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This case study focuses on how Norwegian ski jumpers performed in the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and the following FIS (International Ski and Snowboard Federation) ski flying World Championships 2022 in Vikersund, Norway, despite organizational conflict at the management level and intense and sustained media coverage the entire season. Five athletes (one third of the elite squad) were interviewed about how they coped with the stressors. The results revealed two main responses: One group avoided, as far as possible, hearing or reading about the conflicts and tried to stay in their "bubble" and focus on preparing for competition. The other group chose to follow the conflicts and was more willing to interact with the media, therefore experienced a higher degree of perceived stress, and consequently needed to employ a wider range of coping strategies. The findings highlight the importance of a consistent and effective management strategy in helping athletes to focus on training and competition preparation and insulate them from stressors generated by organizational turbulence and conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the history of Canada Olympic Park (COP) as it transitioned from the Paskapoo Slopes to a venue for the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympic Games and how the site framed the fight for gender equality in the sport by women ski jumpers in Canada. Ski jumping is a sport that can be considered a "nature sport" as it is practiced in the open air while simultaneously relying on built environments. Understanding the COP ski jumping venue as a "sportscape" and a gendered landscape provides a unique opportunity to explore the tensions between land, air, and the body in this nature sport. Historical analysis of the XV Winter Olympic Games inventories held at the City of Calgary Archives is combined with autoethnographic reflections of my past experiences as a ski jumping athlete who trained at the COP ski jumping venue and plaintiff in the court case to get a women's ski jumping event added to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games to frame my analysis. This paper argues that women ski jumpers at COP carved out spaces of resistance for themselves, shifted the gendered landscape of the ski jumps, and effected change across generations of women ski jumpers on and off the hill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article introduces/rationalizes an attempt to conceptualize "environmental sports journalism (ESJ)." ESJ refers to a set of principles for analyzing and/or reporting on media coverage of sport-related environmental issues—principles intended to support/promote dialogue and nuanced thinking about these issues and about how sports journalism might contribute to environmentally friendly and just outcomes. To clarify features of ESJ and explore benefits/challenges of ESJ, we include illustrative examples of ESJ from media coverage of: (a) polluted harbor water used for the 2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic Summer Games and (b) the razing of an ancient forest for a ski facility for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. We conclude with reflections on the potential/limits of ESJ and suggestions for work on sport, journalism, and environmental issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rights-holding broadcasters of the Olympic Games play an integral role in conveying the values of the Olympic Movement, but few studies have examined these networks' social media content. This investigation involved a comparative content analysis of rights-holding broadcasters' official Olympic Twitter accounts in the United States (@NBCOlympics) and Australia (@7Olympics) during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Results indicate significant differences between the two accounts in sport disciplines, gender representations, and national interest. Both accounts dedicated <40% of the tweets to women's sport. Whereas the American outlet NBC promoted home athletes, Australia's Seven Network emphasized athletes from other countries. Twitter accounts partially followed the televisual logics of representation patterns, but contextual factors specific to social media structured agenda diversity. Contextual elements (e.g., structure of sport schedules and nation-specific factors) are also relevant when interpreting representation patterns. Theoretical implications for agenda setting and methodological directions for cross-national Olympic social media research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last four decades, feminist sports media research has developed into an established transdisciplinary branch of research that contributes to highlighting the contradictions and unevenness of social change at the level of women's sports and its positioning in society. In this context, the increasing media visibility of athlete mothers as an expression of an emerging social phenomenon provides an opportunity to examine and reflect on the patterns of media portrayal of sportswomen. This article focuses on the media representations of Gloria Kotnik, the Slovenian snowboarder and bronze medalist at the 2022 Winter Olympics. Through textual analysis, it attempts to identify how Kotnik was portrayed in selected Slovenian media and what role her motherhood, in particular, played in this. While ambivalence was identified as a predominant pattern in the media representations of Kotnik, the role of motherhood was presented both as something seemingly incompatible with the role of an elite athlete and in a way that perceived these two roles as compatible. Due to the reproduction of traditional gender ideologies and hierarchies, the article problematizes both patterns and concludes by linking the desire for social change with the need to redefine the ethics of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the experiences of Norwegian coaches involved in a winter sports collaboration between Norway and China leading up to the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Our analysis delves into the complexities of coach–athlete relationships in collaborations between nations with vastly different sports systems and cultures. Methodologically, the study is based on qualitative interviews with Norwegian coaches involved in the collaboration. Emphasizing the concept of "care," we examine how Norwegian coaches navigated the cultural, bureaucratic, and political tensions that encompassed their relations with the Chinese winter sports athletes. The findings reveal that prioritizing