Speakers and Abstracts

This paper looks in two directions: to the Berlin Games of 1936, from which the 1972 Olympics sought to distance themselves in order to portray a new, democratic Germany on the international stage; and to the terrorist attack which casts a shadow over the event in the popular memory down to the present day. It will show that 1936 played a key role in the award of the Games to Munich in the mid 1960s; examine how the aesthetic vision of design chief Otl Aicher played off the strengths of his Berlin predecessors; and explore the impact of the attack on Munich's legacy. The paper will argue that Munich's two key moments of heritage are intricately entwined.

Christopher Young has primary teaching and research interests on medieval German literature and language and the history of European (and in particular German) sport. In medieval studies: he is the author of “Narrativische Perspektiven” in “Wolframs Willehalm” (Tübingen 2000), co-editor of four volumes. In the field of sports history: he has edited a special edition of “American Behavioural Scientist” (with Andrei Markovits, 2003) on 'Sports and Cultural Space', three further volumes in the UK, US and Germany, been invited to be plenary speaker at conferences in Europe, and organised two international conferences (Cambridge 2003, 2006). With other members of the Faculty, he produced “German Video Plus” (an interactive CD ROM, 2003) for Arnold. He is currently completing on a book on German national identity at the Munich Olympics 1972.

At the end of the nineteenth century Pierre de Coubertin played the key role in re-establishing the Olympic Games. At the same time he developed and promoted what he considered to be the Olympic ideals. What have these ideals turned out to be today? In how far is Coubertin’s legacy still alive in our times? The purpose of this presentation is to characterize the Olympic ideals as they have been promoted by Pierre de Coubertin and to analyse their evolution and transformation. After a short overview of the history of the Olympic ideals as reflected by the official discourse of the IOC, I will use the concepts of religion and popular culture to characterize the Olympic ideals and their transformation in the different time periods from Coubertin to today. Drawing on different approaches of cultural studies, Alvin Gouldner’s Dialectic of Technology and Ideology as well as Hans Lenk’s concept of “homo interpretans / metainterpretans” I will show that communication technology played a major role in transforming Olympism from a kind of religion into popular culture. These notions fit the evolution of the Olympic ideals better than general concepts of ideology. Coubertin who coined the neologism Olympism considered the first character of this concept to be a religion (religio athletae). In a first time period the ideals of Olympism were disseminated by printed texts for a very limited readership and by the Olympic Games as a lived experience for an even less important public. Communication technologies radically changed the way the Olympic ideals were spread, perceived and interpreted; they enabled the Olympic Games as a show case of the Olympic ideals to reach a wide and growing public. As the visual message more and more replaced the textual, the range of interpretation increased and opened the way for instrumentalisation and commercialisation of an originally pedagogical oriented quasi-religious movement. After a long period of political instrumentalisation, finally, in a context of growing visualization/mediatisation, commercialization and globalization, Olympism has become part of the popular culture. Quasi-religious ceremonies have evolved from rite to spectacle and show, the presentation of performance has become as important as the sports performance itself, athletes have gained star status. The stakeholders of the Olympic movement have interpreted a selected choice of Coubertin’s writings according to their own purposes. With ongoing marketing interests and strategies the educational ideals of Olympism disappear as new Olympic values are produced to fit the consumer’s taste. Thanks to its vagueness and its polysemous symbolism Olympism allows multiple interpretations of and identifications with its value system. On the one hand this openness is responsible for its worldwide acceptance and success, but on the other hand it paves the way for abuse and instrumentalisation. Coubertin’s heritage has been reduced to a myth which is kept alive for marketing reasons.

Otto Schantz is a professor of cultural studies and the head of the department of Sport science at the University of Koblenz-Landau, Germany. He has studied modern literature, philosophy and sport sciences at the universities of Mainz, Hagen and Paris IV – Sorbonne. He has been an associate professor at the Universities of Besançon and Strasbourg, France, and a visiting professor at the universities of Frankfurt, Mainz, Lausanne and the Sport University of Beijing. He was awarded the Olympic order from the International Olympic Committee for his research on the Olympic movement. His research interests include the Olympic and Paralympic ideologies, the cultural history of the Olympic and Paralympic movements and the sociology of knowledge related to sport sciences. He is the author of about 200 publications in the fields of sociology of sport, history of sport, history of ideas and sociology of science. He is the co-author of “1894-1994 The International Olympic Committee – One Hundred Years” (Lausanne 1995), and the co-editor of “Textes choisis de Pierre de Coubertin”. (New York, Zürich, Hildesheim 1986).

The Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games are nowadays seen by half of the world-population. The Ceremony itself is very strictly organised in the Olympic Charter, Rule 58 of the IOC: The parade of the participants; The speech by the President of the Organising Committee of the Olympic Games; The speech by the IOC President; The opening speech by the host country’s Head of State; The playing of the Olympic anthem and the entry and raising of the Olympic flag; The last stage of the Olympic torch relay and the lighting of the Olympic cauldron; The symbolic release of pigeons; The taking of the Olympic oath by an athlete; The taking of the Olympic oath by an official; The national anthem of the host country; The artistic programme. This sort of liturgy of the Opening Ceremony grew from one Olympic Game to the next and it had been often the host-countries adding new parts and then sometimes they been taken away again, as they were not conform to feelings that could be adopted from the world population. That Olympism is more than just a sportsevent shows the “Fundamental Principles of Olympism” in the Charter of the IOC: Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles. Further John MacAloon, one of the leading Researchers in Olympic studies, writes in the Report of the International Olympic Academy in 1982: “Each Olympic Games is a great rite de passage, in which millions and millions of persons are, so to speak, taken on a voyage: away from their routine, daily lives; throug a spezial time and space; and then returned.” And Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of modern Olympism tells us in his memories: “The first essential feature of ancient and modern Olympism alike is that of being a religion. I therefore consider that I was right to restore from the outset, around the idea of Olympism, a religious feeling transformed and enlarged by Internationalism and Democracy.” When we than go to planning of the artistic programme, we can listen to Ric Birch, one of the top producers of Olympic ceremonies: “The creation of key images in the Opening Ceremony is actually where we begin planning, rather than thinking „Let’s have opera or let’s have dance“ or whatever.” In my contributian I will tell the whole history of the Ceremonies of the Olympics, based on original documents and images from the IOC archive in Lausanne and explain the idea of “world ritual”.

Jürgen Weishäupl has previously studied theatre science in Vienna and is now writing his PhD on “Ceremonies of the Olympic Games” at Zhdk Zürich. In opera and theatre, he has worked with Jerome Savary, Terry Hands, Götz Friedrich, David Pountney, Davide Rampello. He worked for many years as curator and art producer in Italy (Antimafiafestival Corleone, Carneval Sorrento, Festino Palermo, KalsArt Palermo, Genio di Palermo, Opening Festival new Milano Fair). He was artistic director of the EURO2008 art programme in Austria and is now working as theatre curator for the city of Vienna. On the Vienna Television Channel "W24" he has an art programme called "Kulturflitzer" that airs twice a week.

This paper highlights some snapshots of the ‘social life’ of the 2004 Olympic flame and discusses the transformations of its meanings from the moment of its lighting until its extinction at the closing ceremony. During the Athens 2004 torch relay, the life of Olympic flame had its own dynamic; The flame had characteristics of ‘a great protagonist’, ‘a head of state’, and ‘a world traveller’ attributed to it, as well as that of ‘a person’ that has feelings and participates in Olympic affairs, while at the same time it causes tears, excitement, pride -- or indignation when things go wrong. The Olympic flame is usually projected as conveying international values and ideals, but at the same time it is also a potent means through which national statements and claims are communicated internationally. It is involved in negotiations of power and it becomes the means to express and project personal histories, fantasies or expectations. It thus becomes rich in meanings and values which are layered, recycled or transformed throughout its life. By tracing the Olympic flame’s mobility, and by following the variable meanings attributed to it at different times and places, it can guide us in the exploration of aspects of the social relationships and the negotiations of power in which it is involved or plays a leading part. This paper is based on what I experienced in Athens during the summer of 2004 by watching TV, reading the press, talking to people, and participating in the public sentiment generated by the preparations for the Athens Olympics, but also on research on oral, written and visual material collected before and after that time.

