rest of the field and have been a hot topic of <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/winter-olympics-2018/2018/02/15/2018-winter-olympics-british-skeleton-suits-create-controversy/339893002/">controversy</a>. </p>
<p>What makes these revolutionary suits so speedy – and just how important were these technological innovations in Team GB’s riders’ success? The Conversation put these questions to Nick Martin, senior lecturer in Aerodynamics at Northumbria University.</p>
<p><strong>How do the suits give the riders their extra speed?</strong></p>
<p>The aerodynamics of a skeleton bobsled and rider are complex, and our knowledge of fluid mechanics is far from complete. This creates opportunities for research and development programmes that push the frontiers of our aerodynamic understanding to produce technological innovations that give riders an all-important edge.</p>
<p>Drag is the aerodynamic force that opposes an object’s motion through air and slows it down. Only about 10% of the drag force acting on skeleton riders comes from the bobsled, meaning that the greatest potential for improving the time it takes to traverse the 1,376.38 meter track in Pyeongchang is to optimising the aerodynamics of the athletes themselves.</p>
<p>The drag acting on the riders comes from two sources. Air moving close to the athletes’ bodies moves slower than air further away, causing friction along the athletes’ skin suits. In addition, as athletes move down the track, air directly in front of them becomes more compressed and air behind them becomes less dense. This pressure difference acts to both “push” against the athletes from the front and “pull” them back at the same time, slowing them down.</p>
<p>Pressure drag accounts for more than 90% of the overall drag on both the rider and bobsled. The amount of pressure drag is influenced by the shape of the athlete, so aerodynamics experts can most effectively attempt to make performance gains by refining the athletes’ helmets and suits.</p>
<p>Skeleton suits are made out of an elastic material called polyurethane. All teams use this material, but the addition of drag-resistant ridges and the use of 3D scanning allows the suit designers to make subtle changes to the athletes’ shape that seems to set apart Team GB’s suits. This fine tuning is comparable to the careful design engineering of Formula One cars and aeroplanes to perfect their aerodynamic behaviour.</p>
<p>The drag-resistant ridges on Team GB’s suits introduce turbulence into the thin layer of air surrounding the athlete, known as the boundary layer. A turbulent boundary layer actually causes more skin friction, but is less likely to separate when it encounters a seam in the skin suit, a folded ridge of material, or a curved surface. Separation creates pockets of low-pressure, slow-moving air, too much of which can cause large increases in pressure drag. The ridges minimise pressure drag, surmounting the increased skin friction to provide the riders with that extra bit of oomph.</p>
<p>Any loose “flapping” material from the riders’ skin suits also causes air separation. By 3D laser scanning athletes, the suit manufacturers can create bespoke, close-fitting suits for each rider, reducing the amount of loose material. 3D scans can also be used in computer simulations to model how air flows over the rider and bobsled in order to analyse where any improvements can be made.</p>
<p><strong>How much of a speed advantage do you think the suits provided?</strong></p>
<p>A very liberal estimate of a 5% reduction in pressure drag would result in an approximate time saving of less than half a second. Most of the drag savings can be made just by an athlete having a sensible, close-fitting skin suit, which most of the athletes already have, further reducing the benefits of the ridges and 3D scanning.</p>
<p>So, the claims of a one-second advantage are exaggerated. But from my experience working in Formula One, it is marginal gains of fractions of a percent that can make the difference to the top athletes. Let’s not forget that Laura Deas only took her bronze by <a href="https://www.olympic.org/pyeongchang-2018/results/resOWG2018/pdf/OWG2018/SKN/OWG2018_SKN_C73B2_SKNWSINGLES-----------------------.pdf">a margin</a> of 0.02 seconds.</p>
<p><strong>Is this fair and if so, why isn’t everyone using them?</strong></p>
<p>The suits were checked by the sport’s governing body and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/feb/14/rival-athletes-legality-team-gb-skin-suit-winter-olympics">ruled to be legal</a>. Technology plays an important part in sports science. If it is correctly regulated to allow all competitors to profit from it, then this is a good thing. </p>
<p>The research that goes into drag reduction techniques could well be transferable to other engineering disciplines, which could have a benefit to the wider society. </p>
<p>I think that this is just an opportunity missed by other teams. Team GB has clearly invested in the technology aspect of sports. I would like to see more open funding for this type of research, so that more athletes can benefit.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91936/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicholas Martin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The science behind the suits that gave Britain’s medal-winning athletes a crucial speed boost.Nicholas Martin, Senior Lecturer in Aerodynamics, Northumbria University, NewcastleLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/910912018-02-19T00:47:03Z2018-02-19T00:47:03ZWhy sport hasn’t made much progress on LGBTI+ rights since the Sochi Olympics<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204597/original/file-20180202-162087-1uoh7kt.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">American skiier Gus Kenworthy is one of many openly gay athletes competing in Pyeongchang.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.newnownext.com/gus-kenworthy-head-shoulders-commercial/01/2018/">Head & Shoulders</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Athletes from Western nations have various protections, and many now share equal rights in most aspects of the law. But when they travel to compete in countries with regressive human rights records, these protections can be lost.</p>
<p>Australia competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, both of which were held in Russia. It will again send a team to Russia to play in this year’s FIFA World Cup and aims to compete in the 2022 edition in Qatar. Both countries have poor human rights records, particularly on LGBTI+ issues.</p>
<p>Sport is often lauded as a platform to advance human rights. But, for LGBTI+ individuals and athletes, this may not necessarily be true. The continued hosting of mega sporting events in countries with anti-LGBTI+ laws brings the role of sport in campaigns to advance human rights into focus.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/australia-has-finally-achieved-marriage-equality-but-theres-a-lot-more-to-be-done-on-lgbti-rights-88488">Australia has finally achieved marriage equality, but there's a lot more to be done on LGBTI rights</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>LGBTI+ rights and the Winter Olympics</h2>
<p>Sochi became a platform for LGBTI+ rights when Western activists called for a boycott based on several human rights concerns. Their resistance increased in direct response to the implementation of laws in Russia <a href="https://theadvocatespost.org/2014/02/18/russias-gay-propaganda-law-how-u-s-extremists-are-fueling-the-fight-against-lgbti-rights/">outlawing sexual minorities</a>. </p>
<p>Principle 4 of the <a href="https://stillmed.olympic.org/media/Document%20Library/OlympicOrg/General/EN-Olympic-Charter.pdf#_ga=2.133354314.537528641.1517495712-1055478812.1443790906">Fundamental Principles of Olympism</a> was often referred to amid concerns for the safety of LGBTI+ athletes at Sochi: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practising sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Athlete activists have begun to challenge the hosting of mega sporting events in countries like Russia that ignore human rights and reinforce systems of oppression. But what has really changed since Sochi for Olympians?</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/sport-sochi-and-the-rising-challenge-of-the-activist-athlete-22491">Sport, Sochi and the rising challenge of the activist athlete</a>
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<p>This year a country with a questionable stance on LGBTI+ rights is again hosting the Winter Olympics. South Korea scores only 13% on the <a href="http://annual.sogilaw.org/rainbowIndex/english.html">Rainbow Index</a>, which measures the impacts of a country’s laws and policies on the lives of LGBTI+ people. This is only a marginally better score than Russia’s 8%.</p>
<p>Although homosexuality is legal in South Korea, LGBTI+ rights remain highly volatile. South Korean President Moon Jae-in has courted controversy with comments <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-26/south-koreas-presidential-frontrunner-angers-lgbt-activists/8474332">opposing homosexuality</a>, and sexual minorities continue to face significant stigma in the region.</p>
<p>Australia is taking 51 athletes to compete in South Korea, with two openly gay women on the team. One, Belle Brockhoff, has criticised the anti-LGBTI+ laws in host countries. She joined 26 other athletes who <a href="http://www.starobserver.com.au/news/national-news/second-openly-gay-winter-olympics-team-member-named/165847">signed a letter</a> opposing Kazakhstan’s bid to host the 2022 Winter Olympics due to its anti-LGBTI+ policies.</p>
<p>However, it is not only host nations that can be called to account for their poor LGBTI+ records. Adam Rippon, an openly gay figure skater who has <a href="http://www.espn.com.au/skiing/winter18/story/_/id/22404750/winter-olympics-2018-adam-rippon-helps-united-states-take-home-bronze-team-figure-skating-event">won bronze in Pyeongchang</a>, recently said he did not want to meet Vice President Mike Pence as part of an official reception for the US team. <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/christinebrennan/2018/01/17/gay-olympian-adam-rippon-blasts-selection-mike-pence-lead-u-s-delegation/1040610001/">Rippon argued</a> the Trump administration does not “represent the values that [he] was taught growing up”. </p>
<p>A Fox News executive has criticised the inclusion of “African-Americans, Asians and openly gay athletes” in the US team. He claimed that “<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/winter-olympics-fox-news-john-moody-us-committee-darker-gayer-different-a8203566.html?amp">Darker, Gayer, Different</a>” was now a more suitable Olympic motto than “Faster, Higher, Stronger”.</p>
<p>Current evidence suggests that anti-LGBTI+ discrimination is rising. Stonewall, the UK’s leading LGBTI+ charity, reports hate crimes toward the LGBTI+ community have increased: <a href="http://www.stonewall.org.uk/comeoutforLGBT/lgbt-in-britain/hate-crime">one in five</a> LGBTI+ people have experienced a hate crime due to their sexual orientation or gender identity in the last year. </p>
