ABSTRACT
Should Olympic athletes, coaches, and delegation officials learn other languages and the skills of intercultural communication so that they can fully engage in the intercultural exchanges so fundamental to the Olympic Movement? Should they be expected to do their pre-Games training in the cities and towns of the host country and stay after the closing ceremonies to immerse themselves in the host culture and contribute to the social networks that enhance respect for other peoples and combat xenophobia and ultimately war? With the pressures they face to medal, is it still possible for Olympic athletes to live the full Olympic experience? These were the questions I wrestled with during the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary and the Olympic Games in Seoul. Both organizing committees made exceptional efforts to spread the humanitarian message of the Olympic Movement, prepare citizens for their responsibilities as international hosts, and encourage exchanges. Yet many Canadian sports leaders and coaches, driven by the ‘ideology of excellence’ and the structures of funding from the state, discouraged athletes from taking advantage of these opportunities, fearing that they would ‘distract’ them from training and the pursuit of the podium. This paper summarizes the research I conducted on Canadians in Seoul. I was there as part of the international social research team recruited by Kang Shin-Pyo and John MacAloon to track the intercultural activities stimulated by the Games.
