Tag: Heather L. Dichter

The International Journal of the History of Sport is the world’s leading sport history academic periodical with fully-refereed global coverage of the subject. The Forum Editor’s pick from the current issue: ‘Is Hockey Moving with the Times?’ Amateurism, the All England Women’s Hockey Association and Field Hockey at the Olympic Games, 1972–1996 by David Lewis-Earley (open access)

The International Journal of the History of Sport is the world’s leading sport history academic periodical with fully-refereed global coverage of the subject. The Forum Editor’s pick from the current issue: Football, Entertainment, and Business: Hans Gamper and KS Cracovia’s 1923 Tour of Spain by Pablo de la Fuente de Pablo & Cezary Taracha.

2024 is an Olympic Games year. Held every four years (with the exception of during the World Wars and Covid-19 restrictions), the modern Olympics is the largest international sporting event in the world. However, historically it has not always been just the sports that are played and the athletes’ performances that make an impact. To mark the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, being held in Paris this summer, we have brought together five academics to give five talks on a social, cultural or political aspect of the Games. All the talks are available to listen to live for free.

In his study Cycling Diplomacy: Undemocratic Regimes and Professional Road Cycling Teams Sponsorship (Peter Lang Publishing), Jiří Zákravský presents four case studies to show that undemocratic states use sponsoring of pro cycling teams to promote their nations. We asked sport historian and diplomacy specialist Heather L. Dichter for a review. She found a multitude of empirical data in the book, but also a glaring omission of analyses, in the case studies as well as in the overall conclusion.

In her award-winning Bidding for the 1968 Olympic Games: International Sport’s Cold War Battle with NATO (University of Massachusetts Press), Heather L. Dichter considers how NATO and its member states used sport as a diplomatic arena during the height of the Cold War, and how international sport responded to political interference. In his review, our foremost expert on the history of sport diplomacy and international politics Kristian Gerner is impressed by Dr. Dichter’s meticulous study of the competition for the Winter Games in 1968.

The International Journal of the History of Sport is the world’s leading sport history academic periodical with fully-refereed global coverage of the subject. The Forum Editor’s pick from the current issue: The 1952 and 1994 Olympic Flames: Norway’s Quest for Winter Olympic Identity by Matti Goksøyr & Gaute Heyerdahl (open access).

In Heather L. Dichter’s edited volume Soccer Diplomacy: International Relations and Football since 1914 (Univerity Press of Kentucky) an international group of experts analyzes the relationship between soccer and diplomacy. We handed the book to Kristian Gerner, professor of history at Lund University and our expert reviewer in sport and international relations. He found that the book offers readable analyses of soccer as an instrument of diplomacy, but questions the use and understanding of the chosen terminology.

The International Journal of the History of Sport is the world’s leading sport history academic periodical with fully-refereed global coverage of the subject. The Forum Editor’s pick from the current issue: ‘The world will be watching and so will NSA!’: A History of Technology and Security at the Olympic Games by Austin Duckworth & Jörg Krieger.

In Toby C. Rider’s and Kevin B. Witherspoon’s edited volume Defending the American Way of Life: Sport, Culture, and the Cold War (The University of Arkansas Press), leading sport historians present new perspectives on high-profile issues in this era of sport history. Kristian Gerner, professor of history at Lund University, is our knowledgeable reviewer, and he highlights the role played by African Americans, internationally as well as in the domestic civil rights movement.

The International Journal of the History of Sport is the world’s leading sport history academic periodical with fully-refereed global coverage of the subject. The Forum Editor’s pick from the current issue: Olympic Winter Games, ‘Cold Sports’, and Inclusive Values by Irena Martínková & Jim Parry.