<p>In the US, Donald Trump tried to ban transgender people from serving in the military. Several states have attempted to pass laws to restrict access to bathrooms for people who are trans or gender-diverse.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204554/original/file-20180202-162101-7l80fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204554/original/file-20180202-162101-7l80fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204554/original/file-20180202-162101-7l80fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204554/original/file-20180202-162101-7l80fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204554/original/file-20180202-162101-7l80fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204554/original/file-20180202-162101-7l80fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204554/original/file-20180202-162101-7l80fx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Australian snowboarder Belle Brockhoff has publicly criticised the anti-LGBTI+ laws in Olympic host countries.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Robert Cianflone/Getty Images</span></span>
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<h2>With increased visibility comes increased risk</h2>
<p>An increasing number of athletes now openly <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/olympics/2016/08/10/rio-olympics-feature-the-most-out-lgbtq-athletes-ever/">demonstrate their sexual orientation</a>, but many acknowledge it leaves them open to homophobic abuse – especially on social media platforms. </p>
<p>American Olympic skier <a href="http://www.bbc.com/sport/winter-sports/43015188">Gus Kenworthy</a> referred to social media as a space that serves to reinforce the presence of <a href="http://www.espn.co.uk/olympics/story/_/id/13942305/olympic-freeskier-x-games-star-gus-kenworthy-first-openly-gay-action-sports-athlete">casual and aggressive homophobia</a>. British Olympian Tom Bosworth said he believed fear of <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/social-media-trolls-are-stopping-gay-sports-stars-coming-out-says-olympian-tom-bosworth-a3398236.html">abuse on social media</a> could be preventing athletes from coming out.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"961989267911098368"}"></div></p>
<p>Mega sporting events can be problematic for LGBTI+ athletes as many may not be “out” and there can be serious implications if they were to do so. </p>
<p>The safety and welfare of LGBTI+ athletes made headlines when a journalist went undercover in the athletes’ village at the 2016 Rio Olympics to identify out or closeted athletes. Several athletes who were identified were from countries where being gay is criminalised or even punishable by death.</p>
<p>Sport is responding at a notably slow pace to the advancement of LGBTI+ human rights.</p>
<p>Major sporting codes have shown they are not ready to tackle trans and gender diversity. For example, the Australian Football League recently banned <a href="https://theconversation.com/by-excluding-hannah-mouncey-the-afls-inclusion-policy-has-failed-a-key-test-85900">transgender player Hannah Mouncey</a> from joining its women’s competition.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/by-excluding-hannah-mouncey-the-afls-inclusion-policy-has-failed-a-key-test-85900">By excluding Hannah Mouncey, the AFL's inclusion policy has failed a key test</a>
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<p>There is still much work to be done around athletes with intersex variations, sex testing in elite-level competition, and transgender and transitioned athletes. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204555/original/file-20180202-162077-vz5xgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/204555/original/file-20180202-162077-vz5xgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204555/original/file-20180202-162077-vz5xgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204555/original/file-20180202-162077-vz5xgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204555/original/file-20180202-162077-vz5xgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204555/original/file-20180202-162077-vz5xgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/204555/original/file-20180202-162077-vz5xgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Ice skater Adam Rippon said he did want to meet US Vice President Mike Pence due to the Trump administration’s record on LGBTI+ rights.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Matthew Stockman/Getty</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Hope for the future?</h2>
<p>One particular social inclusion legacy to come from a mega sporting event is <a href="http://www.pridehouseinternational.org/index.php/history/">Pride House International</a>. This initiative provides a safe space for the LGBTI+ community to engage with a sporting event.</p>
<p>In addition, the <a href="http://www.principle6.org/">Principle 6 campaign</a>, launched in response to Russia’s anti-LGBT laws, led to the expansion of that particular part of the Olympic Charter to include sexual orientation as something sport should be free from discrimination on.</p>
<p>It will be interesting to see whether the 2018 Winter Olympics can contribute to the advancement of LGBTI+ rights within South Korea and beyond. However, more scrutiny must be directed to the human rights records of potential host nations when awarding mega sporting events.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91091/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ryan Storr consults for Proud 2 Play. He is affiliated with the 2018 Gold Coast Pride House. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emma Kavanagh and Keith Parry do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A country with a questionable stance on LGBTI+ rights is again hosting the Winter Olympics.Keith Parry, Senior Lecturer in Sport Management, Western Sydney UniversityEmma Kavanagh, Senior Lecturer in Sports Psychology and Coaching Sciences, Bournemouth UniversityRyan Storr, Lecturer in Sport Development, Western Sydney UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/918942018-02-18T21:26:31Z2018-02-18T21:26:31ZNorth Korean Sport Diplomacy: The Olympic event where everyone loses<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206680/original/file-20180215-131024-1m3p59j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Members of a North Korean delegation cheer while holding the unified Korea flag at the pairs figure skating free program at the Pyeonchang Winter Olympics on Feb. 15, 2018 in Gangneung, South Korea. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The message of the 2018 Pyeongchang “<a href="http://www.dailynk.com/english/read.php?cataId=nk02500&num=14996">Peace Olympics</a>” is clear. </p>
<p>Athletes using performance-enhancing drugs <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/for-olympic-athletes-from-russia-a-sense-of-unity-and-defiance/2018/02/14/2f9df634-114e-11e8-9570-29c9830535e5_story.html?utm_term=.354c9ceb3c02">will be exiled, stripped of national colours and shunned</a>. “Olympic Athletes from Russia” participating in the Winter Games are feeling such scorn.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, North Korea’s <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-42955834">500-person Olympic delegation</a> — attending the Olympics under duress, constant surveillance and potential abuse —are venerated. The 22 athletes and some <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/12/sports/olympics/north-korean-cheerleaders.html">200 cheerleaders</a> — an Olympic first — bear as much resemblance to the Olympic values of “friendship, respect and excellence” as do the Harlem Globetrotters to the NBA championships. </p>
<p>This sets an alarming precedent. Banning Russia while embracing North Korea reveals the deeper moral value of the Olympics. </p>
<p>The International Olympic Committee <a href="https://www.olympic.org/fight-against-doping">opposes performance-enhancing drugs</a> that can carry an athlete to the podium. However, it remains eerily silent on how North Korea <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/15/sports-thrive-in-north-korea-despite-sanctions.html">pushes their athletes towards that same podium.</a></p>
<h2>‘Peaceful resolve’</h2>
<p>“<a href="https://www.olympic.org/olympic-truce">Olympic Truce</a>” dates back to ancient Greece. It allows athletes to travel safely to participate in Olympic events during times of conflict. North Korean athletes are in Pyeongchang under this edict. It is meant to build peaceful resolve to the Korean conflict. </p>
<p>But is diplomacy possible with North Korea? Kim Jong-un’s state of iron-fisted control breaks international agreements with impunity.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/kim-jong-un-is-a-gangster-heres-how-to-sort-him-out-89656">Kim Jong-un is a gangster: Here’s how to sort him out</a>
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<p>North Koreans are not seeing live footage of the 2018 Winter Games. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/15/world/asia/north-korea-olympics-television.html">At most, only small snippets through state-controlled media will enter the country</a>. As of today, North Korea has yet to broadcast any footage of the Olympics. </p>
<p>North Korean athletes will not interact with other delegations. They are under 24-hour surveillance by their North Korean minders. <a href="http://nationalpost.com/sports/olympics/to-avoid-defection-north-korea-olympic-athletes-kept-under-24-hour-guard-including-pee-breaks">Even washroom breaks are closely scrutinized</a>. While worried about potential defections, the North Korean regime is mostly concerned about defamation against it. South Korea even advised anti-North Korean <a href="https://www.upi.com/Human-rights-activists-defy-North-Koreas-Olympics-charm-offensive/9791518537471/">activists to “be quiet” during the Games</a>.</p>
<p>The process of becoming an elite athlete in North Korea is best described as “brutal.” <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2014/09/29/world/asia/north-korea-defector-boxer/index.html">Choi Hyun Mi</a>, a North Korean boxer who defected in 2004, has described how North Korea creates Olympians. The government selected her at the age of 11 to box. Food was used for both control and incentive. Fight harder, and you will eat more. Falter, and you will starve. </p>
<h2>Abused and condemned</h2>
<p>Demoralizing tasks are doled out to those who perform poorly. Choi recalls how athletes were forced to stand in front of crowds to be publicly abused and condemned if they fail to win. </p>
