Football and the Olympics and Paralympics

Abstract

Olympic and Paralympic football has received limited academic attention and yet the game has been an important part of both competitions for most of their histories. In an attempt to redress this imbalance, the aim of this study was to assess the significance of football in the Olympics and Paralympics from its introduction into both events until the present day. Unsurprisingly, key issues in the history of Olympic and Paralympic football reflect those of these movements more widely, such as gender; disability; amateurism, ‘shamateurism’ and professionalism; politics and propaganda; nationalism and war; and invented traditions and popular myth.

Notes

^1. Steven Morris, ‘London 2012 Set to Kick Off with a Women's Football Match … in Wales’, The Guardian, July 25, 2012, http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2012/jul/24/london-2012-womens-football-cardiff.

^2.Fletcher, ‘Olympics Football’ and Women's Soccer United, ‘Attendances’.

^3. Fletcher, ‘Olympics Football’.

^4.Anonymous, ‘Decisions of the 101st Session’, 312.

^5.Stokkermans, ‘Women's World Cup’ and Lanfranchi et al., 100 Years of Football, 190–2.

^6.FIFA.com, ‘Women's Olympic Football Tournament’ and Vecsey, ‘Women's Soccer’.

^7.Williams, A Game for Rough Girls? 32–7.

^8.FIFA, Activity Report, 108.

^9.Sports Reference, ‘Hector Castro’; FIFA.com, ‘Hector Castro’ and Peck, ‘Héctor Castro’.

^10.Summers, ‘Disability Football Directory’.

^11.Atherton, Russell, and Turner, ‘Playing to the Flag’ and Atherton, Russell, and Turner, Deaf United.

^12.IOC, ‘FOOTBALL’, 1.

^13.Menary, GB United? 31–2.

^14.Taylor, Association Game, 50.

^15. Menary, GB United? 29–30.

^16. London 2012, ‘Football – About’.

^17. Menary, GB United? 33.

^18. Lanfranchi et al., 100 Years of Football, 59–62, 100–1.

^19. Menary, GB United? 35–6.

^20. Menary, GB United? 37–56 and Porter, ‘Coming on with Leaps and Bounds’.

^21.Wikipedia, ‘Football at the 1924 Olympics’ and Menary, GB United? 99.

^22.Wilson, Inverting the Pyramid, 36–9.

^23. Menary, GB United? 97.

^24. Menary, GB United? 99–100 and Lanfranchi et al., 100 Years of Football, 69.

^25. Lanfranchi et al., 100 Years of Football, 101–4.

^26. Menary, GB United? 104.

^27.Wikipedia, ‘Football at the 1936 Olympics’ and Wikipedia, ‘1942 World Cup’.

^28. Menary, GB United?, 133–157; Hampton, Austerity Olympics, 288–298.

^29. Menary, GB United? 131.

^30.Hampton, Austerity Olympics, 296.

^31. Menary, GB United? 278.

^32. Jacquelin Magnay, ‘London 2012 Olympics: 500,000 Football Tickets Removed to Ensure Full Stadiums’, The Telegraph, July 18, 2012, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/news/9405536/London-2012-Olympics-500000-football-tickets-removed-to-ensure-full-stadiums.html and BBC, ‘London 2012’.

^33.Hill, Olympic Politics, 7–8.

^34.Müller, ‘Origin of the Idea’.

^35. Müller, ‘Origin of the Idea’.

^36.Hohrod and Eschbach, ‘Ode to Sport’, 29.

^37.IOC, Olympic Charter, 10.

^38.Adams and Petney, ‘Germany 3-Scotland 2’.

^39.Morpurgo, Best Christmas Present; Duffy, Christmas Truce and Foreman, War Game.

^40.Daily Telegraph, July 12, 1916, quoted in Exploring Surrey's Past, ‘East Surrey Regiment’.

^41.Riddoch and Kemp, When the Whistle Blows.

^42.Garcia, ‘1920 Football (Soccer) Tournament’, 5–7.

^43. Menary, GB United? 119–20.

^44.Witzig, Global Art of Soccer, 347–59. However, Peruvian authors are now challenging this received wisdom: The Guardian, ‘Forgotten Story of … Football, Farce and Fascism at the 1936 Olympics’, The Guardian, November 24, 2011, http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2011/nov/24/forgotten-story-football-1936-olympics.

^45.Anonymous, ‘1964 Lima Soccer Riot’.

^46.Kertész, Fateless, 89.

^47.Prior, ‘Holocaust Remembrance’ and Little, Allies in Auschwitz.

^48.Dougan, Dynamo.

^49.Beit Theresienstadt,‘Liga Terezin’.

^50.Podolsky, ‘Olympic Movement Remembered’ and Grys, ‘Olympic Idea’.

^51. George Clode, ‘Mao's Olympics’, Military History Monthly, http://www.military-history.org/articles/war-zone-pow-camp-korea-1952.htm and Dillinger, ‘1952 POW Olympics’.

^52. Nelson Wyatt, ‘Headscarf Ban Inflames Ethnic Debate’, Toronto Star, February 27, 2007, http://www.thestar.com/news/2007/02/27/headscarf_ban_inflames_ethnic_debate.html.

^53.Lakhani, ‘Sporting the Veil’.

^54. FIFA, Activity Report, 41.

^55.Aljazheera, ‘FIFA Firm over Iran Hijab Ban’.

^56.FIFA.com, ‘IFAB Makes Three Unanimous Historic Decisions’.