South Africa's Bid for the 2004 Olympic Games as means for international unity and international awareness

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:Mega-events such as the Olympic Games have emerged as one of the most significantfeatures of the global era. Not only has the number of participants increased, but alsothe hosting of these events has been seen as an opportunity for countries to externallymarket themselves, in an attempt to raise their international profile, and to developnational identity. As such, many nations continue to enthusiastically compete to hostthese events. Despite the prestige of hosting events, South Africa has in the past beenexcluded from participating, let alone being considered to bid to host events of suchmagnitude. This was as a result of the Apartheid policy that extended into sport. Afterbeing admitted into the world of sport, it has joined the list of nations that regularlycompete to bid.There are two questions that this study sets out to explore. Firstly, how did hosting ofthe Games market South Africa internationally? Secondly, did hosting the Games helpcelebrate South Africa's national identity? In trying to answer these questions, themarketing power concept has been used. Part of the proposition is that marketingpower is more sought after by state elites who lack national identity. In light of this,South Africa has been used as a case study. Bidding to host the Olympic Games wasno easy road for South Africa, and in the aftermath of the Bid, this study identifies thereasons why the Bid was unsuccessful.The findings suggest that South Africa's attempt to host the Games did indeed marketthe country internationally. However, the findings indicate that bidding to host theGames did not bolster national identity, instead it revealed that there was lack of unity.In addition there are some important lessons that can be drawn from this study.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University