Eleana Yalouri has a BA in Archaeology (University of Crete, Greece) an MPhil in Museum studies (University of Cambridge) and a PhD in Social Anthropology (University College London), while she undertook postdoctoral research at the University of Princeton, USA. She has been a visiting lecturer at the University of Westminster, London and a lecturer at the Dept of Anthropology of University College London. She is currently a lecturer at the Department of Social Anthropology at Panteion University of Social and Political Studies in Athens. Her research interests and her publications in periodicals and edited volumes include the following issues: Material Culture; Issues of national identity and the representation of the past; theories of space and the social construction of landscape; Τhe politics of the past, and cultural heritage; Ιssues of relevance in History and Anthropology. Her book: “The Acropolis. Global Fame, Local Claim” (Berg 2001) discusses the modern life of the Athenian Acropolis, and the ways in which modern Greeks deal with the national and international features of their ancient classical heritage.

Heritage or legacy in Olympic cities is often thought of in terms of infrastructure or urban regeneration. Invariably such an approach stresses positive outcomes when it results in improvements to the urban landscape. Another approach stresses fiscal outcomes often viewed negatively if it involves debt. A third approach is to stress civic pride and national identity all of which are more difficult to quantify and considered a fallback position to more concrete outcomes that legitimates large expenditures. None of these approaches consider how urban residents themselves experience the Games. In western countries, hosting the Olympics can be a highly contested activity because it utilizes public money to fund priorities that are questionable and rearranges the public agenda. Before the Olympics, Vancouver was deeply divided about the appropriateness of hosting the Games. Yet the experience of the Games was an unexpected dynamic urban event. This paper uses poll data to show how public opinion evolved through the period of the Games and analyzes the factors contributing to changing perceptions of the Olympics. It is proposed that a neglected part of the heritage of the Olympics for any city is to understand how local residents encounter and experience the Games themselves.

Harry H. Hiller is Professor of Sociology at the University of Calgary. He is a macro sociologist and an urban sociologist. Dr. Hiller was Head of the Department of Sociology from 1982-1988. He served two terms as Director of Graduate Studies, has served on General Faculties Council, and the University Senate. In 2000, Hiller became Director of the Alberta In-Migration Study funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Most recently, Hiller was selected as a Killam Fellow for 2008 to complete his Quebec Referendum Study. He has also been a Fellow at a number of other universities including the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2007 and the University of California, Berkeley where he was a Sproul Fellow in 2004. Hiller is a frequent commentator on public affairs and trends in the media. He is active in the community having held a variety of leadership positions in community organizations.

Abstract available here as a PDF

Natalie Heger, Dipl.-Ing., architect (*1970), is a Lecturer in Architecture in the Department of Architecture, Urban Planning and Landscape Planning at the University of Kassel in Germany. She started her PhD in 2007 within the framework of the graduate program: Planning and Constructing in the Postmodernist Period. Her thesis is entitled Thinking in Systems and analyzes the 1972 Olympic Village in Munich as an example for the general urban and architectural principles of the 60s. Previously, Natalie Heger worked as a stage designer at various theaters in Germany, before studying architecture at the Technical University Berlin and the Escola Tècnica Superior d’ Arquitectura in Barcelona. In 1999 she received her Diploma with a nomination for the architecture award of the TU Berlin. Today, besides her engagement at the University of Kassel, Natalie Heger lives and works as an independent architect in Frankfurt am Main where, as a board member of the Ernst-May-Society, she is involved with the reconstruction of a case study house of May’s New Frankfurt project.

Mark Turin is a linguistic anthropologist specialised in the Himalayas. After completing his BA in Anthropology and Archaeology from the University of Cambridge (1995), he documented the Thangmi language spoken in Nepal for his doctoral research through the Himalayan Languages Project at the University of Leiden (PhD 2006). From May 2007 until May 2008, he was Chief of the Translation and Interpretation Unit in the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) and continues to direct the Digital Himalaya Project based jointly at Cambridge and Cornell universities. In 2009, he established the World Oral Literature Project supporting the documentation and preservation of oral literatures and endangered cultural traditions at the University of Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.