<p>“Shaming was particularly bad to competitors who lost to rivals from South Korea, Japan or the United States,” she said.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206688/original/file-20180215-131021-sj1476.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206688/original/file-20180215-131021-sj1476.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206688/original/file-20180215-131021-sj1476.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206688/original/file-20180215-131021-sj1476.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206688/original/file-20180215-131021-sj1476.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206688/original/file-20180215-131021-sj1476.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206688/original/file-20180215-131021-sj1476.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Ryom Tae Ok and Kim Ju Sik of North Korea perform in the pairs free skate figure skating final in the Gangneung Ice Arena at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, on Feb. 15, 2018.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>There will be consequences if any of the North Korean delegates err from the script. The regime monitors the families of its athletes, and occasionally holds them as collateral. Speaking off script, or causing shame to the leader or the regime in any way, can result in detention and political <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/new-images-show-north-koreas-extensive-network-of-re-education-camps/2017/10/25/894afc1c-b9a7-11e7-9b93-b97043e57a22_story.html?utm_term=.4603ddb1ef74">re-education.</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/asia/north-korea/galleries/what-you-didn-t-know-about-north-korea/there-s-a-three-generations-of-punishment-rule/">Three generations can be punished</a> in North Korea if a family member is suspected of defamation of the leader, espionage or contact with foreigners. </p>
<p>To such accounts of human rights abuses, the International Olympic Committee turns a blind eye. But to weed out performance-enhancing dopers, it will scour every last drop of urine.</p>
<p><a href="https://theafricanfile.com/politicshistory/sports-diplomacy-and-apartheid-south-africa/">Sport diplomacy can be an effective means of engagement</a>. The Olympics has in the past shown the communality of sport <a href="https://www.cabdirect.org/cabdirect/abstract/19941803458">between Soviet and Western nations</a>. <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/hockey-put-canadas-cold-war-perceptions-on-ice/article4510769/">The 1972 Canada/Soviet Union Summit Series</a> was a moment of nationalist fervour and served as a diplomatic gateway to view the other side as human beings passionate about a sport both countries adore.</p>
<h2>Great political moment</h2>
<p>In 1991, pending the collapse of the Soviet Union, <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.13169/intejcubastud.5.1.0026">Cuba hosted the Pan-American games to open up to its neighbours</a>. The 1995 Rugby World Cup <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/016344398020004006">is credited as an important diplomatic moment</a> for post-Apartheid South Africa. </p>
<p>But in what sense can there be sport diplomacy with a regime willing to punish family members of athletes, and one that systematically abuses its athletes as part of their Olympic training? </p>
<p>The theme “Peace Olympics” and the Olympic Truce imply that politics are put on hold, but for North Korea, Pyeongchang is a great political moment. It is a chance to capitalize on the world’s fascination about the <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/north-korea-the-hermit-kingdom/">Hermit Kingdom,</a> while turning a blind eye to the gruesome human rights abuses within the regime. </p>
<p>Make no mistake, sending some 200 female cheerleaders to the Olympics makes for a fantastic diversion from the fact that most North Korean refugees are women,
and many are <a href="http://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy-defence/article/2100944/seeking-refuge-slavery-how-north-koreans-become-victims">trafficked into the sex trade in China</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/a-terrible-fate-awaits-north-korean-women-who-escape-to-china-82992">A terrible fate awaits North Korean women who escape to China</a>
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<p>The Olympics are also an opportunity to have direct talks free of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/03/world/asia/trump-tweet-button-north-korea.html">Donald Trump’s dim-witted Tweets</a> about North Korea. But seeking sport diplomacy with North Korea sets a precedent that overlooks human rights abuses, and even validates them as a means to engagement. </p>
<p>So let it be declared that doping and sport diplomacy do not mix. But as North Korea shows, hunger, abuse and propaganda represent a path to the medal podium.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91894/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robert Huish receives funding from the Social Science Humanities Research Council of Canada</span></em></p>The International Olympic Committee has banished dopers from the Winter Games. Shame it hasn’t treated North Korea, a noted human rights violator, with the same resolve.Robert Huish, Associate Professor in International Development Studies, Dalhousie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/919272018-02-16T01:32:26Z2018-02-16T01:32:26ZWhat makes a winning snowboard cross athlete like Jarryd Hughes?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206685/original/file-20180215-131003-y3g2ix.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Jarryd Hughes has won Australia's first medal in the snowboard cross event at a Winter Olympics.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Dan Himbrechts</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Australian Jarryd Hughes won a silver medal in the men’s snowboard cross event at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang on Thursday. This is Australia’s third medal at these Games, adding to <a href="http://pyeongchang2018.olympics.com.au/athlete/matt-graham">Matt Graham’s silver</a> in mogul skiing and <a href="http://pyeongchang2018.olympics.com.au/athlete/scotty-james">Scotty James’ bronze</a> in the snowboard halfpipe.</p>
<p>This is the first medal for Australia in this event at a Winter Olympics, despite having been competitive on the world stage for several years. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8kH0afY1l-E?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Highlights of the men’s snowboard cross final from Pyeongchang.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>Physical differences between disciplines</h2>
<p>Some of the physical test predictors of a successful snowboarder differ among the snowboarding disciplines (parallel, snowboard cross, and halfpipe) and genders.</p>
<p>For men, the only test that proved to <a href="https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/2009/08000/Comparison_of_Physical_Characteristics_and.9.aspx">have a strong influence</a> on performance was a countermovement jump for halfpipe. But when looking at overall World Cup points for males (regardless of discipline), greater bench press and bench pull strength were found in athletes with higher point scores.</p>
<p>For women, the <a href="https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/2009/08000/Comparison_of_Physical_Characteristics_and.9.aspx">physical influences</a> differ across snowboard disciplines. In parallel snowboarding and overall World Cup points, performance can be associated with leg power on a bicycle ergometry test. Snowboard cross performance is influenced by maximum push-off speed, but halfpipe does not have a link with any particular physical test.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-snow-deprived-aussies-can-win-in-snowboard-cross-and-ski-cross-in-pyeongchang-91568">How snow-deprived Aussies can win in snowboard cross and ski-cross in Pyeongchang</a>
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<h2>Injuries</h2>
<p>Several competitors crashed out of the men’s snowboard cross event in Pyeongchang. Australian Cameron Bolton put in a brave effort and competed with a <a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/sport/winter-olympics/australias-jarryd-hughes-claims-silver-medal-in-winter-olympic-snowboard-cross-final/news-story/b5e03098f873e3b2372b8f1ab9bfc76d">heavily taped wrist</a>.</p>
<p>Hughes has had to <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-15/winter-olympics-jarryd-hughes-wins-silver-for-australia/9451338">overcome five knee surgeries</a> throughout his career. Given he is just 22, this only highlights the risk these athletes face every day in their sport.</p>
<p>The snowboard cross has the <a href="http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/bjsports/48/7/631.1.full.pdf">highest incidence</a> of injury during competition among snowboarding disciplines, with 11.9 injuries per 1,000 runs. It also has a higher risk of severe injury – those that cause an athlete to miss more than 28 days from training or competition.</p>
<p>Like the snowboard halfpipe, the most common injuries are to <a href="http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/40/3/230.short">the knee and spine</a>. However, snowboard cross has a greater shoulder injury rate.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-makes-a-winning-halfpipe-snowboarder-like-scotty-james-91833">What makes a winning halfpipe snowboarder like Scotty James?</a>
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<p>It’s clear that all snowboard disciplines require athletes to overcome fear of serious injury. But what is it that makes snowboard cross one of the riskiest snowboard competitions?</p>
<h2>Racing tactics and anticipation</h2>
<p>The main difference between the snowboard cross and <a href="https://www.pyeongchang2018.com/en/sports/snowboard">other snowboard disciplines</a> is the pack racing element. </p>
<p>Athletes who participate in halfpipe, big air, slopestyle, and parallel giant slalom all compete in their own personal space without the need to anticipate and adapt to their competitors’ movements. </p>
<p>In these sports the athletes can mentally prepare ahead of competition runs as they already know what performances are needed to win. They have the time before a run to work through their performance plan and make any necessary changes.</p>
<p>Snowboard cross athletes also prepare their race tactics, such as the best racing lines to take and managing features of a given course. But they are also required to read fellow competitors’ movements and react and adjust movements accordingly. </p>
<p>This is referred to as <a href="https://eprints.qut.edu.au/47250/1/47250_PUB.pdf">perception-action coupling</a>: an athlete’s ability to use information from their environment and find the most accurate and efficient movement to produce a successful performance – just like a football goalkeeper reading the play in front of them and reacting to block the ball. </p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NiWzJK4Rom8?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Explanation of perception-action coupling in differing contexts.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The same concept applies to snowboard cross. A snowboard cross athlete may have an optimal race line, but different situations can interfere with holding this line. Examples would be: a fellow competitor cutting them off, getting too much air off a jump, hitting a difficult patch of snow and losing some control. As a result they have to constantly react to the changes in their environment. </p>
