Timely collection of case studies on the precariousness of Olympic Winter Games

Russell Holden
In the Zone Sport and Politics Consultancy | @russinthezone

As Milan-Cortina D’Ampezzo busily gears itself for the next iteration of the Winter Olympics in 2026, Russell Field’s timely new edited volume of case studies provides an excellent pre-Olympics read with its reflective consideration of the issues that have generated resistance and protest towards the hosting and staging of the Winter Games since the mid 1960’s.

The issues that have continually aroused concern now constitute the popular discourse surrounding the hosting of sporting mega events. Furthermore, Field and his team of international contributors offer a valuable and long overdue insight into a surprisingly neglected area of sport history, which extends far beyond the niche status that has all too often been accorded to this significant sports gathering. In effect, this collection represents a first of its kind and extends far beyond the regular concern with the accomplishments of elite athletes.

Increasingly, sporting events have justifiably become the focus of activism and protest with a view to reforming sport and generating initiatives that capitalize on the visibility of large sporting gatherings in the hope of advancing a broader and more inclusive sporting social agenda. The Olympics has been no stranger to this phenomenon with this trend enraging those who still maintain rather facetiously, that sport and politics can remain distinct separate entities.

The editor opts for a chronological treatment (utilising eight case-studies of roughly equal length) of the history of the Winter Olympics in order to thread through the analysis of the causes behind the resistance and protest successes and failures, as well as the tactics deployed by activists and social movements. The focus of concern commences in the mid 1960’s as the Winter Games grew larger and more spectacular in nature.

They were deemed to be connected to the emergence of holiday resorts and commercial tourism and thus of more limited appeal, as those participating tended to come from financially advantaged backgrounds.

Wisely, Field has chosen to preface the case study approach by engaging in a valuable historical overview of the origins of the Winter Games following its formal recognition after the staging of the Chamonix Winter Sports Week of 1924. This gathering witnessed athletes from 16 nations take part in a range of sports. These however, did not include those disciplines that constituted the emerging discipline of Alpine skiing and the tensions surrounding its emergence as part of the mainstream Olympic movement. These were ostensibly between the Nordic and Alpine nations with the former favouring traditional Nordic practices based around the long established multi-sport yet traditional Nordic Games, whist the latter were more inclined to modern tastes and viewed by some as “hotel sport”. They were deemed to be connected to the emergence of holiday resorts and commercial tourism and thus of more limited appeal, as those participating tended to come from financially advantaged backgrounds.

The valid justification for a separate approach to the Winter Games as part of the evolving sport history discourse is critical, as these games are focused more on the outdoors and non-urban areas, which regularly results in clashes between the development deemed necessary for venues and the stewardship of the local environment. Furthermore, the choice of hosting location is circumscribed by limited geographical and climatic factors.

In terms of broader sport history and the normalisation of the debate surrounding the hosting of this winter sporting mega event, chief among the concerns have been worries over the use of public funds, the varied impact on indigenous rights, the living circumstances of local residents, and the natural environment in the context of the intensifying climate emergency. As Boykoff maintains, the contestation that does occur tends to be public, conflictual and geared to use sport to spotlight marginalised positions and ideas that do not regularly enter the dominant political discourse or much mainstream media coverage. Field’s study provides detailed and valuable accounts of the nature of activism especially in the chapters dealing with Calgary (1988), Vancouver (2010) and PyeongChang (2018).

Initially the volume focuses upon how local concerns were informed by global issues using the examples of Banff (1972) and Denver (1976) and these are especially important as the former constituted a failed bid, whilst the latter was the only occasion when a successful bid city has turned down the Games. The following four chapters consider Winter Games that occurred between 1988 and 2018 despite serious organised resistance, with environmental issues very much to the fore, yet in each case these issues gave way to infrastructural developments and state funds were often invested in such projects.

The chapters focusing on Vancouver (2010) and Oslo (2022) provide the most illuminating and powerful overviews regularly reminding readers that the Winter Olympics remain a niche event where interest is highest in predominantly white and privileged nation-states. In the case of Vancouver, protest focused on indigenous rights, economic issues and civil liberties, whilst for  Oslo, after initial support for the bidding process, the city residents had a rapid change of mind partly due  to the national government deciding not to guarantee federal funding, but also because the Norwegian citizenry clashed with the IOC over core values and the arrogance displayed towards the city by some IOC delegates. Critically for the Games, Vancouver’s intensity of resistance forged a transnational anti-Games movement that has served to formulate an increasingly co-ordinated form of protest countering local booster coalitions claiming that the Winter Olympics generate economic growth and positive legacies, regardless of where they happen to be located.

Despite the IOC’s introduction of Agenda 2020, a collection of reforms intended to streamline and reduce the cost of the bidding process (emphasising sustainability and the use of existing sporting facilities), measures intended as a response to the difficulties around the Sochi Games in 2014 and the public outcry in South Korea concerning the damage that Olympic construction caused to the natural environment and in some instances traditional spiritual sights, these  intentions were not to the fore in the selection of Beijing to host the 2022 Games. The IOC increasingly chose to embrace the commercial potential of global sponsors.

The one notable exclusion is a detailed treatment of the geopolitical wrangling behind the decisions to encourage and accept bidding cities. An opportunity to do this was afforded in the chapter considering the Sochi Games where greater attention could have been paid to the political, social, diplomatic, and militaristic motivations of the Russian regime as opposed to focusing so strongly on infrastructure investment.

This collection of case studies and its punchy epilogue combines rigorous analysis with a written style that is geared to ensure access to the non-specialist reader. Consequently Field’s important study should garner a wide international readership and would prove a valuable source document for Kirsty Coventry, the newly installed IOC president. However, as the “continuity candidate”, it would appear unlikely that too much notice will be taken of the detailed analysis of the contributors regarding the concerns succinctly conveyed by those who have genuine concerns regarding the hosting, costs and future staging of the Winter Games. More focus and reflective thinking on voices of resistance would more than likely ensure that future protests remain peaceful and that over time they may evaporate in the build-up to, and the duration of this quadrennial event.

Copyright © Russell Holden 2025