Brings together international scholars with an interest in sport and politics and sinologists with an interest in China - past, present and future - to explore global reaction to the Beijing Olympics - China's anticipated moment of glory on the world stage. This book demonstrates that sport is inseparable from politics.

He Zhenliang, Chairman of the IOC Commission for the Culture of Olympic Education, has remarked pointedly that the most significant outcome of the Beijing Games will be the elevation of the self-confidence and sense of pride of the Chinese people. "Beijing 2008" will be an act of political self-renewal on the world stage. This Collection demonstrates that sport is inseparable from politics. This book was previously published as a special issue of the "International Journal of the History of Sport".

Preface - Geopolitical games: Beijing 2008
"J. A. Mangan"
Beijing 2008: The Mixed Messages of Contemporary Chinese Nationalism
"Julia Lovell"
Olympic Aspirations: Chinese Women on Top -- Considerations and Consequences
"Dong Jinxia" and "J. A. Mangan"
Olympian Politics in Beijing: Games, But Not Just Games
"Kevin Caffrey"
Dancing around the Elephant: The Beijing Olympics - Taiwanese Reflections and Reactions
"Junwei Yu"
Sport as Public Diplomacy and Public Disquiet: Australia's Ambivalent Embrace of the Beijing Olympics
"Peter Horton"
The Dish Might Be Overspiced: Fears, Doubts and Criticisms in French Perceptions of Chinese Olympic and Other Successes
"Thierry Terret"
Creative Tensions: 'Join in London' meets 'Dancing Beijing' -- the cultural power of the Olympics
"Vassil Girginov"
Preparing to Take Credit for China's Glory: American Perspectives on the Beijing Olympic Games
"Mark Dyreson"
Epilogue - Sideshow Beijing 2008: An Absence of Euphoria beyond the Southern Clouds
"Kevin Caffrey"