The Winter Olympics, which have just opened in Italy, are also considered a soft power tool. For political scientist Cyrille Bret, who paints a geopolitical portrait of the event in Forum, these Olympics are far from being universal since they honor the rich countries of Europe.
Barely started, the Milan-Cortina Olympic Games are under pressure. Thousands of people marched in Milan on Saturday to protest against the games, denouncing the impact of infrastructure on fragile mountain environments and the widespread use of artificial snow, which consumes energy and water.
>> Read also: A demonstration in Milan against the Olympic Games, but also against the high cost of living
The Italian railway network was also deliberately sabotaged by arsonists, according to the Italian police. Other geopolitical issues interfere in this major winter sports event, such as the exclusion of Russia.
>> Read also: Italian rail network affected by sabotage on first day of Olympics
A selective event for rich countries
For Cyrille Bret, guest in Forum, the event has become the “private club of the global North”. “The Winter Olympics were born in the Alpine Arc and remain, despite Chinese, Japanese and North Korean investments, an event for rich northern countries for climatic and financial reasons,” he explains.
Despite the universal claim of the Winter Olympics, delegations from Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia are symbolic and practically absent.
“This allows medium powers like Switzerland, after the great downhill victory of Franjo von Allmen, or Italy, to shine while they are rather relegated to second place in international relations,” underlines the political scientist.
Medals, a political ranking
Behind the sporting exploits there is also a real national strategy at play. Cyrille Bret underlines: “Having beautiful mountains or beautiful snow is not enough. Massive investments are needed, particularly in equipment, technicians and a solid organization of the federations. The ranking of medals is a political ranking.”
According to the political scientist, large delegations remain over-represented, while superpowers like China and Japan send large teams to shine, even if they are traditionally far from winter sports.
For Cyrille Bret, there is also a battle between cities and host countries: “Everyone is trying to have the most beautiful image, the best organization, the most advanced security.”
A compromised future?
The Winter Olympics attract approximately half as many spectators as the Summer Olympics, a trend that has been observed for around thirty years according to the political scientist.
But beyond public interest, it is global warming which calls into question the sustainability of the event. Winters are becoming less reliable, natural snow is becoming rarer and the massive use of artificial snow is raising ecological and social concerns.
“It’s a collective choice that we have about practicing these sports that we love, but this choice has an environmental, financial, social and political cost,” warns Cyrille Bret. Before adding: “Given the pessimistic scenarios of the IPCC, the future of the Winter Olympic Games seems compromised in the coming decades.”
Comments collected by Thibaut Schaller
Adaptation web: Guillaume Massonnet
