Sport as Public Diplomacy and Public Disquiet: Australia's Ambivalent Embrace of the Beijing Olympics

The Beijing Olympics in 2008 will showcase China's increasingly open economy and demonstrate the extent of its readiness to be recognised in the same league as developed nations. The world economy is now dependent on China's participation and its engagement in the Asia-Pacific is critical. Australia is a major player in enabling China to host a successful Olympics and this support is intended to strengthen existing political and economic partnerships. In Australia, however, while anticipated advantages are well publicised, less publicised is the resistance to this political and economic pragmatism. The issues of human rights and the quality of Beijing's atmosphere might have been diplomatically played down but these and others issues remain counter-hegemonic to China's regional hegemonic intentions. This study examines the development of the Sino-Australia sporting relationship with particular emphasis on the national implications of the Beijing Olympics and the paradoxes that emerge from Australia's active support of China's Olympic effort.