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A Flickering Flame: is the Olympic Ideal Dead?

As the Rio Games approach, Owen Bennett Jones and his guests discuss the ethics of sport.

鈥淭he important thing in life is not to win but to take part, the essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well鈥. So said the founder of the modern Olympic movement, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, at the end of the 19th Century. How does his noble ideal fit with the modern phenomena of professionalism, doping, individual financial gain, nationalistic pride, huge corporate sponsorship? Is the Olympic ideal still alive? In this week鈥檚 edition of the programme, as the Rio Games approach, join Owen Bennett Jones and his guests as they discuss the present and future of the Olympics.

Photo: Athletes at the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Credit: Getty Images

Available now

50 minutes

Last on

Sat 30 Jul 2016 10:06GMT

Contributors

Andrew Steele - British Olympic 400m聽athlete at Beijing 2008 games

David Goldblatt - Author of The Games: A Global History of the Olympics

Dr Silvia Camporesi - Lecturer in Bioethics and Society at King's College London.

Professor Andy Miah - Chair in Science, Communication & Future Media at the University of Salford

Pat Myhill -聽Director of Operations for the UK Anti-Doping agency, UKAD

Broadcasts

  • Fri 29 Jul 2016 08:06GMT
  • Fri 29 Jul 2016 23:06GMT
  • Sat 30 Jul 2016 03:06GMT
  • Sat 30 Jul 2016 10:06GMT

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