<p>It is not that other snowboard disciplines don’t use perception-action coupling in their own sports. They just don’t have the stimulus of fellow competitors at close quarters during their performances.</p>
<p>What makes the snowboard cross competitors more susceptible to serious injuries is this ever-changing environment created with their fellow competitors. Athletes are at the mercy of their own ability and their competitors’ ability to react and control high-speed situations.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91927/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jade Haycraft receives funding from the Australian Government (Australian Postgraduate Award).</span></em></p>Snowboard cross has the highest incidence of injury during competition among the snowboarding disciplines.Jade Haycraft, PhD Candidate, Victoria UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/912962018-02-15T14:33:45Z2018-02-15T14:33:45ZOutfitting the world’s best athletes for the Winter Olympics<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206057/original/file-20180212-58344-1c907r6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">What is the right outerwear for top competition?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://twitter.com/usskiteam/status/930224166363688960/">U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>At the first Winter Olympics, in <a href="https://www.olympic.org/chamonix-1924">Chamonix, France, in 1924</a>, athletes competed in uniforms made from natural material resources like wool, cotton and leather; some had sport-specific modifications to aid in performance (like impact protection or warmth) or appearance (like a coat or skirt that would flare when spinning). They did include colors and badges to signify the countries their wearers represented, but overall their dress could have largely passed for everyday clothes. Since then, athletes’ uniforms have changed substantially.</p>
<p>Back 94 years ago, figure skaters like Sonja Henie of Norway wore coats, hats, sweaters and skirts that dazzled and swirled. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206033/original/file-20180212-58352-cad819.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206033/original/file-20180212-58352-cad819.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206033/original/file-20180212-58352-cad819.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206033/original/file-20180212-58352-cad819.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206033/original/file-20180212-58352-cad819.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206033/original/file-20180212-58352-cad819.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206033/original/file-20180212-58352-cad819.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206033/original/file-20180212-58352-cad819.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Norwegian figure skater Sonja Henie, age 11 in 1924, wore a fanciful coat and hat, with gloves.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://theolympians.co/2017/12/19/figure-skater-sonia-henie-global-phenomenon-part-1-the-competitor/">The Olympians</a></span>
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<p>The Canadian hockey team wore leather gloves and pads; wool socks, sweaters and leggings. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206034/original/file-20180212-58327-tin0gx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206034/original/file-20180212-58327-tin0gx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206034/original/file-20180212-58327-tin0gx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206034/original/file-20180212-58327-tin0gx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206034/original/file-20180212-58327-tin0gx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=348&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206034/original/file-20180212-58327-tin0gx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206034/original/file-20180212-58327-tin0gx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206034/original/file-20180212-58327-tin0gx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=438&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Helmets anyone?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://olympic.ca/2017/10/31/team-canadas-most-iconic-hockey-jerseys/team-canada-olympic-hockey-jersey-1924/">Canadian Olympic Committee</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Norwegian Jacob Tullin Thams, the first-ever gold medalist ski jumper, wore loose trousers tucked into socks, and a sweater over a shirt and tie.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206044/original/file-20180212-58331-frvv2i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206044/original/file-20180212-58331-frvv2i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206044/original/file-20180212-58331-frvv2i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206044/original/file-20180212-58331-frvv2i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=428&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206044/original/file-20180212-58331-frvv2i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206044/original/file-20180212-58331-frvv2i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206044/original/file-20180212-58331-frvv2i.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=538&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Heading to the office after the competition?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.olympic.org/chamonix-1924">Olympic.org</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Curlers from team Great Britain wore wool knickers, sweaters and jackets, with shirts, ties, gloves and caps.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206047/original/file-20180212-58315-zvy6ot.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206047/original/file-20180212-58315-zvy6ot.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=435&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206047/original/file-20180212-58315-zvy6ot.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=435&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206047/original/file-20180212-58315-zvy6ot.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=435&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206047/original/file-20180212-58315-zvy6ot.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206047/original/file-20180212-58315-zvy6ot.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206047/original/file-20180212-58315-zvy6ot.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Out for a stroll on the ice.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.olympic.org/photos/curling-team">Olympic.org</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Team USA speed skaters wore semi-fitted leggings and tops, with stocking hats.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206049/original/file-20180212-58312-zuraan.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206049/original/file-20180212-58312-zuraan.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206049/original/file-20180212-58312-zuraan.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206049/original/file-20180212-58312-zuraan.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206049/original/file-20180212-58312-zuraan.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=418&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206049/original/file-20180212-58312-zuraan.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206049/original/file-20180212-58312-zuraan.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206049/original/file-20180212-58312-zuraan.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=525&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hey, that’s where my long underwear went!</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.olympic.org/photos/skating-practice">Olympic.org</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>British bobsledders wore wool cable knit sweaters, trousers and caps, with a shirt and tie.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206046/original/file-20180212-58324-mk1qlh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206046/original/file-20180212-58324-mk1qlh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206046/original/file-20180212-58324-mk1qlh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206046/original/file-20180212-58324-mk1qlh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206046/original/file-20180212-58324-mk1qlh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206046/original/file-20180212-58324-mk1qlh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=592&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206046/original/file-20180212-58324-mk1qlh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=592&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206046/original/file-20180212-58324-mk1qlh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=592&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Hold on tight!</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.olympic.org/photos/british-four-man-bob">Olympic.org</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Engineering uniforms</h2>
<p>Today’s Winter Olympics uniforms are engineered specifically for sport performance and look quite different from everyday clothes. And they’re definitely safer.</p>
<p>Throughout my career as a sports product innovator and now a professor of a <a href="https://artdesign.uoregon.edu/pd/grad/sports-product-design">new graduate program in sports product design</a>, I have seen that the work involved to create these high-performance products is enormously complex. Sport companies will assemble teams of experts in design, pattern engineering, development, materials science, aerodynamics, data science, biomechanics and physiology to bring new ideas to fruition. Along the design process, they will also consider the rules set forth by the governing body of the specific sport, the patent landscape and branding. </p>
<h2>Walking through the process</h2>
<p>As an example, let’s consider the development of a new uniform for ski jumping. The goal is to create a speed skin for a person <a href="http://www.wsjusa.com/ski-jumping-101/">sliding down a track, leaping into the air</a> and covering as much distance as possible while aloft. Jumpers aim to go fast, high and far – while staying warm, protected against possible crashes and having the freedom of motion to fly.</p>
<p>To get the process started, the innovation team will collect feedback about earlier versions of the uniforms their company previously produced. They may even look at competitor products. They’ll talk with coaches, groups and individual athletes to get detailed input about what worked well and what needed improvement.</p>
<p>They’ll acutely focus on the key materials that the speed skin will be made from. Material scientists will scour high-tech trade shows and research labs to identify new technologies that can enhance aerodynamics, thermoregulation and weight reduction. They may even create a new material that could be patented.</p>