care and athlete welfare serves not only as a coaching philosophy for the Norwegian coaches, but also as both a shield and a justification for their involvement, effectively sidelining broader ethical, and political considerations in the Norway–China winter sports collaboration. This research contributes to understanding the dynamics of international sports collaborations and coaches' strategies for maintaining integrity while engaging in international partnerships marked by different values and traditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics took place when American public opinion about China was already predominantly negative as media reports had a lot of highlights of human rights violations happening in China. Besides, earlier, the global image of China was undermined by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this study, we explored whether American public opinion about the Olympics and China can be influenced by images of the Olympics shared in the media. Findings from the 2 × 2 between-subject experimental design suggest that the opinions about the Olympics can be predicted by people's beliefs about China's role in the global pandemic. In addition to that, our findings suggest that pre-existing opinions and feelings held by most of the population can mitigate the effects of visual primes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ice and snow tourism in China has grown significantly since the country successfully hosted the Beijing Winter Olympics. Climatic conditions profoundly impact the development of ice and snow tourism; however, most studies have focused on constructing different climate suitability indicators for ice and snow tourism to evaluate individual regions, lacking horizontal comparative studies across multiple regions. This study aims to enrich the connotation of climate suitability for ice and snow sports, establish an evaluation model based on snowfall amount, temperature, and wind speed, and use daily meteorological data from 1991 to 2021 to horizontally compare the climate suitability for ice and snow sports in major ski tourism destinations in China. This study boasts four major findings: 1) the average ice and snow sports climate index of each region decreases over time, and the overall suitability of the climate for ice and snow sports is reducing; 2) northern Xinjiang exhibits the most evident regional differentiation from 'very suitable' to 'generally suitable'; 3) the spatial zoning of climate suitability for ice and snow sports exhibits heterogeneity, as northern Xinjiang is divided into two 'suitable and above' zones with rotating empirical orthogonal function (REOF). Correspondingly, the four provinces of Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning are divided into three 'generally suitable and above' zones; 4) snowfall amount is the main factor affecting the climate suitability of ice and snow sports in the major ski tourist destinations in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The study's purpose is to investigate the constraints and facilitators influencing skiing participation in Beijing. This research includes three segments based on the frequency of skiing participation (i.e. non-, low-frequency-, and high-frequency skiers). By doing so, the study offers an enhanced understanding of the Chinese skiing market and unveils insights assisting industry professionals to effectively address their customers' diverse needs and expectations. Design/methodology/approach: An online survey was developed based on prior research and consisted of four sections: (1) skiing participation; (2) constraints; (3) facilitators; (4) demographics. Items in the constraint and facilitator scale were measured using a 7-point Likert scale. A total of 409 participants completed the survey. The participants included 137 non-skiers, 134 low-frequency skiers, and 138 high-frequency skiers. Findings: Through an exploratory factor analysis, three constructs emerged: general constraints, facilitators and learning constraints. As expected, facilitators were a positive predictor of skiing participation. Importantly, the emergent construct of learning constraints was a negative predictor of skiing and yet, the construct of general constraints was insignificant. Furthermore, the three segments differ significantly in household status, income, and education level. Originality/value: These results support previous research noting the relevance in skiing participation of the dimensions: facilitators and learning constraints. The findings point to the need for ski resorts in Beijing to offer instructional sessions for beginners so they may become familiar with skiing fundamentals and enhance their confidence, particularly among nonskiers and low-frequency skiers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the impact of post-activation potentiation (PAP) induced by resisted sled sprint at different loads on the subsequent 30 m ice push sled performance of Chinese skeleton athletes, and to identify the resisted sled sprint load that most effectively enhances PAP for Chinese skeleton athletes. Methods: Seven elite athletes from the Chinese skeleton team participated in four tests with more than 48 h intervals. During the tests, on the first test, athletes completed a 40 min standard warm-up, rested for 6 min, and then performed a 30 m test. On the second, third, and fourth test, athletes completed the standard warm-up, then performed 20 m sprints with resisted sled (RS) at 75%, 50%, and 25% of body mass (BM), respectively, rested for 6 min, and then performed the 30 m test. Results: No significant differences were found in morning pulse, blood urea, and creatine kinase levels among four tests. The percentage of maximum heart rate (%HRmax) within different intensity ranges showed no significant differences among four tests. However, significant differences were observed in ice push sled performance among four tests (No BMRS: 5.08 ± 0.27; 25% BMRS: 5.05 ± 0.29; 50% BMRS: 5.02 ± 0.27; 75% BMRS: 5.04 ± 0.28). Post hoc analyses revealed that the 50% BMRS test had faster speed compared to the no resistance (p < 0.05), the 25% BMRS (p < 0.05), and the 75% BMRS (p < 0.05) tests. Additionally, the 75% BMRS test had faster speed than the no resistance test (p < 0.05). Conclusion: A 20 m sprint with 50% BMRS effectively enhances the PAP effect in skeleton athletes, improving their ice push sled performance. Coaches can incorporate this resisted sled sprint in athletes' training routines for performance enhancement in both daily training and pre-competition preparations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Engineering