Title
Competing for the Motherland: Sports Spectacle and Nationalism During the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics
Document Type
Honors Paper
Advisor
Petko Ivanov
Publication Date
2014
Abstract
The Russian state guided the extended narration of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympic Games, and hence the reproduction of the Russian nation in the months preceding the spectacle. The Sochi Olympics proffered a vision of Russian national identity before a global mass audience, but also to the Russian nation itself. The Olympics courted the gaze of the Russian national audience, drawing its attention to the accomplishments of individual Russians. The image of Russia constructed during the Games was of a robust, modern nation guided by a strong state under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin. Combining athletic and artistic elements, the Games worked to articulate a definition of what it is to be a member of the Russian nation. This spectacle was in turn framed by the Russian media, which is state controlled or faces intense pressure from the state. State control severely restricted and shaped dominant narratives of the events for audiences within the Russian Federation, enforcing belief in a state-designated narrative of identity and history.
Recommended Citation
Law, Tara, "Competing for the Motherland: Sports Spectacle and Nationalism During the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics" (2014). Slavic Studies Honors Papers. 1.
https://digitalcommons.conncoll.edu/slavichp/1
The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author.