<p>Unlike the shirt-and-tie outfit worn to win gold in 1924, modern ski jumping skins are made from synthetic polymers and are fine-tuned from the fiber to finish level. It turns out that ski jumping outfits are <a href="http://www.wsjusa.com/ski-jumping-101/">a lot like wet suits</a>, made from spongy materials that help insulate and allow for the application of team logos, branding and graphics. Sometimes these specialized materials will be adopted for use in other sport products that have similar performance goals, while some manufacturers will protect their intellectual property and never commercialize them for mass distribution.</p>
<h2>Custom fit</h2>
<p>It’s also important to minimize wind resistance to maximize speed. Super-G skiers, <a href="http://www.spyder.com/USST_Olympic_Suit">who wear similar uniforms to ski jumpers</a>, can reach speeds of <a href="https://hellogiggles.com/news/olympic-downhill-skier-speed/">more than 90 miles an hour</a>.</p>
<p>Pattern engineers will draft detailed blueprints to make sure the specified materials drape smoothly around the athlete’s body, while making sure dimensions for men and women, different heights and physiques are considered. 3-D body scans may even be taken to understand the variations in shape. The team must also consider International Ski Federation rules, where there are <a href="http://blog.syncperformance.com/sync-blog/blog/top-3-secrets-of-ski-racing-suits">requirements for tightness of fit</a> and limits on how wind resistant suits can be, to prevent athletes from being unfairly aerodynamic. </p>
<h2>Finalizing the design</h2>
<p>Once the product design has been approved, the innovation team will develop multiple prototypes that they can test in a wind tunnel on a mannequin and on the slopes with ski jumpers. They’ll examine how well the materials and pattern shapes interface and seek approvals from national and international Olympic committees, as well as sports governing bodies (like the <a href="http://www.fis-ski.com/">International Ski Federation</a>). Sometimes athletes can be disqualified if their uniforms do not meet competition rules.</p>
<p>Once everything is perfected, the suits will be manufactured and shipped to athletes in time for the Olympic trials, and then the Winter Games. Every four years, the process will start over again, to make sure the next generation of Olympians are outfitted in the best uniforms possible to win gold.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91296/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Susan L. Sokolowski, PhD works for the University of Oregon. </span></em></p>No longer in fanciful coats or button-down shirts with neckties, Olympians compete in uniforms specially designed and engineered for maximum performance.Susan L. Sokolowski, Director & Associate Professor: Sports Product Design, University of OregonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/917172018-02-15T13:46:03Z2018-02-15T13:46:03ZHow the first Winter Games harnessed the publicity power of the Olympics<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206413/original/file-20180214-174990-66okz2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Chamonix used the Winter Games to cement its reputation as a ski destination.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ski_de_fond_Chamonix_1937_-_4x10_km.jpg">BNF Gallica</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Beyond their cornerstone role in athletics, the Olympic Games have long been an event of economic and political importance. The recent decision by South and North Korea to compete under one united flag during this year’s competition shows the international relations possibilities the Olympics offer. The economic impact on the host city is also undeniable – although this can be positive or negative, as <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/economics-hosting-olympic-games">some Olympics cost more than they deliver</a>.</p>
<p>The competitive bidding process to host the Olympics means that national governments face a game of chicken-or-egg: do they put forward a city chosen for its robust infrastructure, or one that could use the Games to develop it? The London 2012 Olympic Games are an example, which saw an unloved, ex-industrial part of London entirely redeveloped in the course of preparations for the games. <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15387216.2015.1040432">Huge amounts of infrastructure</a> were also built in Sochi for the 2014 Winter Games.</p>
<p>This has been a feature since the first Winter Olympics, which opened in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc in the French Alps in 1924. The choice of Chamonix for what was originally known as the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/event/Chamonix-1924-Olympic-Winter-Games">International Winter Sports Week</a> was not an innocent one, and perfectly illustrates the line walked between choosing a place with a strong reputation, and harnessing the impetus of the games to improve it.</p>
<h2>First for Alpinists</h2>
<p>Once a small parish at the very top of the Arve valley, the first foreign travellers to write about the area were William Windham and Robert Pococke, who visited in 1741. Windham and Pococke were fascinated by the valley’s high peaks, numerous glaciers, unique wildlife and local communities. Soon Chamonix had become a must-see destination for travellers on their European “Grand Tour”, easily accessible from Geneva or on their way to Italy. </p>
<p>Perhaps the highlight of a visit is the sight of Mont Blanc, the Alps’ highest peak at 4,810 metres. Mont Blanc was first scaled in 1786 by Dr Michel-Gabriel Paccard and Jacques Balmat, his local guide. Since then, Chamonix has been regarded as the capital of Alpinism and mountaineering.</p>
<p>As the Enlightenment faded and the Industrial Revolution began, tourism went from a marginal pastime of elites to a booming mass market, supported by new developments such as railways and hotels. In many respects, the Swiss resorts such as Interlaken or St Moritz grew faster, as that country’s reputation developed into that of a mountainous nation, proud of its natural heritage.</p>
<p>After the Duchy of Savoy in which Chamonix resided was annexed by France in 1860, Chamonix continued to transition from a romantic travel destination to a place of mass tourism. A tourism board was founded in 1912 to deliver a consistent tourism policy in the entire valley, and in 1913 Bradshaw’s Continental Railway Guide and General Handbook described Chamonix as follows:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Chamonix, in Dept. Haute Savoie, is visited by an ever increasing number of travellers because of the surpassing grandeur of its mountain scenery; it has become a centre for winter sports.</p>
</blockquote>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206411/original/file-20180214-174969-1out4ys.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206411/original/file-20180214-174969-1out4ys.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206411/original/file-20180214-174969-1out4ys.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=830&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206411/original/file-20180214-174969-1out4ys.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=830&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206411/original/file-20180214-174969-1out4ys.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=830&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206411/original/file-20180214-174969-1out4ys.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1044&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206411/original/file-20180214-174969-1out4ys.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1044&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/206411/original/file-20180214-174969-1out4ys.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1044&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Poster for the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix-Mont-Blanc.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1924WOlympicPoster.jpg">Auguste Matisse/International Olympic Committee</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>By the turn of the 20th century, Chamonix had become a model for Alpine tourism. The decision to hold the first Winter Olympics in Chamonix was therefore a result of this solid reputation, and also the desire to turn Chamonix into the leading venue for winter sports, ahead of other locations. </p>
<p>In 1921, ahead of the games, the town council of Chamonix decided to rename the town Chamonix-Mont-Blanc. This was officially to prevent confusion with other similar-sounding town names for the postal services, but clearly the real reason was for tourism promotion: Chamonix would become forever associated with the Alps’ highest peak. Chamonix remains a world-class mountain resort today, partly because its reputation is undeniably linked to these pioneering events, the first scaling of the mountain, and the first Winter Games.</p>
<h2>To have or to build</h2>
<p>This subtle balance can still be seen today: candidate cities play on their robust history of sports, leisure and tourism, but inevitably also apply in order to develop and bolster that reputation. The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, held as Crimea was plunged into a diplomatic crisis, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/that-sochi-olympic-boondoggle-russians-say-all-the-investment-is-paying-off/2017/11/13/65014bd0-b82c-11e7-9b93-b97043e57a22_story.html">revitalised the area’s reputation for tourism it had during the Soviet era</a>. It will even host football matches during the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup. </p>
<p>For the current 2018 Winter Games underway in Korea, the fairly popular resort of Pyeongchang in the South has worked closely with local tourism authorities to turn the city into a global winter resort after this year’s games. Having lost out to London in 2012, Paris <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/paris-wins-2024-olympic-games-wjh2j7xqf">was last year awarded the 2024 Summer Olympics</a> with a bid that seduced the committee with Parisian magic and enthusiasm. The city will look forward to the economic boost required to renew the city’s infrastructure, while hoping to sweep aside memories of the huge cost overruns that marred France’s last hosted Olympics, Albertville in 1992.</p>
<p>Hosting the Olympics is a true test for a city’s claim for global recognition: confirming their membership of a small circle of “world cities”, or an opportunity to join the club. But just winning the Olympic bid is not success: the real feat lies in building and organising what is required for the games, and in making sure the outcome of these few weeks leaves a beneficial legacy. </p>