Mechanics / Gongcheng Lixue is the property of Engineering Mechanics Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Scaffolding is widely used in construction, maintenance, and other activities as a temporary support structure. However, strong winds frequently cause scaffolding structures to collapse. Thus, the influence of wind load on the performance of such temporary support systems cannot be ignored. During the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the scaffolding at the National Alpine Skiing Center in Yanqing District faced challenges from high‐altitude winds. This study evaluated its performance under a wind speed of 33 m/s using ANSYS Workbench. The result show that the maximum wind speed of Model A is 55 m/s, which occurs at the connection between the channel plate and the stand plate. And the maximum wind speeds of Model B and Model C are 47 m/s and 43 m/s, respectively, which both occur at the top of the stand. Compared with Model A and Model B, the wind pressure, stress, and displacement of Model C are larger, in which the negative pressure of Model C is below −3600 Pa and the positive pressure is above 600 Pa at the position of the connection between the stand plate and the rod. The stress at the connection between the channel plate and the stand plate is more than three times of that of the other positions of the plate, and the displacement of the stand plate can reach 68 mm in some areas. Therefore, optimizing the connection part, considering local wind direction when arranging, and placing windproof measures can all reduce the impact of strong winds on the scaffolding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Female athletes' participation in the Olympic Games has increased over the years, however, they are still underrepresented or not covered in global media. Prior literature about gender studies and sport reveals that female athletes were often described through stereotypes, or other linguistic features minimizing their achievements, or focusing on their physical appearance rather than their sports abilities. The present study adopts textual analysis to examine how female athletes were represented during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games in two Italian leading newspapers. The findings show that there have been positive changes in the portrayal of women in sports, but this may be influenced by the increased nationalism during these mega events. The Italian media are more open to gender equality, and adopt different strategies to describe female athletes, nonetheless, some very limited negative cases are still found. The press tended to emphasize some main themes: female athletes as heroines of the nation, friendship, rivalries and conflicts, and athletes' private lives. This demonstrates that the Italian newspapers are now more focused on non-sports related stories, to make the articles more interesting in terms of entertainment and emotional stories, to attract more readership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the years, international elite sport has developed into an 'arms race' with the success of national elite sport systems becoming a symbol of regime superiority. During the Cold War, the Eastern and Western Blocs battled for success in various sports disciplines. The former nations were dominating in terms of medals, symbolising the force of the socialist autocratic system. However, because of the fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, Western liberal democracies had the opportunity to gain more strength. In this paper, we aim to test whether this has happened by analysing the association between political regime type and international sporting success at the Winter and Summer Olympic Games in the post-Cold War Period. We do this by deploying data on the political regime types to a set of regression models, finding that democratic nations have taken over the international sporting arms race at the Summer Olympic Games. For the Winter Games, our results indicate that less democratic countries (anocracies) are in the lead. Our results add to existing research by suggesting that political regime type still matters to international sporting success. Implications for stakeholders, sports managers, and politicians are that they must decide to what extent they want to be part of this game in the coming years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Along with the popularity of Olympic Games, evaluating and ranking participating nations has become one of the hottest issues in recent years. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is extensively used for participating nations' performance evaluation, while the prior literature mainly addresses the maximum efficiency by ignoring the weights diversity, which might lead to unreasonable and biased results. By considering the fixed-sum medals constraint, this paper proposes an integrated approach of stochastic multicriteria acceptability analysis (SMAA) and DEA for evaluating the participating nations. The proposed approach addresses the weights diversity and multiple equilibrium efficient frontiers by investigating the overall feasible space, and two strategies are considered to guarantee the fairness concern for calculating the efficiencies. Besides, the proposed approach provides both rank acceptability and holistic acceptability index to obtain the complete ranking from the best to the worst and to get the relative ranking relationship in the overall feasible space. The proposed approach can provide more reasonable performance measurements since it explores different rank positions and improves the whole satisfaction of all participating nations. Finally, the proposed approach is applied to empirically analyze the participating nations in the Winter Olympic Games from 2010 to 2022 and some valuable analytical results are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case study assessed the differences in time on camera dedicated to men and women athletes at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. An analysis of the entirety of the programming on the the American broadcast television company NBC, including the prime-time broadcasts, the daytime programming, and the additional nightly content, yielded nearly 185 hr of coded Olympic content. When excluding mixed-sex events, in the 61.5 hr of prime-time coverage, women received 60.05% of the time on camera. During the non-prime-time coverage, which spanned 123 hr, men received the majority of clock time, accounting for 51.6% of coverage. In addition, differences by sport were uncovered, with the major differences