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How would it feel to be the creative mastermind behind some of the world's greatest public spectaculars? No-one will forget the beauty of Barcelona's archer lighting the Olympic flame with a burning arrow or the sheer drama of Cathy Freeman igniting the Olympic torch in Sydney. But what about the unseen and unheard about dramas behind the openings?Ric Birch knows intimately the highs and lows of producing and directing many of the world's most watched and acclaimed ceremonies. The success of Ric...

During the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta, much of the world watched and celebrated as athletes broke world records and took home medals, fulfilling their Olympic dreams. The athletes scores were available instantaneously and are now easily accessible, but what about the performance records of the first modern Olympic athletes? The Modern Olympic Games began in 1896 in Athens, Greece, through the efforts of Baron Pierre de Coubertin, who revived the Olympic tradition that began centuri...

This book provides the first detailed history of one of the most powerful international sport organisations, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), since 2019 known as World Athletics. The book critically assesses the internal power relations within the IAAF by focusing on the IAAF leadership. Based on extensive archival research, Power and Politics in World Athletics offers a nuanced analysis of the institutionalised strategies that developed as a reflection of the IAA...

In 1985 the Vassar College Athletic Association ignored the constraints placed on women athletes of that era and held its first-ever womens field day, featuring competition in five track and field events. Soon colleges across the country were offering women the opportunity to compete, and in 1922 the United States selected 22 women to compete in the Womens World Games in Paris. Upon their return, female physical educators severely criticized their efforts, decrying the evils of competition. Wilm...

A keepsake-cum-guidebook to the magic of Vancouver's Winter Games--coming soon in February 2010! Combining the lore and magic of the Winter Games with profiles of the individual sports, author Ron Judd has created the ultimate insider's guide to complement the Olympic games coming in 2010. From alpine skiing and figure skating to luge and curling, Judd devotes a chapter to each competitive sport, examining its history, key competitors in past Olympics, the newest athlete contenders, how the spo...

"People think speaking truth to power is easy, but if it was easy everyone would do it. This book does it. . . . It speaks truth to the powers that be, from Brazil to the US to FIFA to the IOC. It hits you like an uppercut that rattles your brain and sets it straight. I cannot recommend this book highly enough." John Carlos, 1968 Olympic medalistThe people of Brazil celebrated when they learned that in the space of two years their country would host the world's two largest sporting events: the W...

The Olympic Games is undoubtedly the greatest sporting event in the world, with over 200 countries competing for success. This important new study of the Olympics investigates why some countries are more successful than others. Which factors determine their failure or success? What is the relationship between these factors? And how can these factors be manipulated to influence a country's performance in sport? This book addresses these questions and discusses the theoretical concepts that explai...

American photographers John Huet and David Burnett were commissioned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to create a personal record ofthe Olympic Games in their own way; these new books are the result of that freedom and artistry. They capture the essence and adventure of the Olympic Games through stunning and unconventional photographs.David Burnett is the co-founder of Contact Press Images in New York. He covered the Vietnam War as a staff photographer for "Life "magazine.John Huet i...

Fifty-two of Henry Lawson's stories and sketches that he had first published in newspapers and magazines from 1888 onwards were gathered in his collection While the Billy Boils (Angus & Robertson, 1896). Lawson was not responsible for their ordering and he had to give ground on their texts, especially on his idiosyncratic presentation of wordings that helped to breathe life into his characters and situations. The present edition dismantles the fait accompli of 1896 by presenting the individual i...