<p>In London, this has seen continued use of sporting venues and the Olympic village repurposed as badly-needed housing, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/jul/27/london-olympic-park-success-five-years-depends">although debate over who benefits remains</a>. In Athens, the venues lie rotting, unused, in the years since, while the <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2012-08-02/how-the-2004-olympics-triggered-greeces-decline">huge cost overrun arguably drove Greece to bankruptcy</a>. For the most part, except for coverage of the two weeks themselves, discussion of the Olympics deserves to be anywhere but a newspaper’s sports section.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91717/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jordan Girardin does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>What’s in a name? Chamonix-Mont-Blanc was quick to harness the first Winter Olympics for its economic potential.Jordan Girardin, Associate lecturer, University of St AndrewsLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/904002018-02-15T11:55:40Z2018-02-15T11:55:40ZWinter Olympics: why many athletes will be struggling with asthma<p>As the world’s best winter athletes compete in PyeongChang for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games, the heavy demands of both training and competition will leave many of them with breathing problems. </p>
<p>Exercise-induced asthma is the most common medical problem among winter Olympic athletes, especially among cross-country skiers. Nearly <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10776890">50%</a> of these athletes suffer from the condition, closely followed by short-track speed skaters at 43%. For figure skaters it’s 21%, Nordic combined it’s 17%, and for ice hockey it’s 15%. By comparison, <a href="https://www.asthma.org.uk/about/media/facts-and-statistics/">around 9%</a> of the UK general population suffers from asthma. </p>
<p>The combination of sustained high breathing combined with cold, dry air increases winter athletes’ risk of asthma-related conditions. (Indoor speed skaters also have to deal with increased pollution in the form of particulate matter from ice resurfacing vehicles.) Cross-country skiers, for example, increase their breathing rate from about six litres per minute at rest, to 180 litres per minute during a race. This huge increase in breathing results in large volumes of cold, dry air being drawn into the lungs. This can cause the smooth muscle in the airway to narrow, reducing the athletes’ ability to breathe normally. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205527/original/file-20180208-180808-136ema9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205527/original/file-20180208-180808-136ema9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205527/original/file-20180208-180808-136ema9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205527/original/file-20180208-180808-136ema9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205527/original/file-20180208-180808-136ema9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205527/original/file-20180208-180808-136ema9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205527/original/file-20180208-180808-136ema9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Ice resurfacing machines release particulate matter.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/success?src=TBPfg_Ndf_afOgoukdKQiw-1-0">njene/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This happens by two processes. The first relates to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2767426">the airway becoming dehydrated</a> which causes a release of inflammatory cytokines – messenger molecules that cause the airway to become narrow and inflamed. </p>
<p>The second process relates to respiratory heat loss which results in airway narrowing through nerve stimulation. When the athlete stops exercising, the airway narrows even further by a dilation of blood vessels as the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1969985">airways warm up again</a>.</p>
<p>Although we know that exercise-induced asthma is common in winter athletes, it can be confused with other conditions, such as dysfunctional breathing patterns and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exercise-induced_laryngeal_obstruction">exercise-induced laryngeal obstruction</a>, that have <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25398497">similar symptoms to asthma</a>. </p>
<p>If an athlete is diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma, they are usually given the standard treatment for asthma: a preventer asthma inhaler, containing steroid medication. This works by reducing the inflammation and sensitivity of the airways, helping them breathe. However, athletes have to be careful about the type of inhaler they use as some drugs – such as salbutamol – could put them at risk of an anti-doping violation. </p>
<h2>Alternative therapies</h2>
<p>As well as using drugs to treat exercise-induced asthma, athletes can supplement their inhaler therapy with:</p>
<p><strong>Heat-and-moisture face masks:</strong> Face masks worn during training and prior to competition are able to capture the heat and moisture in exhaled breath and use it to warm and moisten the inhaled air as a <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16685008">defence</a> against airway dehydration and subsequent narrowing. </p>
<p><strong>Fish oils:</strong> <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16424411">Studies suggest</a> that the use of omega-3 fish oils can reduce airway inflammation and provide a protective effect against asthma associated with exercise. </p>
<p><strong>Prebiotics:</strong> <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27523186">Recent evidence</a> suggests that a dietary prebiotic supplement that targets the good bacteria in the gut can reduce the severity of asthma in physically active asthma patients and reduce airway inflammation.</p>
<p>Winter athletes who suffer from exercise-induced asthma can use an inhaler alone, or in combination with one or more of the above treatments. By doing this, athletes can maintain their airway health and function, allowing them to compete without compromising their performance.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/90400/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Nearly 50% of cross-country skiers suffer from exercise-induced asthma.Neil Williams, Lecturer in Exercise Physiology and Nutrition, Nottingham Trent UniversityJohn Dickinson, Head of the Respiratory Clinic and Reader in Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of KentLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/918572018-02-15T09:17:04Z2018-02-15T09:17:04ZWhy curling is so gripping to watch<p>Curling has been described as <a href="https://www.chess.com/article/view/why-is-this-olympic-sport-called-chess-on-ice">chess on ice</a>. It is a game of great strategy and skill. A steely nerve is required to deliver the stone when the pressure is on and there is no room for error. The cultural theorist Raymond Williams <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Raymond-Williams-on-Television-Routledge-Revivals-Selected-Writings/Williams/p/book/9780415509299">once remarked</a> that he would keep his television set for the sport alone. The former wrestler and A-Team actor Mr T also recently revealed that <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-43057789">he’s a fan</a>. </p>
<p>At the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, almost <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/winterolympics2002/hi/english/curling/newsid_1836000/1836528.stm">six million people</a> across the UK stayed up late into the evening to watch a team of Scottish women secure a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoJzmmsOeW8">gold medal</a> for Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the curling. Once only covered in Scottish local newspapers, the sport suddenly adorned the front pages of Britain’s most popular media. Rhona Martin and her team captured the attention of the nation and briefly became <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2010/feb/08/curling-women-olympics-gold-fame">celebrities</a>.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/winter-olympics-2022-the-event-that-almost-nobody-wants-to-host-32583">Winter Olympics</a> may not have the same hype or glamour as the Summer Olympics but for two weeks, viewers can temporarily become winter sport enthusiasts – armchair ones at least. </p>
<p>Sporting events frequently feature among the list of biggest television audiences. Sport is a particularly powerful tool for bringing together an imagined community of millions through the performances of <a href="http://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/01443330710741084">national teams</a>. South Africa’s victory in the 1995 Rugby World Cup <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wh4MPGp68A">is a powerful example</a> of this.</p>
<p>All sorts of sports have captured the attention of television audiences. In the UK, the huge popularity of darts and snooker during the 1980s saw some unlikely sportsmen prominent in television schedules. But this is not to suggest that curling is just like darts or snooker. The modern-day curler, funded in the UK by UK Sport, is an athlete with a rigid strength and conditioning programme and a battery of sport scientists behind every facet of their schedule. If you don’t consider it to be physically challenging, try to play it and then see if you still have functioning hamstrings the next day.</p>
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<p>Curling works well for television because the slow pace of the game and the close-up camera shots of the players allow us to share in the emotions of the event. There is the drama of victory and defeat. There is the teamship and camaraderie that so clearly comes across on the screen.</p>
<h2>Nothing wrong with ordinary</h2>
<p>One of the main reasons that the 2002 gold medal winners were so readily embraced by the British media was that they appeared to be so ordinary. In an age of hyperbole and overstated claims, the word ordinary is often now used as a derogatory term. But we really need to reclaim it. </p>
<p>In some ways, to be an ordinary Olympian is something of an oxymoron, as Olympic athletes have extraordinary talents. In an age where “celebrity” athletes are ever more distant and dislocated from the communities that originally nurtured and supported them, there is something reassuring about sportspeople on the television who are in many ways more like us than multi-millionaire super athletes. For example, the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/winter-olympics/43033902">Muirhead siblings</a> are a big part of Team GB’s 2018 curling teams, but still require support back in Scotland to keep things in order. </p>
<p>Curling does not have the high-risk thrills and spills of ski jumping or skeleton where athletes career at <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-freestyle-skiers-and-snowboarders-learn-to-pace-their-fear-90735">great speed</a> with seemingly little regard for personal safety. And curling has had some quite negative press in the past, with the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/why-curlers-sweep-the-ice-2014-2?IR=T">sweeping action</a> – used to warm up the ice and reduce friction – likened to “cleaning a house” in comments that fail to recognise the great skill involved. </p>