occurring in alpine skiing, which saw more women's coverage regardless of broadcast. In contrast, women received more coverage in freestyle skiing and snowboarding during the prime-time broadcast, but men were more emphasized in these competitions during the non-prime-time content. Utilizing agenda setting as the theoretical framework for this case study, ramifications for these broadcast trends and differences are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Retos: Nuevas Perspectivas de Educación Física, Deporte y Recreación is the property of Federacion Espanola de Asociaciones de Docentes de Educacion Fisica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper examines the construction of China's country image in the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. It demonstrates how a country that has no winter sports tradition used the mega-event to showcase its national narrative and to promote winter sports industries. A semiotic framework is developed to model China's country image as evaluative attributes and to elucidate how they are constructed through linguistic and visual resources in the theater, livestream, and video inserts. The analysis shows that the ceremony was narrated around four major themes—the world's China, People's China, the aesthetic China, and the modernized China. Instead of revealing a changeless, nostalgic and mythical China that speaks to a Western orientalistic imagination, these four themes work together to reshape a modern China identity, which brings the contrasting values of globalism, nationalism, Chinese traditional aesthetics, and neoliberalism into a coherent artistic performance. The characteristics of nation branding discourse reflect China's urban regeneration policies on the one hand, and public diplomacies during the COVID-19 pandemic on the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the process of social capital development and the influence of space that leads to the formation of different types of social capital among mega sport event volunteers. A qualitative approach was utilized to ensure the collection of in-depth data on participants' subjective volunteering experience and its relation to the creation of social capital. Findings revealed the development of social capital by the volunteers both in and out of event venues, which are defined as event related and peripheral spaces. The process of developing network through bridging was attributed to the proclivity of peripheral spaces to provide proximity and composition necessary to build and enrich interactions, while bonding was the primary mechanism to associate with others on event-related places. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper employs a comparative analysis to investigate the state-led use of industrial heritage in major Chinese mega-events, delving into the three cases of the Guangzhou Asian Games, the Shanghai Expo, and the Beijing Winter Olympics. Examining the evolving practices led by Chinese governments reveals unique pathways for industrial heritage and showcases its diverse roles in economic development and societal transformation. The three cases illustrate the nuanced dynamics between market forces and state interventions, emphasising the importance of strategic planning and long-term considerations in mega-event-induced heritage practices. Mega-events serve as catalysts for urban regeneration, allowing governments to allocate substantial resources to conserve and repurpose industrial heritage. However, the current paper contends that the sustained benefits of industrial heritage hinge on thoughtful planning for long-term economic and social sustainability, emphasising the need to constrain a focus on short-term gains through land revenue. These reflections contribute to a nuanced understanding of the intricate interplay between heritage preservation, economic development, and sustainable urban planning in the context of China's mega-events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses the challenge of obtaining detailed wind speed data in complex terrains by employing dynamic and statistical downscaling techniques. The research utilizes diagnostic and prognostic dynamic models, along with the Decaying Average (DA) and Analog Ensemble (AE) methods, starting from ERA5 global reanalysis. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) and California Meteorological (CALMET) models are evaluated for their performance in simulating 10 m wind speed in the Zhangjiakou competition zone during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. The study compares the accuracy of various downscaling approaches for wind speed estimation. High-density observational data from 12 stations, covering an area of about 20 km² and collected between October and April from 2017 to 2022, were employed for model calibration and validation. The research reveals that the planetary boundary layer scheme and land surface scheme significantly impact the WRF model's wind speed simulation. Meanwhile, the slope flow parameter emerges as a key sensitivity factor for the CALMET model. Despite inheriting biases from ERA5 and WRF, the CALMET model, driven by ERA5 and WRF at a 100 m resolution, offers a reasonable spatial distribution of wind speed which was required by the ski competition. Both the DA and AE methods prove effective in correcting biases in 10 m wind speed from the ERA5, WRF, and CALMET models, with the AE method generally outperforming the DA method. The AE method reduces the root mean square error of the CALMET model's 10 m wind speed from 3.1 m/s to 1.5 m/s at locations with stations. In conclusion, the study identifies the combination of the CALMET model and the AE bias-corrected method as the optimal dynamic-statistical downscaling scheme for 10 m wind speed in the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As major attractions for host cities, mega‐event venues have the potential to generate revenue and attract new events, create job and business opportunities, and drive urban innovation and transformation. However, they are often criticized for being unsustainable due to high resource and energy consumption, potential environmental pollution, large construction and operating costs, and insufficient usage post‐event. Winter Olympic venues, in particular, are frequently situated in ecologically sensitive areas and are more exclusive, leading to higher maintenance and conversion costs as well as greater ecological risks. Until now, studies examining the sustainability of large‐scale winter venues have been lacking. In this study, a multi‐dimensional conceptual model was developed to include