Sochi 2014 and the rhetoric of a new Russia: image construction through mega-events

Abstract

To understand the motivations and intentions of Olympic bidding cities, scholars frequently situate the staging of Olympic mega-events within a framework that extends beyond economic considerations and encompasses the soft power concepts of branding and image creation. In this paper, I compare the international community's rejection of the Sochi 2014 brand to the Russian population's relative acceptance of the discourse surrounding the Sochi Olympics. By using a constructivist methodological framework and applying the concept of diffuse support, both of which emphasise language and symbolism as central to public opinion formation, I argue that Olympic discourse – even when not substantiated by actual policies – can catalyse domestic support in the short-run. I use the Russian context to outline the potential and the perils of attempting to project a new self-image without fundamentally altering social realities, and illustrate how discursive power has shaped and may continue to shape the responses to Sochi 2014.

Keywords:

• democratisation
• ideology
• Putin
• Russia

Notes on contributor

Anna Alekseyeva is a DPhil student in the School of Geography at the University of Oxford.

Notes

1. Russia's subordination to IOC demands can also be seen in new tax laws and amendments to Russia's tax legislation to comply with “Olympic Law” (BCS 2006, 49).

2. Relational sovereignty generally refers to nation-states' engagement in international efforts to address transnational social and economic issues (Agnew 2005, 442).

3. Evidence of this is provided by the fact that “virtually all” of the delegative democracies in Latin America have developed into more robust democracies.