Olympic Cosmopolitanism: The Case of the Athletes’ Parade in Buenos Aires 2018

Abstract

In 2018, the Buenos Aires Youth Olympic Games Opening Ceremony presented a special characteristic in the athletes’ parade: all participants marched together instead of doing it by separate countries as usual. The intent of this paper is to analyze this particular feature. The article will defend that Olympism is experienced through constant interaction with people from different countries and cultures - not just in competition but throughout the whole festival - and will conclude that this feature reveals an Olympic Cosmopolitanism. First, the paper presents an overview of the modern Olympic Games, Youth Olympic Games, and the ideas inherent in the Olympic ceremonies. Second, Pierre de Coubertin’s ideals will be presented along with the reality of the festival; in this section concepts such as multiculturalism and interculturalism will be discussed. Lastly, in section three, the interpretation of the athletes’ parade will be presented by connecting it with Reid’s interpretation of Olympic peace and Carrington’s call for a Cosmopolitan Olympism. The article won’t state that the Buenos Aires 2018 Organizing Committee are actually promoting Olympism nor that this should be considered a legacy, but it will conclude that the athletes’ parade is in fact aligned with the ideals of Olympism.