This paper proposes the importance of 'heritage' in the assertion and regeneration of place. In particular the paper considers the Olympic Games as a complex intervention in the city - and in east London - and in the emergent sense of the history of 'place'. Heritage is a central concept in thinking about the Olympic Games understood as a focus for prospective and retrospective narration of 'before, during and after'. The paper considers the relationship between 'heritage' and a term more frequently mobilised in relation the London 2012 Olympics: 'legacy. Discussion connects popular narration from local young people with other, official, accounts of the Olympics - proposed as heritage-in-the-making. In particular the Games are considered as a response to the post-industrial and 'post-historical' conception of east London -- an area where industrial and other cultural heritage has been displaced in some narratives and by an assertive set of regeneration polices aimed at large scale urban renewal.

Iain MacRury is Associate Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences at UEL and Director of the London East Research Institute. He is co-author of A Lasting Legacy for London?, a report commissioned by GLA in 2007 and co-editor of Olympic cities: 2012 and the remaking of London (Ashgate 2009). He has written widely on the Olympics, legacy and regeneration.

The Olympic Games have played and are playing a larger role in modern times. The Olympics are an event that commands the focus of the media and the attention of the entire world for two weeks every other year. They are one of the most effective international marketing platforms in the world reaching billions of people in over 200 countries. In political science, a spectacle is “the mobilization of bias”. It is a form of control of public space and the defining of what is the “public will” at any given moment, and who are the people invoking it. How do Olympic Games affect the politics of a city both domestically but also concerning its international positioning? What is the impact of the Games in nations that host them? This paper will take the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens as a case study.

Elizabeth Filippouli is a Media Consultant and the Managing Director of We Media UK and Globeez, an international business community network bringing together entrepreneurs, professionals and NGOs. Elizabeth started her career in TV as news reporter and anchor for the Hellenic Public Broadcaster and since then she successfully pursued an international career having worked for global networks like CNN International and Al Jazeera English. Elizabeth was very involved with the Olympic Games in Greece in 2004. She was also in charge of pre-Olympic correspondence for CNN International and later she worked on an investigative documentary on the "backstage" (finances, politics, IOC, various scandals etc) of the Athens Olympic Games for Al Jazeera English. For Al Jazeera she served as Presenter and Current Affairs Correspondent based in Doha (Qatar) and in London (UK). Between 1999-2005 she worked with CNN, based in Athens. During her career she has interviewed a number of global-range personalities (King Constantine of Greece, Ted Turner, James Rubin, Dr Deepak Chopra, Mohamed El Baradei, Al Gore, Susan Sarandon, Lord George Robertson, Christianne Amanpour, Peter Arnett, Lord Coe). She is also an experienced consultant in Media Training & Crisis Management and is regularly invited to chair Conferences and events. Elizabeth has written a book on International Affairs (“The Invisible Reality”). She holds a MA in Transnational Media & Globalization and she is a member of the International Federation of Journalists.

The return of the Olympic Games to Athens in 2004 was linked with the Olympic ideal and values of the classical Olympic Games. As a “mega-event” the Olympic Games contribute to the urban regeneration of the host cities (Roche 2000). The host city attracts large-scale investment and creates high-standard sport facilities and buildings that will have long-term benefits for the broader urban, social and economic policies. The urban development for the infrastructure and the Olympic facilities provide the opportunity to undertake archaeological excavations, interpret and present the antiquities as well as re-interpret and re-present the archaeological monuments and sites of the host city. In this presentation I will focus on the archaeological excavations and the heritage programs that took place in Athens for the Olympic Games of 2004. The archaeological excavations conducted for the construction of the metro network brought into light a great number of antiquities from the different periods of the ancient city of Athens. The historic centre of Athens witnessed a cultural enhancement and became the focal point of cultural activities and festivals for the visitors. The Olympic Games offered a tangible archaeological and cultural legacy: enhanced archaeological sites and monuments, renovated museums, landscaping of open green spaces contributed to the regeneration of Athens.

