London 2012 and beyond: concluding reflections on peacemaking, sport and the Olympic movement

Abstract

The 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games have reinvigorated the debate on Olympic legacies for peace and development. Addressing this debate and building on the articles in this collection, this epilogue argues that the theoretical–conceptual understanding of peace and peacemaking remains poorly developed within the peacemaking discourse espoused by the Olympic movement. The authors draw upon insights from mainstream peace research to identify a series of key themes and questions across six dimensions of peacemaking – aim, means, time, actors, process/action and organization. These themes and questions can guide future research, policy and practice in peacemaking through sport.

Notes

¹ Bates, ‘Olympic and Paralympic Games 2012’.

² Bates, ‘The Olympic Truce’.

³ Bates, ‘Time to give the Greeks’.

⁴ http://www.facebook.com/pages/London-2012-Olympic-Peace-Campaign/2113824488838 73?sk = info.

⁵ Jopling, ‘Olympic and Paralympic Games 2012’.

⁶ Quoted in ‘London 2012 Olympic torch’, BBC News.

⁷ Boykoff, ‘The Anti-Olympics’.

⁸ Jacques Rogge, quoted in Chang, ‘Olympics Chief Softens Position’.

⁹ Ife, ‘Human Rights and Peace’, 160.

¹⁰ Minutes of Meeting of SDP Academics UN-IOC Forum, Geneva, 10 May 2011. Private communication.

¹¹ Güldenpfennig, ‘Sport in the Peace Movement’, 209.

¹² Ibid.

¹³ Haugerudbraaten, ‘Peacebuilding’.

¹⁴ Ibid., 18.

¹⁵ Richards, ‘On Peacemaking’.

¹⁶ Haugerudbraaten, ‘Peacebuilding’, 20.

¹⁷ Galtung, ‘Violence, Peace and Peace Research’; Galtung, Peace by Peaceful Means. The notion of positive peace has shifted over time. Galtung initially viewed positive peace in terms of integration and cooperation.

¹⁸ Boulding, ‘Twelve Friendly Quarrels’; Wiberg, ‘JPR 1964–1980’.

¹⁹ Müller, ‘Theories of Peace’, 62.

²⁰ Briggs, McCarthy and Zorbas, 16 Days, 50–1.

²¹ Hoffman, ‘Peace and Conflict Impact’, 190.

²² Ramsbotham, Woodhouse and Miall, Contemporary Conflict Resolution, 225.

²³ Sugden, ‘Teaching and Playing Sport’, 238.

²⁴ Kidd and MacDonnell, ‘Peace, Sport and Development’, 172.

²⁵ Cf. Darnell, ‘Conflict, Education and Sport’, 6.

²⁶ Roche, ‘The Olympics and “Global Citizenship”’, 176–7.

²⁷ Haugerudbraaten, ‘Peacebuilding’, 21.

²⁸ Guest, ‘The Diffusion of Development-through-Sport’.

²⁹ MacAloon, ‘Scandal and Governance’, 302.

³⁰ Mac Ginty, ‘Traditional and Indigenous Approaches’.

³¹ Lederach, Preparing for Peace; Lederach, Building Peace.

³² Ramsbotham, Woodhouse and Miall, Contemporary Conflict Resolution, chap. 9.

³³ Lederach, Building Peace, 60.

³⁴ Ibid., 24.

³⁵ Cf. Giulianotti, ‘Sport, Peacemaking and Conflict Resolution’.

³⁶ Kidd, ‘Another World is Possible’.