The ‘caged torch procession’: celebrities, protesters and the 2008 Olympic torch relay in London, Paris and San Francisco
Abstract
Along with the opening and closing ceremonies, one of the major non-sports events associated with the modern Olympic Games is the torch relay. Although initiated in 1936, the relay has been subject to relatively little academic scrutiny. The events of April 2008 however will have cast a long shadow on the practice. This essay focuses primarily on one week (6–13 April) in the press coverage of the 2008 torch relay as the flame made its way from London to Paris in Europe and then to San Francisco in the USA. It discusses the interpretations offered in the mediated coverage about the relay, the Olympic Movement, the host city and the locations where the relay was taking place, and critically analyses the role of agencies, both for and against the Olympics, that framed the ensuing debate.Citation
Horne, J. and Whannel, G. (2010) "The ‘caged torch procession’: celebrities, protesters and the 2008 Olympic torch relay in London, Paris and San Francisco", Sport in Society, 13 (5), pp.760-770Publisher
Taylor and FrancisJournal
Sport in SocietyAdditional Links
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17430431003650950Type
ArticleLanguage
enISSN
1743-04371743-0445
ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1080/17430431003650950