Political mythmaking and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi: Olympism and the Russian great power myth

Abstract

The theoretical point of departure of this paper is that the perspective of political myth adds to the understanding of political developments in Russia. The upcoming Olympic Winter Games in Sochi in 2014 are discursively constructed as a manifestation of Russia's return to great power status. In official Russian discourse, there is an encounter between the Russian great power myth and the myth of Olympism, both of which are employed to strengthen the status of Russia and of President Putin personally. Thus, the Olympic values of humanism, internationalism, and progress are merged with Russian great power ideals. But there are also examples where the prevailing myths are turned around to criticise the regime and the Sochi Games. However, the most serious challenge to the Putin regime may stem from the great power myth itself, should the regime prove unable to deliver what it requires.

Keywords:

• political myth
• Russia
• Olympic Winter Games
• Sochi-2014
• Putin
• great power

Notes on contributors

Emil Persson is a PhD candidate in Political Science at Lund University and Malmö University. He has published articles in journals such as the International Journal of Cultural Studies (together with Bo Petersson, 2011) and Sexuality & Culture (forthcoming 2014).

Bo Petersson is Professor of Political Science and IMER (International Migration and Ethnic Relations) as well as Vice Dean for Research at the Faculty of Culture and Society at Malmö University. His major publications in English include Stories about Strangers: Swedish Media Constructions of Socio-cultural Risk (Lanham: University Press of America, 2006); National Self-images and Regional Identities in Russia (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2001); The Sochi Predicament: Contexts, Characteristics and Challenges of the Olympic Winter Games in 2014 (edited with Karina Vamling; Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars, 2013); Majority Cultures and the Everyday Politics of Difference (edited with Katharine Tyler; London: Palgrave, 2008); as well as articles in journals such as Development, European Societies, European Studies; International Journal of Cultural Studies (together with Emil Persson, 2011) and Problems of Post-Communism.