Afroditi Chatzoglou is a final year PhD Candidate in the University of Cambridge. She has obtained an MPhil in Archaeological Heritage and Museums from Cambridge in addition to her first degree in Archaeology/History of Art from the University of Athens, Greece. Afroditi's doctoral research focuses on the landscape and preservation of historic centers in Southern Europe. She has participated in excavations in Athens and Ancient Thira, and in the digital preservation of cultural material supported by the Third Information Society program of the European Union. She has also designed exhibitions for museums and worked as a teacher of the Greek Language.

This paper departs from debates and attitudes in the West concerning heritage as both a general public concern and a field of study, and goes on to examine how the now rapidly disappearing hutong was originally constructed embodying the values and meaning of ancient culture, its significance historically and how it is interpreted and transformed in contemporary China, particularly against the backdrop of the Beijing Olympics. It also touches on the different understanding of heritage in China compared to that in the West.

Jialing Luo is currently completing a thesis to submit for a PhD in Social Anthropology at the University of Cambridge. She has carried out intensive fieldwork in the hutong, the rapidly disappearing traditional courtyard residence areas of Beijing, and has given a number of talks, lectures and seminars on her work, including papers presented at SOAS on the Beijing Olympics, and at Leiden University on urban symbolism, which were both accepted for publication. She was also awarded a 2009 Postgraduate Research Grant from the International Olympic Committee to study Olympism and nation-building in the context of modern China. Prior to Cambridge, Jialing obtained her MA in Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology at the University of Leiden, the Netherlands.

The Museum of London Archaeology Service’s (MoLAS) Pre-Construct Archaeology unit (PCA) were involved in the archaeology of the 2012 Olympic park from the preparations for the London bid until the completion of the post-excavation assessment reports on the archaeology. Final publication of the results will be undertaken by the client, the Olympic Delivery Authority. Logistically the project proved highly challenging as a result of both the project approach taken by the various stakeholders and the physical environment in which the work was carried out. Complex ground contamination, ground water and engineering issues needed to be addressed in the excavation of 143 trenches up to 9 m deep across the whole area. The archaeological work resulted in the formulation of a predictive model of the changing fluvial landscape of the Lea Valley from Prehistoric times to 19th century industrialisation and mid-20th century incorporation of the area into a defensive network to protect London from attack. Significant archaeological resources ranging from evidence for Neolithic land-use through important Late Bronze Age and Iron Age enclosure and settlement evidence as well some evidence for limited Roman activity were uncovered. The later periods produced a large body of standing building reports on the remains of the 19th century industrialisation of the Lea Valley and evidence for the 1940 defensive line protecting London’s eastern approaches from ground attack as well as the World War II anti aircraft defences across the area. Together with the archaeological and documentary evidence for these sites this forms a remarkable corpus for developing a new understanding of the past of the East End of London. MoLAS PCA has formulated a comprehensive analytical framework for understanding and interpreting the material culture in its environmental setting. This comprises a model of the prehistoric and historic landscape of the river Lea, adding significantly to our understanding of Iron Age exploitation and dynamics of the area, and providing a revised understanding of the later historic period in the light of new material evidence. At the same time as MoLAS PCA were working on delivery of an archaeological strategy to respond to the requirements of planning conditions, we were also requested by the ODA to provide a more public–facing archaeological programme comprising public lectures, finds handling days, regular news updates, video broadcasts and other ways of involving local populations. This proved highly successful, attracting much local interest.

Nick Bateman is a Senior Consultant at Museum of London Archaeology and leads one of the Client Teams. He is a member of the MOL Archaeology Senior Management Group. Prior to his appointment, Nick was a Senior Project Manager. Nick joined the Museum’s Archaeology Department in 1981 as a full time member of staff, having previously worked on sites around the UK. He was the Project Coordinator for the Guildhall Amphitheatre excavations from 1987 to 1997, and has extensive experience of managing large excavations and post-excavation analysis in London and a wide experience of archaeology abroad. He is a Member of the Institute of Field Archaeologists and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London.

Frank Meddens has completed a BA and Ph.D at the Institute of archaeology of the University of London, he is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, a member of the Institute of Field Archaeologists, a Research Fellow at the Geography Department of Royal Holloway and the Institute of Andean Studies in Berkeley. He has published extensively on British archaeology, including papers on Bronze Age and Roman remains, Medieval and Post Medieval ceramics as well as Andean prehistory. Frank has been responsible for the management of the Post-excavation aspects of MoLAS’ Pre-Construct Archaeology's operations since 1997. He ensures that the archaeological archives when they come off site are appropriately assessed and where necessary further analysed and taken forward to publication. He is also responsible for ensuring that the finds and records are transferred to the appropriate museum services where they can be further researched or put on display.

