The content and foundations of Olympic studies: Subject profile analysis of a decade of Olympika

Abstract

This study explores the nature of Olympic Studies by classifying the content of the peer review journal Olympika for the period 1997-2006. The results indicate a bias towards topics relating to the United States. Discussion of historical issues is more prominent than discussion of contemporary issues. A wide range of topics are explored in the corpus including: politics, governance and related issues; Olympic coverage in mass media; and tensions concerning Olympism. The roles and impact of individuals feature in many articles. Athletes and their sports are rarely featured. When they are, it is in the context of some wider issue. The editors include controversial topics as well as articles that address historical accuracy.