
Rio de Janeiro 2016
Pyeongchang2018 Olympics at the heart of South Korean corruption scandal
By Julian Cheyne and Rebecca Kim - Researcher at the Democracy & Social Movement Institute, SungkongHoe University, Seoul
Against the background of the all consuming scandal which has engulfed South Korea's now deposed President Park Pyeongchang2018 looms up as the next fixture in the Olympic murk. The scandal surrounding ex-President Park Guen-hye, her confidante, Choi Soon-sil, and South Korea’s secretive companies, or chaebols, such as Samsung, Hyundai, Lotte or Hanjin, has cast a light on the shadowy interactions between the government, the secret services and the chaebols, the companies which came to dominate the South Korean economy during the dictatorship of Park’s father, Park Jung-Hee.
Submitted by Julian Cheyne on Mon, 27/03/2017 - 13:20.
Article | Coe | Compulsory Purchase | Corruption & Ethics | Displacement | Environment | Human Rights | IOC | Mega Events | Planning & Development | Pyeongchang 2018 | Rio de Janeiro 2016 | Sochi 2014 | Sponsors | Sport | Tokyo2020
hot wash with spin cycle
Submitted by Steve Dowding on Fri, 19/08/2016 - 14:48.
Blog | 2012 Jobs | Economics | Jobs | Rio de Janeiro 2016
a state of public calamity
We're fairly inured by now with the idea of the Olympics providing a state of exception but 50 days before the 2016 Opening Ceremony Rio has now gone one better announcing a state of public calamity. Or perhaps Citius, Altius, Fortius just got lost in translation.
Submitted by Steve Dowding on Fri, 17/06/2016 - 21:44.
Brazil's Dance with the Devil - The World Cup, the Olympics, and the Fight for Democracy by Dave Zirin
Brazil's Dance with the Devil by Dave ZirinWritten by Dave Zirin, sports editor of the US newspaper The Nation, published by Haymarket Brazil's Dance with the Devil is a high octane read through the infatuation of Brazil's political elite with mega-events. Written before the 2014 World Cup it is highly relevant to the upcoming Rio Olympic Games. There is plenty of background on the politics of the bid and how it fits into the Lula era. However, its key focus is on the impact on the poorest communities, the favelas. As a sports journalist of unusual stripe Dave Zirin takes a look at significant sports personalities, notably the footballers Socrates and Pele, and how they represent different forces in Brazilian sport and society. Given the political importance of sport and its alleged disconnection from politics it is fascinating to read about Socrates' political classes at Corinthians. Zirin also provides a brief history of recent Olympics and highlights how the Games are about much more than sport, they provide an opportunity to redesign the city, minus the poor.
Submitted by Julian Cheyne on Tue, 15/03/2016 - 17:28.
Book Review | Compulsory Purchase | Corruption & Ethics | Displacement | Economics | Human Rights | Mega Events | Politics | Protest | Regeneration | Rio de Janeiro 2016
row, row, row…
…your boat/
gently up the creek without a paddle
Sometimes the arrogance of these elite athletes (or at least their governing bodies) is beyond parody:
Submitted by Steve Dowding on Fri, 04/03/2016 - 22:02.
Back to the future? Urban transformation and public protest in Rio de Janeiro
by Matthew Richmond
Protesters display a banner of Mayor Eduardo Paes and State Governor Sergio Cabral holding Rio de Janeiro’s famous Christ statue hostage. The banner below reads “Who gives the order? Who gets the progress?”
Submitted by Steve Dowding on Fri, 05/07/2013 - 16:42.
Article | Corruption & Ethics | Crime | Displacement | Health | Human Rights | Mega Events | Protest | Public transport | Rio de Janeiro 2016 | Security
Sporting myths, winning and national pride
Forget about the importance of taking part. Rory McIlroy is in an uncomfortable position, on the horns of a dilemma. Should he play golf at Rio 2016 for the UK, apparently his preference, or Ireland? The Irish tried to help him make up his mind by offering to let him carry the flag, but this only seems to have added to the pressure so that now he may not play at all!
Submitted by Julian Cheyne on Fri, 01/02/2013 - 17:01.
They're still playing the same mega event in Brazil - eviction
Eviction remains the name of the game in Brazil. It is reported that up to 20,000 people face eviction in Fortaleza, one of the cities where the 2014 World Cup is to be held.
Submitted by Julian Cheyne on Mon, 28/01/2013 - 14:33.
Blog | Compulsory Purchase | Displacement | Rio de Janeiro 2016
