A report capturing immediate thoughts, reflections and insights from the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games has been published, featuring several contributions from BU academics.
Professor Dan Jackson, a Professor of Media and Communication at BU, co-edited the Olympic and Paralympic Analysis 2020: Mega Events, Media and the Politics of Sport report, which features over 100 contributors from leading institutions across the world.
The report is split into five sections: impact of the Games on Tokyo, media coverage and representation, performance and identity, fandom and national identity, and the politics of sport.
Contributions come from a number of disciplines, including media, communication studies, cultural studies, sociology, political science, and psychology.
Pieces by BU academics cover subjects including athlete welfare, media coverage of the Paralympic games, and the narratives emerging from women’s artistic gymnastics.
Professor Jackson said: “This rapid-response project collects reflections and essays from some of the most respected scholars working in this field. Because each piece is short, focused, and accessible, our contributors’ insights are useful for all audiences rather than solely fellow academics.
“This collection provides us a unique opportunity to make sense of what we saw in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics and what we might expect moving forward in terms of the impact of sports and sporting mega-events on our global society.”
The report was co-published by the Centre for Comparative Politics & Media Research at BU with the University of Texas at Austin.
The publication follows similar reports analysing US and UK Elections and the EU Referendum.
The Olympic and Paralympic Analysis report can be read and downloaded for free at: https://olympicanalysis.org/