The Beijing Games in the Western Imagination of China: The Weak Power of Soft Power

Mega events focus the world’s attention on a particular place and a nation and the success thereof, in either hosting or performing well in the event. Throughout the world, expectations were running high that China would make use of hosting the Beijing Games to promote a positive image to the world. This article takes a critical look at the discourse on the Beijing Games as a public diplomacy tool. Empirical data from global opinion polls are analyzed to demonstrate the weak impact of even the world’s largest sport mega event on altering global perceptions. Two main propositions will be advanced: First, expectations that a sports event can improve the image of a country are overrated; second, having been locked in the Olympic “double-bind,” a system of contradictory messages to which the host is simultaneously obliged, China had no chance in the contest for meaning-making which the Western media won hands down.