ecological, social, and economic aspects, and the scorecard method was used to quantitatively evaluate the sustainability of venues from six Winter Olympic Games held between 1998 and 2018. The results show that the overall sustainability of the venues is at a medium level, with relatively high ecological sustainability. Additionally, the sustainability of the venues has improved over time, while the economic dimension of sustainability has decreased. Furthermore, indicators that hinder the sustainability of Winter Olympic venues were identified, and strategies from ecological, social, and economic dimensions were proposed to improve their sustainability. This study enriched the knowledge of Olympic legacies and sustainable venues, providing theoretical implications for the assessment of venue sustainability and practical implications for the construction and utilization of sports facilities as sustainable city infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary objective of this study was to discern the determinants affecting the ice hockey game based on the performance of the fast attack between the winning and losing teams. Data from the women's ice hockey games at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics (n = 28) were used. A total of 2011 fast attacks were recorded, which included winning team 1156 times and losing team 855 times. 29 variables from nine categories were involved and analysed using chi-square tests, univariate tests and binary logistic regression. As a result, that fast attack performance varies between winning and losing teams, Effective Offensive Play. Scoring Analysis of the 2005 World Championships and the 2006 Olympics, INT, DZ, OZ, one-timer, dekes, shooting zone 1, shooting zone 3, shooting zone 4, SOG, SG%, 2nd period, PK, are key variables in distinguishing the winner and loser (P<0.05). The predictive model shows that shooting zone 4 (OR = 0.824), one-timer (OR = 1.255), 2nd period (OR = 1.193), SOG (OR = 1.230), and SG% (OR = 1.170) are determining factors of game outcomes. The current information has important practical applications as it allows coaches and players to improve the tactical strategy and offensive efficiency of the game. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Snow security plays a crucial role in ensuring the success of winter sports events and supporting the ski industry. One effective approach to enhancing snow reliability is through snow storage. Despite its potential benefits, investigations of snow storage in China have been limited. To address this gap, we implemented snow storage covered with geotextiles at two venues, namely the Big Air Shougang (BAS) in Beijing for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games and the National Biathlon Center (NBC) in Chongli for the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympic Games, in response to possible extreme meteorological conditions. To assess the key concerns associated with snow storage, ablation (the process of snow loss) and snow properties, we introduced a fine-snow-pile monitoring system and the SNOWPACK model. Our observations revealed that, by 18 February, the snow pile at BAS had lost 158.6 m 3 of snow (equivalent to 6.7 % of the initial volume). Subsequently, the accelerated ablation was influenced by meteorological conditions and a thin geotextile layer. Between 16 January and 15 April, the snow pile at BAS experienced a total loss of 1242.9 m 3 of snow (corresponding to 52.7 % of the original volume). Regarding snow properties, no significant variations were modeled at the study sites, except for the upper part of the snow piles. Notably, the evaporation of the geotextiles contributed to slowing the ablation process. Consequently, we discourage the use of impermeable coverage schemes for snow storage. Instead, the thickness of the cover played a vital role in preserving the snow pile. At Beijing and Chongli, the 0.7 and 0.4 m thick cover layers, respectively, were found to protect approximately half of the snow pile height over the summer season. Importantly, the evolution of snow properties was consistent across the different cover thicknesses. The findings of our study have implications for the ski industry in China, as they provide valuable insights into snow storage techniques and their impact on snow reliability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Materiales para la Historia del Deporte is the property of Polytechnic University of Madrid and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Announcing a 'no limits friendship' on the sidelines of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, Russia and China pledged to establish a close partnership and far-reaching cooperation on the international stage. However, despite these rhetorical commitments, the growing presence of China and Russia in Africa reveals competition rather than robust collaboration. As Russia and China seek to increase their influence on the continent, their partnership is hampered by their respective interests and objectives. Furthermore, their inherently opposing approach to engagement with Africa produces an antagonistic dynamic in which the actions of each undermine the goals pursued by the other. The African scene thus highlights the limits of the Sino-Russian partnership as well as the realities of their national priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a collection of papers that explore the concept of Olympic urbanism, which refers to the close relationship between city planning and the Olympic Games. The papers discuss various cities that have hosted the Olympics and cover topics such as the impact of the Games on urban form and planning culture, the sustainability and legacy of the Games, and the role of security in Olympic city planning. The papers emphasize the need for historical awareness when analyzing the Olympic experience of a city and highlight the complex and unpredictable nature of urban planning for the Games. [Extracted from the article]