The traditional view of heritage is that of historic sites and structures that are inherited from the past, valued in the present, and protected for the future. However, many would argue that the real value of these sites is not the physical structures, but in the cultural experiences that take place at them. Heritage thus includes traditions, myths, legends, and memories, many of which occur at specific places. The London 2012 Olympics are already providing memories and experiences for a lot of people, despite not yet being completed. It could be argued, therefore, that they are already cultural heritage, an argument which is reinforced by the English Heritage National Monuments Record, who include a photograph of the Icona building at the Olympic village in a recently published leaflet entitled ‘Explore your Heritage’. The buildings themselves are not something that has been inherited from the past, but the history and tradition of ‘the games’ is part of our collective memory, and sub-consciously informs our view of present and future Olympic sites. The Olympics are clearly valued in the present. Should the buildings and structures erected for the event, therefore, be protected for the future? This paper will argue that the London 2012 Olympic site is a national heritage asset, and indeed meets all of the criteria for designation as a listed building, except age. Only a small number of structures that are of recent date are listed, e.g. the Centre Point building in London. This is the result of the monumentalist ideology of early conservators, and the legislation that developed out of this ideology that governs which buildings are defined as being national heritage assets. The legislation states that buildings less than 10 years old will not be listed. In addition, only those of exceptional quality which are less than 30 years old will be listed, and this is only if they are threatened with destruction and it is felt that this would be a significant loss to the nation. However, it is now widely accepted that cultural heritage is more than just buildings and monuments ‘inherited’ from the past. Heritage should be seen as the shared spaces, places and memories that we hold in common and value as part of our national (and personal) identity. However, heritage protection legislation has not yet moved on from the monumentalist ideology of the early conservators. To designate the London Olympics, therefore, the site must meet the strict criteria for listing. As well as age, the criteria include architectural interest; buildings which illustrate important aspects of the nation’s social, economic, cultural or military history; sites which have a close historical association with a nationally important event; and group value as part of an important architectural group or a fine example of planning. This paper argues that all of these criteria are met by the London 2012 Olympic stadium, and that the stadium can be defined as cultural heritage through the shared experiences, memories, and values of those in the present.

Stella Jackson is a PhD student at the University of York. She is currently employed by English Heritage as a Senior Heritage Protection Co-ordinator. Castle Area Campaign Group, Secretary/Treasurer, 2000 to present, City of York Council Castle/Piccadilly Action Area Reference Group, stakeholder group, majority of activity took place in 2005, City of York Council Youth Dance Working Group, no specific level, member since 2008, Community Dance York, Committee Member 2004-2008, Council for British Archaeology (CBA), individual subscription since c.2000, Institute for Archaeologists (IFA), Affiliate/Student member since 2003.

Roy Panagiotopoulou is Professor in sociology at the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies of the University of Athens. She holds a MA and a Ph.D. (Dr. Phil.) in sociology of the University of Heidelberg (Germany). Previously, she was scientific assistant at the Institute of Sociology, University of Heidelberg in Germany and research associate at the Social Science Sector of the Ministry of Research and Technology in Greece. Dr. Panagiotopoulou has widely researched on political behaviour and political culture, social classes and social change in Greece, environmental awareness and the landscape in Greece, organizational communication, regional television, new technologies and e-government. Her research interests on the Olympics focus on media planning of the Games, content analysis of Olympic ceremonies broadcasting and volunteerism, with special attention to the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. She is the author of the book "Communication in Organizations" (Kritiki 1997 in Greek), "Television Stations outside Athens. Regional and Local Television in Greece" (Kastaniotis 2004), and she is the editor of the book "The 'Construction' of Reality and the Mass Media" (Alexandria 1998 in Greek), "Digital Challenge: Media and Democracy" (2003), "Globalization and Modern Society" (2003) and "Athens 2004: Post-Olympic Consideration" (2005 forthcoming).