Chariots of Discord: Great Britain, Nationalism and the 'Doomed' 1924 Paris Olympic Games.

The connection between international sport and national prowess emerged as a salient feature of early modern Olympic competition. As the progenitor of modern sport, Britain's declining competitiveness in the Olympics became a cause of national concern, especially when defeat was translated as proof of British decadence. This paper will explore how the politically Conservative members of the British Olympic Association (BOA) embraced the 1924 Paris Olympic Games as a platform for national projection. A coordinated attempt between high-ranking members of the Conservative Party and some of the nation's most eminent patricians to reclaim Britain's lost athletic prowess demythologises the long history of claims that the BOA was historically a private and apolitical body. This paper also reveals how the chauvinism that marred the 1924 Paris games reaffirms the popular scholarly opinion that the Olympics are a politico-sporting contest between nation-states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]