Competing Women

Media Representations of Femininity and National Identification at The Olympic Games in Athens 2004

Resumen

The Olympic Games is a cultural medium through which people can identify with the nation. The growth of media sport, reflected in the intensifying relationship between the media and the Olympic Games, has led to the representation of complex and contested textual and visual imagery of racial, national and gendered identities. This paper represents a feminist interpretation of national identity for understanding global sport. We draw on theoretical perspectives on gender, women and sport and the wider literature on feminisms, citizenship and nationalism to discuss media representations of British female Olympic athletes at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. In doing so our work contributes to an understanding of females, femininities, national identifications and global sport.