In the course of the past century, the Olympic Games moved from being a festival of sport to becoming one of the world’s greatest media events. The Olympic event can now be watched live by audiences around the globe. For members of the public, it is a moment of elation when their favorites score a victory. However, more and more, sporting triumphs are harnessed for commercial ends, and frequently authoritarian regimes misuse Olympic success in pursuit of their own political ends. On Tuesday 26th June 2012 between 4.00 and 7 p.m., visitors to Haus der Wissenschaft will be able to hear at firsthand what four Olympic athletes think of these developments. Following an invitation by the University of Bremen’s Institute of sport science and sport education [Institut für Sportwissenschaft und Sportpädagogik] and the radio programs Deutschlandfunk and Radio Bremen, four gold-medalists will engage in discussion on their own personal views of the Olympic Games:

•    Cornelia Hanisch, gold in fencing and Sportswoman of the Year 1985
•    Hans Lenk, member of the German rowing eight in 1960
•    Toni Innauer, gold medalist in the ski jump 1980 and
•    Christian Schenk, decathlon gold medalist 1988.

They will talk about the significance and impact of their success on their lives, about their hopes and disappointments. What shaped their lives when their sporting careers were over? What are their memories of the fascination surrounding Olympic gold? They will also voice their criticism of the growing discrepancies between reality and public perception. Sporting associations, the media, politics and business – everyone tries to extract an advantage from the Olympic Games. What value does a gold medal represent in modern times? Despite all due pessimism, is it still possible to recognize a symbolic significance in the Games? And what is the future of the Olympic Games? Can the root ideals of the Games be upheld in face of their increasing commercialization?

All this and much more will be topics touched on during the discussion hosted by Herbert Fischer-Solms (Deutschlandfunk) and Gunter Gebauer (University of Bremen). A recording of the discussion will be broadcast on Deutschlandfunk and Deutschlandradio Kultur a week before the opening of this year’s Olympic Games (start on 27th July). Admission to the event is free of charge.

For further information please contact:

Universität Bremen
Institut für Sportwissenschaft / Sportpädagogik
Professor Elk Franke
Phone: +49 421 / 218-67870 or 67850 (Sec.)
e-mail: efrankeprotect me ?!uni-bremenprotect me ?!.de
www.sport.uni-bremen.de