Call for Papers | “The Winter Olympic Games” | Special Issue of The International Journal of the History of Sport. Call ends April 15, 2019

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Editors:

  • Heather Dichter (De Montfort University)
  • Sarah Teetzel (University of Manitoba)

Research on the Olympic Games overwhelmingly focuses on the Summer Games, as both the original idea of Baron Pierre de Coubertin and the largest sporting mega-event.  The Winter Olympic Games nonetheless have been a globally-watched quadrennial mega-event for over 90 years.  Although the Winter Olympic Games have primarily taken place in Europe or North America, Asian states have increasingly sought to host the event, with South Korea and China hosting the most recent and next iteration of the event.  More countries than ever before sent athletes to the 2018 Winter Olympic Games – 92 nations, or 45% of total National Olympic Committees recognized by the International Olympic Committee.  The growth of the Winter Olympics is highlighted in the media coverage of the event, yet this expansion is not without its challenges, including from ethical, philosophical, or financial considerations.

This special issue of IJHS will explore historical factors that have made the Winter Olympic Games unique, special, or different from both summer sport festivals and other winter festivals, such as the Winter X Games.  Moving beyond sport-specific histories, which abound for the sports of skiing and ice hockey, this special issue will consider the variety – and expanding list – of sports on the Winter Olympic Games program.

Dr. Heather Dichter and Dr. Sarah Teetzel invite proposals for papers with a broad focus on the history of the Winter Olympic Games, including, but not limited to, sport history, cultural history, diplomatic history, global history, environmental history, or media history.

Potential topics discussing the unique contributions of the Winter Olympic Games, including the Winter Youth Olympic Games, include:

    • The inclusion and exclusion of different disciplines and events
    • Olympism and Olympic education initiatives related specifically to winter sports
    • Nationality/eligibility/political issues related to athletes from countries without much snow or ice competing for Northern countries
    • The use of Winter Olympic Games within diplomacy or international relations
    • Cultural programming attached to Winter Games
    • Trends in environmental considerations and impacts on host cities
    • The roles of the IOC and International Federations in promoting or growing Winter Games
    • Difference in Winter Olympic Games and X Games philosophy, organization, and/or impacts
    • Trends in bidding for the Winter Olympic Games (including the anti-Olympic movement)
    • The organizing of Winter Olympic Games

Papers including intersectional analyses of the Winter Olympic Games, or focusing on gender and/or sexuality, race and/or ethnicity, media, and politics are particularly welcome.

Please send questions to Heather Dichter at heather.dichter@dmu.ac.uk.

To submit a proposal for consideration, email the abstract (500 words) and a short bio by April 15, 2019 to both heather.dichter@dmu.ac.uk and sarah.teetzel@umanitoba.ca

Once the selection of papers has been decided, final versions of papers would be due to the editors by December 31, 2019.  Articles should be 8,000 words and conform to the house style of the journal, details of which can be found here

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