This paper investigates the infrastructure projects undertaken for the event initially known as the Semaine des sports d'hiver, which took place in Chamonix, France, from 25 January to 4 February 1924 and was later recognized as the first Winter Olympics. Although the already famous resort town was able to use its existing hotels to accommodate visitors and athletes, it also made a considerable investment in the construction of new sports infrastructure. Following an agreement signed just 9 months before the Games, these facilities included a large ice rink, a bobsleigh run and a ski jump. The project was entrusted to the Ponts et Chaussées engineers, who encouraged local firms to help with the construction. Archival analysis will be used to examine the relationship between the project and the changing environment. Our aim is to show how the work in Chamonix modified the environment by exploiting certain natural elements (e.g. water, soil and forests) and, conversely, how the natural (in particular, the geological and climatic) and historical (notably land ownership) components of the environment affected the execution of these works. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article employs an Olympic urbanism perspective on the transformation of Beijing's planning and development. For Beijing, holding the Olympic Games was not just about staging the city – and the nation – to the world as commonly understood. It was also about transforming the city through megaprojectification – the use of megaprojects like the Olympic Games to boost urban growth. The 2008 Summer Olympics played a critical role in growing Beijing in terms of the economy, population, fixed assets investment, infrastructure provision, and real estate development. Rapid but ill-planned growth within a decade exacerbated many pre-existing problems of the megacity. In the post-Olympic years, big city syndrome became Beijing's calling card: pollution, congestion, unliveability, and unsustainability. Since then, a post-growth discourse has been emerging, reimagining the capital's future in the context of balanced, coordinated development of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region. These include the construction of a new city Xiong'an to decentralize Beijing. This post-growth discourse that influenced the 2022 Winter Olympics was a contrast to the growth discourse that had underpinned the 2008 Summer Olympics. Beijing presents an unusual case of holding two Olympics within a short timeframe but under two contrasting urbanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Eileen Gu attracted considerable attention and sparked numerous discussions on Chinese social media. Using the method of textual analysis, this paper examines the various responses of Chinese women, particularly Chinese feminists, to Eileen's achievements on Chinese social media, framing these responses within recent studies of neoliberalism's undoing of feminism as well as long-standing debates about the relationship between feminism and nationalism. This paper argues that discussions about Eileen on Chinese social media not only illustrate how neoliberalism is absorbed, reworked, and resisted in its transnational circulation but also demonstrate how nationalist narratives can be strategically used by Chinese feminists to validate their feminist positions. It further enriches existing scholarship on neoliberalism with a transnational perspective, reaffirms the importance of contextualizing the relationship between Third World feminism and nationalism, and highlights the significance of uncovering indigenous feminist resources in Third World countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on promotional materials in 2007–2008 and in 2021–2022, this article examines both Olympics to explore how the state has evolved in its governmental rationalities, and the related cultural and political implications. The 2022 Winter Games, despite its comparatively low profile and challenges posed by Covid-19, provided the Chinese state with a key moment to advance its confidence doctrine. Three discourses were mobilised pertaining to, first, the CCP's superb leadership and problem-solving skills; second, China's mega-infrastructure; and, third, created + made in China. The 2022 Olympics thus mobilised three confidence-driven discourses: leadership confidence, techno-scientific confidence, and creative confidence. In doing so, the 2022 Olympics envisioned, narrated, and materialised the popular discursive signifiers – technology, green and sustainability, and the future – the authorities already actively promoted in its political initiatives and policies. This contributed to the inward-oriented beliefs of self-reliance and self-improvement. Where we witnessed in 2008 a sense of curiosity and openness, within China and the world at large, we now face the complexities, dangers, and cultural essentialism, if not narcissism, of a confident China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Olympic Games are often framed by the U.S. media as political events, with the media's preference for democratic political systems, while global health crises are often framed in a similar way, demonstrating shared concerns about human interests. When the Olympics occur during a global health crisis, a tension emerges between the ideological framing of the Olympics and the shared concern for human interests in media coverage. By analyzing New York Times coverage of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, this study aims to show how ideological preferences in Olympic coverage interact with shared concerns about health crises. Furthermore, the analysis of this interaction leads to a rethinking of traditional journalistic norms that view journalists as detached observers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the governance of post-Olympic Games legacy organizations. A cross-case comparative analysis was completed by focusing on post-Games legacy organizations from three Winter Olympics (Salt Lake City 2002, Vancouver 2010, and PyeongChang 2018). Drawing on a governance framework, this research investigates the politics (stakeholder relationships), polity (institutional structures), and policy (the policy content and instruments) dimensions of governance, and explores modes of governance that facilitate collective action taken by these organizations. Data for this study included archival materials and semistructured interviews with key representatives from the relevant organizations. Three different post-Games legacy organization governance modes (public–private, interactive, and self-governance) were identified, and a conceptual model of the governance of post-Games legacy organizations is proposed. The findings have theoretical and practical implications that expand our understanding of the governance of Olympic legacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media sites are rich communication and marketing tools used by athletes to promote their "brand" and interact with fans. Indeed, the proliferation of social media has led to athletes promoting themselves across multiple platforms. This study examined how the world's top 10 professional alpine skiing athletes used social media to present themselves and engage with