Challenges for a Regional Cultural Programme of the 2012 Games
by Richard Shipway and Lorraine Brown

This article offers a detailed look at regionalism when devising a cultural programme for an Olympic and Paralympic Games. Regionalism is an area rarely dealt with successfully by Olympic hosts, in part because the Games contracts are city-based, but also because regions are politically disempowered to contribute to developments. Logistics also cause major challenges. Here, Shipway and Brown offer an early appeal to the prospects of 2012 building into its strategy, a regional approach to one of its key venue sites in the west of England.

China, The Olympics & Global Leadership.
by Orville Schell

In this article about political and economic development of China, Schell considers the place of the Beijing 2008 Games within these transformations. Addressing some of the key issues that confront China, such as internationalism, this article provides a crucial engagement with how the Olympics inhabit a broader socio-political sphere, which extends far beyond medals and sports activities.