One Guy Named Mo: Race, Nation and the London 2012 Olympic Games

Abstract

The triumphal track and field performances of British distance runner, Mo Farah, at the London 2012 Olympic Games were lauded both for their athletic endeavour and for their perceived validation of the rhetoric of ethnic and cultural diversity and inclusion in which the Games were ensconced. By analysing coverage of the athlete's achievements in mainstream British newspapers, this article presents a more complicated and critical reading of the relationship between Britishness, multiculture, the politics of inclusion and the London Games. Employing a Critical Discourse Approach, the article shows that Farah was constructed and represented by the media using narratives that are familiar, palatable and reassuring to the public; and that sustain hegemonic models of racialised nationhood and dominant ideologies around sport.

Riding the Lines: Academia, Public Intellectual Work, and Scholar-Activism

“…But in recent years most of these assurances have been debunked by sociologically minded academics coming from numerous angles. Sociologists at the intersection of sport and race have examined how athletes of color have fomented critical political engagement (Carrington, 2010;Burdsey, 2016). Sport historians have shined a spotlight on the asymmetrical relationship between indigenous peoples and the Games (O'Bonsawin, 2010;Forsyth, 2002).…”

Smiling assassins, brides-to-be and super mums: the importance of gender and celebrity in media framing of female athletes at the 2016 Olympic Games

“…This may in part be due to Adams' position within boxing -a sport traditionally associated with black men, and framed within racial discourse -as opposed to the Williams' sisters potentially more transgressive roles within the white sport of tennis (Spencer, 2001;Douglas, 2005). Representations of the friendly, approachable Adams show parallels to those of Mo Farah, whose Muslim identity and migrant background are rendered safe and palatable to audiences by virtue of his considerable athletic success and unpolitical persona (Burdsey, 2016).…”

“…This helps construct Adams as a friendly and accessible individual, despite her participation in a violent sport, and this no doubt helps build her profile and celebrity status, important for her commercial viability as an athlete. At the same time, such framing also detracts somewhat from her powerful performances and helps render her 'safe' for media consumption as although she transgresses norms through her physical power and performance, she is still understood as friendly and accessible in her disposition and personality (see also Burdsey, 2016).…”

Who Can Represent the Nation? Elite Athletes, Global Mega Events and the Contested Boundaries of National Belonging

“…While a link between sport and nation, as well as the key role of elite athletes therein, is already well established in the literature (Bairner, 2001;Hobsbawm, 1992;Maguire and Poulton, 1999), we contend that events such as the 2012 Olympics provide particularly fruitful opportunities to study wider debates around national belonging. The 'London spectacle' was designed to (re)present (and market) Britain as a multicultural, tolerant and inclusive nation (Burdsey, 2016;Silk, 2011). For instance, Asian-British and black-British athletes prominently featured as 'London 2012 Ambassadors' in an attempt to assert Britain's multicultural successes.…”