fans during the 2017–18 World Cup and 2018 Winter Olympic Games. The data for the latest Winter Olympic Games in 2022 (organized under changed circumstances because of COVID-19) were not available for this study at the time of finalization. Guided by self-presentation theory, this study used a content analysis to examine how athletes presented themselves in social media photographs. The results demonstrated that athletes employed similar posting patterns across the social media platforms (i.e., Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram). The posting distribution per athlete and channel was different, as some athletes used the same posts across all channels. Twitter boasted the highest posting frequency. Based on the coded social media posts, athletes' self-presentation mainly focused on business life content. Thus, they appeared as dressed but posed, a finding that aligns with Goffman's notion of front-stage performance. This case study extends the literature as it involves an analysis of self-presentation across multiple channels, comparing two international events while using a sample of one sport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics was the first Winter Olympics in history held in continental winter monsoon climate conditions across complex terrain areas, there is a deficiency of relevant research, operational techniques, and experience. This made providing meteorological services for this event particularly challenging. The China Meteorological Administration (CMA) Earth System Modeling and Prediction Centre, achieved breakthroughs in research on short- and medium-term deterministic and ensemble numerical predictions. Several key technologies crucial for precise winter weather services during the Winter Olympics were developed. A comprehensive framework, known as the Operational System for High-Precision Weather Forecasting for the Winter Olympics, was established. Some of these advancements represent the highest level of capabilities currently available in China. The meteorological service provided to the Beijing 2022 Games also exceeded previous Winter Olympic Games in both variety and quality. This included achievements such as the "100-meter level, minute level" downscaled spatiotemporal resolution and forecasts spanning 1 to 15 days. Around 30 new technologies and over 60 kinds of products that align with the requirements of the Winter Olympics Organizing Committee were developed, and many of these techniques have since been integrated into the CMA's operational national forecasting systems. These accomplishments were facilitated by a dedicated weather forecasting and research initiative, in conjunction with the preexisting real-time operational forecasting systems of the CMA. This program represents one of the five subprograms of the WMO's high-impact weather forecasting demonstration project (SMART2022), and is also a part of their Regional Association (RA) II Research Development Project (Hangzhou RDP). Therefore, the research accomplishments and meteorological service experiences from this program will be carried forward into forthcoming high-impact weather forecasting activities. This article provides an overview and assessment of this program and the operational national forecasting systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using machine learning methods to analyze the fatigue status of medical security personnel and the factors influencing fatigue (such as BMI, gender, and wearing protective clothing working hours), with the goal of identifying the key factors contributing to fatigue. By validating the predicted outcomes, actionable and practical recommendations can be offered to enhance fatigue status, such as reducing wearing protective clothing working hours. A questionnaire was designed to assess the fatigue status of medical security personnel during the closed-loop period, aiming to capture information on fatigue experienced during work and disease recovery. The collected data was then preprocessed and used to determine the structural parameters for each machine learning algorithm. To evaluate the prediction performance of different models, the mean relative error (MRE) and goodness of fit (R2) between the true and predicted values were calculated. Furthermore, the importance rankings of various parameters in relation to fatigue status were determined using the RF feature importance analysis method. The fatigue status of medical security personnel during the closed-loop period was analyzed using multiple machine learning methods. The prediction performance of these methods was ranked from highest to lowest as follows: Gradient Boosting Regression (GBM) > Random Forest (RF) > Adaptive Boosting (AdaBoost) > K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) > Support Vector Regression (SVR). Among these algorithms, four out of the five achieved good prediction results, with the GBM method performing the best. The five most critical parameters influencing fatigue status were identified as working hours in protective clothing, a customized symptom and disease score (CSDS), physical exercise, body mass index (BMI), and age, all of which had importance scores exceeding 0.06. Notably, working hours in protective clothing obtained the highest importance score of 0.54, making it the most critical factor impacting fatigue status. Fatigue is a prevalent and pressing issue among medical security personnel operating in closed-loop environments. In our investigation, we observed that the GBM method exhibited superior predictive performance in determining the fatigue status of medical security personnel during the closed-loop period, surpassing other machine learning techniques. Notably, our analysis identified several critical factors influencing the fatigue status of medical security personnel, including the duration of working hours in protective clothing, CSDS, and engagement in physical exercise. These findings shed light on the multifaceted nature of fatigue among healthcare workers and emphasize the importance of considering various contributing factors. To effectively alleviate fatigue, prudent management of working hours for security personnel, along with minimizing the duration of wearing protective clothing, proves to be promising strategies. Furthermore, promoting regular physical exercise among medical security personnel can significantly impact fatigue reduction. Additionally, the exploration of medication interventions and the adoption of innovative protective clothing options present potential avenues for mitigating fatigue. The insights derived from this study offer valuable guidance to management