Parading Myths: Imaging New Soviet Woman on Fizkul′turnik's Day, July 1944

Why Russians love the Olympic Games: How individual values and nationalism motivate attitudes towards the Olympics

“…Based on analysis of the available sources (e.g. O’Mahony, 2006; Sanina et al, 2014; Simpson, 2004) we suggest a third dimension – an interpretation of and interest in the Olympics as part of the cultural heritage.…”

“…At the national level, the Soviet Union put considerable effort into the de-elitization of competitive sports and made them an integral part of the Soviet ‘New Person’s’ lifestyle (Simpson, 2004). Starting at elementary school, children received compulsory physical education and were expected to join sports clubs in their free time.…”

“…Adults had access to training facilities at their workplaces with an opportunity to participate in various competitions, including the ‘Ready for labour and defense’ comprehensive examination of sports skills (Louis and Louis, 2013). The promotion of sports as an embodiment of socialist ideals was intensively facilitated by contemporary art and popular culture (O’Mahony, 2006; Simpson, 2004).…”

“…Indeed, a more in-depth analysis of the role of the Olympics in society (e.g. Sanina et al, 2014) and their place in Russian and Soviet history and culture (Louis and Louis, 2013; Simpson, 2004) suggest that there are different coexisting facets of the event that attract the attention of people and serve as grounds for their attitudes. To unfold those facets, we analyse how the value priorities of people and the level of their agreement with nationalist beliefs affect attitudes towards the Olympic Games in Russia.…”