East Plays West Sport And the Cold War

In the forty-year long '¬~Cold War' that followed World War II, international sport at the Olympic Games and elsewhere became symbolic of the new global struggle for supremacy. A high-profile sporting victory or a sporting boycott was seen as a powerful diplomatic weapon, as the world watched capitalism race against communism and totalitarianism seek to outplay democracy. East Plays West examines the development, the reality and the legacy of Cold War sport, looking at experiences in the USA, UK, USSR and China, and covering themes including: - sport as an expression of allegiance, resistance and conflict - media stories, legends of triumph, and the construction of Cold War sport - drugs, and the quest for medal success - identities and the stereotype of '¬~other' '¬" national identities, superhumans and freaks of nature - post-Cold War sport in the former communist states Addressing major themes in the study of sport and society, and presenting original research on both eastern and western experiences, this book provides a fascinating insight into the political and sporting culture of this key period in modern history. Stephen Wagg is Reader in Sport and Society at Roehampton University, London. David Andrews is Associate Professor in Sport, Commerce and Culture at the University of Maryland.Wagg, Stephen is the author of 'East Plays West Sport And the Cold War', published 2006 under ISBN 9780415359269 and ISBN 0415359260.