<p>At a time when there are more and more television channels available, but often with seemingly nothing at all worth watching on them, the Winter Olympics offers a temporary reprieve from the trials and tribulations of everyday life. Of course, sport comes with its own <a href="https://theconversation.com/north-and-south-korea-extend-hands-of-peace-after-symbolic-olympic-opening-ceremony-90569">politics and diplomacy</a>, particularly when the Olympics are held in South Korea. And the battle for supremacy at the top of the medal table speaks to a wider jockeying for position in the world order.</p>
<p>Marge and Homer Simpson <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUP8lFwpN7E">took to the ice</a> in The Simpsons in 2010 ahead of the Olympic Games in Vancouver and helped take curling to a wider audience. Four years earlier, the website of US Curling crashed as so many people attempted to access the site after watching Team USA on television. <a href="http://www.scottishcurling.org/development/junior-curling/curlings-cool/">Curling is cool</a>, and those who govern the sport will hope that more people will give the sport a try now it’s back on the world’s TV screens.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91857/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Harris does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It’s slow, precise, emotional – and made for television.John Harris, Associate Dean Research, Glasgow School for Business and Society, Glasgow Caledonian UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/918332018-02-15T03:03:04Z2018-02-15T03:03:04ZWhat makes a winning halfpipe snowboarder like Scotty James?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/206339/original/file-20180214-174969-4tur21.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Scotty James became the second Australian in Winter Olympic history to win a medal in the snowboard halfpipe event.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Fazry Ismail</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>On Wednesday, <a href="http://pyeongchang2018.olympics.com.au/athlete/scotty-james">Scotty James</a> won <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-02-14/scotty-james-takes-bronze-on-the-halfpipe-in-pyeongchang/9444852">Australia’s second medal</a> at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang – bronze in the men’s snowboard halfpipe competition.</p>
<p>James’ medal adds to those won by fellow Australian <a href="http://corporate.olympics.com.au/sports/snowboard/medals">Torah Bright</a> (gold at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and silver at Sochi in 2014) in the women’s snowboard halfpipe event. </p>
<h2>What is snowboard halfpipe?</h2>
<p>The snowboard halfpipe made its debut at the 1998 Nagano Olympics. <a href="http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2754608-olympic-freestyle-skiing-2018-complete-guide-to-pyeongchang-winter-games">The event</a> takes place on a trough-like feature made of snow, built on a shaped earth base. The Olympic halfpipe is sloped at approximately 17-18°, and is between 150-170 metres long, 19-22m wide, and 6.7m high. </p>
<p>The halfpipe event consists of three runs lasting around 20-30 seconds, and involves between six and eight “hits” of the pipe. A “hit” is an aerial trick (jump, rotation and twist) off the top of the pipe. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.fis-ski.com/mm/Document/documentlibrary/Snowboard/04/21/07/FISSnowboardJudgesbook1314_Final_English.pdf">Six judges score</a> a competitor’s run based on each hit’s height, rotation, technique and degree of difficulty, with a score given out of 100. The highest and lowest scores are removed, and the final score is the average of the four remaining scores. </p>
<p>The best score of the three runs is recorded; the highest scores determine the medals.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://www.fis-ski.com/mm/Document/documentlibrary/Snowboard/04/21/07/FISSnowboardJudgesbook1314_Final_English.pdf">International Ski Federation’s</a> snowboard judges’ manual specifically outlines the scoring criteria:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>amplitude – with the greater the height of the jump off the top, the riskier the hit, and greater point scores;</p></li>
<li><p>difficulty – more rotations increases the difficulty, but also switch take-offs (opposite side to natural board stance), frontside or backside rotation, take-offs (on heel or toe side), different hand grab placements on board, blind landings (athlete can’t see where they are landing), combinations and sequential hard tricks, different rotational axis (lateral/longitudinal or horizontal), and an alley-oop (spin opposite direction to jump entry (for example, front entry to back spin);</p></li>
<li><p>execution – overall control throughout the run, and for each individual hit. It is also the ability to perform the positions of the intended trick once they have initiated it;</p></li>
<li><p>variety – changing the type of trick for each hit gets a higher score (for example backside then frontside, changed spin axis, different grabs);</p></li>
<li><p>combinations – consecutive difficult hits score higher;</p></li>
<li><p>pipe use – anything performed before an athlete crosses the marked finish line is counted in judging, with hits scoring higher if performed off the top of the pipe;</p></li>
<li><p>progression – introducing new tricks never seen in the sport is highly favoured; and</p></li>
<li><p>risk-taking – pushing to the maximum limit of ability is advantageous.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>Judges deduct points for errors in a run based on the following criteria:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>one-to-ten points for small mistakes (hand drag, flat landings, deck landings, and sliding);</p></li>
<li><p>11-20 points for medium mistakes (stop full, longer hand drags, heavy hand touches, slight butt touches, and revert to natural stance on board);</p></li>
<li><p>21-25 points for major mistakes (heavy butt or body landing, complete bailing from hit).</p></li>
</ul>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Highlights of the men’s snowboard halfpipe final from Pyeongchang.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Injuries</h2>
<p>The nature of snowboard halfpipe means most competitors risk serious injury – and <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2089155/Sarah-Burke-death-Skier-dies-brain-damage-9-days-half-pipe-crash.html">possible death</a> – throughout their career. </p>
<p>Halfpipe has the third-highest incidence of injury (behind big air and snowboard cross). There is a <a href="http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/40/3/230.short">reported</a> 1.6 injuries reported per 1,000 runs for men, and 2.3 injuries per 1,000 runs for women.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/40/3/230.short">most common injuries</a> are to the lower arm/wrist, spine, and knee. As a result, current training practices focus heavily on giving athletes the physical tools to prevent these injuries.</p>
<p>Specifically, many programs <a href="https://benthamopen.com/ABSTRACT/TOSMJ-5-1">target jumping/landing force</a>, as this is the common factor of injury occurrence for snowboard halfpipe athletes. Training for “crash robustness” requires athletes to build joint strength and soft-tissue support in muscles and ligaments across the entire body. </p>
<p>Core strength to support and tolerate spinal loads during rotations, jumps and landings is also crucial in avoiding spinal injuries. </p>
<h2>Physical demands</h2>
<p>Snowboard halfpipe is an explosive, skill-based sport. While building “crash robustness” is integral, these athletes need to train to perform. They may seem laid-back and relaxed, but they are subjected to high physical load and fatigue induced by training and competition.</p>
<p>An <a href="https://benthamopen.com/ABSTRACT/TOSMJ-5-1">average training day</a> for halfpipe may consist of between ten and 12 runs (each lasting 20-30 seconds), plus hikes to the top of the pipe. This equates between two and four hours of training each day. Managing <a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-how-winter-olympic-athletes-cope-with-the-cold-91575">sub-zero temperatures</a> and the <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0838.2009.00901.x/full">effects of altitude</a> on physical performance is also a concern.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-how-winter-olympic-athletes-cope-with-the-cold-91575">Explainer: how Winter Olympic athletes cope with the cold</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The northern hemisphere training and competition period can last between four and five months. But athletes like James may also <a href="http://www.fis-ski.com/news-multimedia/news/article=winter-the-southern-hemisphere-multiple-fis-competitions-underway.html">train and compete</a> during the southern hemisphere winters.</p>
<p>Halfpipe snowboarders do not require large muscle mass to compete; they prefer to remain lean to maximise their hit amplitude. Their physical training focuses on neuromuscular adaptations to induce greater muscle fibre recruitment, power/speed, and eccentric (muscle lengthening under tension) force absorption for landings.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Scotty James demonstrates core strength and neuromuscular gym training, and other off-snow training.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A <a href="https://benthamopen.com/ABSTRACT/TOSMJ-5-1">large majority of off-snow training</a> focuses on sport-specific skill development, such as building co-ordination and the smoothness of trick execution. Athletes and coaches use a “gymnastic approach” to off-snow training – via trampolines, foam pits, and diving platforms/pools – to practice aerial skills in a safe landing environment.</p>
<p>So, behind his cool exterior, James has worked as hard as any other elite athlete on all aspects of his training to avoid injury and increase performance. Put together, this enabled him to stand on the podium to receive his bronze medal.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/91833/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jade Haycraft receives funding from the Australian Government (Australian Postgraduate Award Scholarship).</span></em></p>Halfpipe snowboarders like Scotty James may seem laid-back and relaxed, but they are subjected to high physical load and fatigue induced by training and competition.Jade Haycraft, PhD Candidate, Victoria UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/912182018-02-15T00:04:13Z2018-02-15T00:04:13ZAthletes are the most important part of the Olympics. Or are they?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205853/original/file-20180211-51694-1xceptt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir lead Team Canada into the stadium during the Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Winter Olympics. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-COC, Jason Ransom</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It is an indescribable feeling for an athlete to walk into the opening ceremonies of an Olympic Games. I still get chills thinking about that moment for me at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing when I represented Canada as a high jumper.</p>