personnel involved in organizing large-scale events, enabling them to make informed decisions and implement targeted interventions to address fatigue among medical security personnel. In our upcoming research, we will further expand the fatigue dataset while considering higher precisionprediction algorithms, such as XGBoost model, ensemble model, etc., and explore their potential contributions to our research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mega events, providing prestige and economic contributions to host cities and countries, are of great importance in terms of internationalization. In addition to their extra advantages, these events must be organized efficiently for sustainable development. To the best of our knowledge, although some studies investigate the efficiency of countries participating in mega-events, no study concentrates on the efficiency of mega-events as an organization. Accordingly, this study examines the financial efficiency of each sub-event of three mega-events: the Summer Olympic Games, the Winter Olympic Games, and the FIFA Men's World Cup. In this context, the bootstrap DEA method was utilized. The findings revealed that almost all mega events were organized inefficiently. It is thought that addressing the efficiency levels of mega-events at the organizational scope might yield a new perspective for mega-event authorities and lead to new literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the politics surrounding the East Asian Olympics, specifically the PyeongChang 2018, Tokyo 2020, and Beijing 2022 Games. It highlights the increasing political and economic influence of South Korea, Japan, and China on world affairs, as well as the rivalry between these nations in their exercise of soft power through sport mega-events. The PyeongChang Games saw a diplomatic breakthrough between North and South Korea, while the Tokyo Games faced challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and strained relations between Japan and South Korea. The Beijing Games took place amidst escalating tensions between China and the United States, with the latter calling for a diplomatic boycott. The article concludes by discussing the intersection between global sport and world politics, highlighting the diplomatic, protest, and geopolitical implications of major sporting events. [Extracted from the article]

Eileen Gu received a widespread public attention as an American-born snowboarder that won 3 medals in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics representing China. Building on the conceptual and historical frameworks of sports and nation-building, and taking Eileen Gu as a case-study, this article analyzes through critical discourse analysis how Chinese mainstream media portrayed Eileen Gu's image and her Chinese identity. The results show that during the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Chinese media constructed Eileen Gu's Chinese identity through a pluralistic approach: her success is connected with national pride, Chinese food, family relations and kinship, friendship, excellence in study and Chinese totems. We conclude that in the context of sport being an important vehicle for China's nation-building, this country is expanding the boundaries of Chinese/China through sports storytelling and the naturalization of athletes, linking sporting success to the 'rejuvenation of China'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study unveils a unique case in the Paralympic Games through investigating the negotiation between the International Paralympic Committee and the Beijing Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games for the change of the emblem of the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games two years after its official release. Qualitative data is collected through interviews with senior personnel and archival documents and is analysed through employing the Advocacy Coalition Framework to highlight the change in the belief system of the two parties and the interaction between the policy subsystem and the broader political and social economic system. The findings reveal the shift in the belief system of respective Coalitions and the change in the power dynamics. The paper concludes with a discussion concerning the ACF's four pathways of policy change and a response to one of the questions that is raised in the ACF literature for further researches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To meet the United Nations and European Union goals of reducing road crash fatalities and injuries, it is also relevant to address the negative externalities due to mega-events on the road network and the local communities, to assess the safety of the road network involved, and to implement appropriate measures for different road environments. Despite their relevance, the literature often overlooks social costs and risks associated with mega-events. This study presents an operating framework for rapidly assessing the safety of the Milano–Cortina 2026—"Via Olimpica" road—which will host a significant proportion of the traffic during the Winter Olympic Games in 2026. The framework proposes a simplified Road Infrastructure Safety Management (RISM) to address the unique challenges posed by the limited time available for screening and implementation by local authorities. The framework integrates four data sources and follows a seven-step procedure. It provides recommendations for improving road safety by identifying critical road sections and blackspots. Road authorities, practitioners, and public administrations may all benefit from the framework, as it makes it easier to prioritise safety improvements within time constraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the impact of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics on sports medicine in China. The success of the Olympics has led to an increase in the number of people participating in winter sports across the country. This expansion of winter sports can contribute to the overall health and fitness of the population and support efforts to achieve national health goals. The article also highlights the importance of strengthening the national health system and promoting the sports medicine industry in China. It emphasizes the need for precision treatment and management of winter sports injuries and the importance of international exchanges and innovation in sports medicine. Overall, the article suggests that the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics have provided valuable insights and opportunities for the development of sports medicine in China. [Extracted from the article]