NBR just released a new Q&A with Victor Cha (Georgetown
University) that looks at the increased prominence of Asian countries at the Olympics and what his expectations are from the 2012 games in London. A link to the full interview and a summary are below:
"Nationalism, Competition, and Diplomacy: Asia at the
2012 London Olympics"

Q&A with Victor Cha, Georgetown University

Link: http://m.nbr.org/O5FB8I

SUMMARY
The Olympics are a time to set politics aside and engage in friendly competition. However, the games have sometimes been used as a platform by governments, athletes, and the global media to draw attention to domestic and international political tensions, power struggles, and other geopolitical issues.

Asia is not immune to the politics of the Olympics, exemplified by North Korea's boycott of the 1988 games, held in Seoul, and China's participation in both the
1984 Los Angeles games and the 1984 Friendship Games - counter-games put on by the Soviet Union. More recently, the 2008 Beijing games highlighted the burgeoning role of China as a world power, the role of government involvement in athletics, China's human rights record, and the country's intense nationalism.
The London games will provide a different arena in which to examine China and Asia as a whole.
NBR spoke with Victor Cha (Georgetown University), author of Beyond the Final Score: The Politics of Sport in Asia, about the increased prominence of Asian countries at the Olympics and what he expects from the
2012 games in London.
Read the full interview for insights on:

- The effects of controversies such as the 2012 U.S.
Olympic team uniforms being manufactured in China

- The role of nationalism in Olympic sports

- The Olympics "Catch 22"

Link: http://m.nbr.org/O5FB8I

Tracy Timmons-Gray
The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) Seattle, WA