<p>Standing shoulder to shoulder with my teammates, there was a realization we were on the doorstep of something great that was about to begin. The journey to become an Olympic athlete may have been different for each of us, but there is a shared appreciation for how hard it is to get to the Olympic Games.</p>
<p>Sports provide athletes with a unique quality, where they are both the consumer and producer of an event. The success of the Olympic Games and any major sporting event is dependent upon the performances of its athletes. To have a great result, the conditions must be optimal.</p>
<p>From the athletes’ village to competition venues, a positive experience is essential to ensure a great performance. Understanding the needs of the athletes becomes critical to conduct a successful Games. </p>
<p>Establishing an “athlete-centred” sporting experience has become a ubiquitous pledge of various sport enterprises, including the International Olympic Committee. Even Sport Canada has identified an athlete-centred experience as a factor that provides a leading edge when it comes to high performance.</p>
<p>However, what does it really mean to be athlete-centred? </p>
<h2>Athletes involved in decision making</h2>
<p>Some researchers have offered a holistic definition, in which athletes are included in the decision-making process. Some have explained it as encompassing the wellbeing of an athlete, while others have defined it as empowering the athlete and providing a sense of belonging.</p>
<p>AthletesCAN, the official voice of all Canadian national team athletes, has determined “athlete centred” to be both a concept and a process, underpinning <a href="http://athletescan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Athlete-Centered-Sport1.pdf">“the planning, delivery and procedures of organizing sport</a>.”</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205854/original/file-20180211-51703-1tegf2u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205854/original/file-20180211-51703-1tegf2u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205854/original/file-20180211-51703-1tegf2u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205854/original/file-20180211-51703-1tegf2u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=483&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205854/original/file-20180211-51703-1tegf2u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=607&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205854/original/file-20180211-51703-1tegf2u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=607&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205854/original/file-20180211-51703-1tegf2u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=607&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The author of this article, Nicole Forrester, competes in the high jump at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For a term recognized as important in the world of sport, it has failed to be adequately defined. While definitions vary, allowing athletes to have a say in their well-being appears to be a central theme.</p>
<p>In professional sports leagues, player associations ensure the best interests of athletes are served. In amateur sport there are limited associations <em>by</em> athletes <em>for</em> athletes.</p>
<p>Recently, the <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/volleyball/kerri-walsh-jennings-pro-beach-volleyball-players-union-1.4521451">International Beach Volleyball Players Association</a> was formed out of protest to changes made by the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball without the input of athletes. As a result of these changes, beach volleyball players experienced diminished prize earnings and cancelled tournaments. </p>
<p>Likewise, <a href="https://sports.vice.com/en_au/article/yp8pwg/cash-strapped-track-and-field-athletes-still-fighting-to-unionize">track and field athletes have been working to become unionized</a> for several years. This is a conversation I can remember having with other athletes while I was competing as a high jumper at the international level.</p>
<h2>Restrictions on sponsorships</h2>
<p>One main issue when it comes to athletes’s rights centres around sponsorship. Compared to NASCAR, Formula One Racing or cycling, where athletes can sport numerous sponsor logos on their uniforms, the International Athletic Association Federation, the governing body for track and field, restricts athletes to only one logo no larger than six centimetres.</p>
<p>Rule 40, an <a href="https://stillmed.olympic.org/media/Document%20Library/OlympicOrg/IOC/What-We-Do/Protecting-Clean-Athletes/Athletes-Space/Rule-40-Rio-2016-QA-for-Athletes.pdf">IOC by-law which restricts athletes</a> from having their image or performance used for marketing during the Olympic Games, was challenged going into the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro.</p>
<p>Athletes argued the IOC reaped the rewards of sponsorship and broadcasting revenue, while leaving athletes — the stars of the show — out in the cold. Because athletes raised so much concern about Rule 40, the IOC has lessened this restriction on athletes, permitting sponsors <a href="https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2017/03/27/Olympics/Rule-40-Winter-Games.aspx">to apply for Rule 40 waivers that would enable them to continue to market athletes during the Games period.</a></p>
<p>As we watch the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang, it’s worth evaluating whether athletes are actually the most important part of the Olympics.</p>
<h2>Many controversies facing IOC</h2>
<p>Considering the controversies surrounding the selection of host cities, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jan/25/ioc-rules-transgender-athletes-can-take-part-in-olympics-without-surgery">transgender athletes competing in the Olympic Games</a> and the IOC’s ruling on Russian athletes competing in Rio during 2016 and <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/ioc-russia-doping-1.4432781">this year in Pyeongchang,</a> it is reasonable to question the IOC’s commitment to being athlete centred.</p>
<p>Even drug testing procedures, which require athletes to report their whereabouts for three months in advance as prescribed by the World Anti-Doping Agency — an organization initiated by the IOC — has come under fire for infringing on <a href="http://scholarship.law.marquette.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1017&context=sportslaw">athletes’ freedom</a>.</p>
<p>While these concerns are valid, I would still argue the IOC does indeed strive to be athlete-centred.</p>
<p>The IOC’s very mission places the interest of athletes at the centre of the Olympic movement. Evidence of this is seen with the 12-member elected IOC’s Athletes’ Commission. Its mandate involves representing the views of athletes and advising the IOC Session, the IOC Executive Board and the IOC President on decisions affecting athletes.</p>
<p>As someone who has served on the Athletes Commission for the Canadian Olympic Committee, I can attest that whenever an athlete speaks up, everyone listens. </p>
<h2>Weighing in on Russian athletes</h2>
<p>Amid the Russian doping scandal that has shrouded the last several Olympic Games, athletes have been able to weigh in and influence key decisions. To assist with establishing the pool of clean Russian athletes to be considered for an invitation to compete in Pyeongchang, the Olympic Athlete from Russia Implementation Group (OARIG) was formed.</p>
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<span class="caption">Russian athletes who were banned from marching under their country’s flag file into the stadium during the opening ceremony for the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson</span></span>
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<p>This three-person committee, which includes IOC Athletes Commission member Danka Bartekova, IOC Executive Board Member Nicole Hoevertsz and IOC Director General Christophe De Kepper, was afforded <a href="https://www.olympic.org/news/olympic-athlete-from-russia-oar-invitation-review-panel-discusses-objectives-and-methodology">sole and absolute discretion of removing any proposed names of athletes, officials and staff considered for invitation. In this case, the athlete’s voice represents one third of the votes</a>. </p>
<p>Additionally, members of the global network of athletes’ representatives were also able to offer their thoughts on the matter in a conference call earlier this year. The IOC asserts athletes have been involved in “<a href="https://www.olympic.org/athlete365/voice/a-level-playing-field-for-athletes-in-pyeongchang/">every step of the process</a>,” determining which athletes from Russia should be allowed to compete in Pyeongchang while ensuring fairness was demonstrated.</p>
<p>This interest in the wellbeing of athletes is not limited to the Pyeongchang Games. The IOC supports an <a href="https://www.olympic.org/olympic-studies-centre/research-grant-programmes">Olympic Study Centre grant program</a> designed to advance research as it pertains to the Olympic Movement.</p>
<p>Over the years, there has been an increased interest in understanding how the IOC can best service the needs of athletes — both while they are competing and following retirement. One field of interest in the 2018 grant involves examining the IOC’s historical and future support of Olympians.</p>
<p>Similarly, the organizing committee of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo has said one of its objectives is to be an athlete-centred Games. Recognizing the importance of the athlete’s experience in delivering a successful event, the IOC’s Athlete’s Commission will advise the organizing committee on various aspects of the Games.</p>
<p>This can include the layout of the athletes’ village, the food provided, the location of venues and the scheduling of events. This list is endless and the rewards invaluable. What is most important here is that athletes’ perspectives are heard and valued.</p>
<p>When it comes to being athlete centred, it is important to realize how far we’ve come, while also not losing sight of where we are going. Being athlete-centred is a process in constant evolution. Continuing to include the voices of athletes is our only assurance of achieving this goal.</p>
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<span class="caption">Members of Great Britain’s Olympic team pose for a photo after a welcoming ceremony at the Pyeongchang Olympic Village ahead of the 2018 Winter Olympics.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)</span></span>
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<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nicole W. Forrester does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It would seem obvious athletes are the most important part of the Olympics. But competing issues, from sponsorship rules to politics, means the rights of athletes aren’t always the top priority.Nicole W. Forrester, Assistant Professor, School of Media, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.