Sport or Spectacle? Exposing the Olympic Industry's Dark Side

Behind the glittering spectacle of the Olympic Games lies a complex and troubling reality. In this episode, Professor Helen Jefferson Lenskyj, a leading critic of the Olympic movement, exposes how the so-called “Olympic industry” masks corruption, authoritarianism, and human rights abuses beneath rhetoric about unity, peace, and sporting excellence. We unpack how host city selection is dominated by opaque deals and political influence, how displaced communities and marginalised groups pay the price, and why public trust in the Games is collapsing. Lenskyj argues that rather than fostering global solidarity, the IOC has become an unaccountable, profit-driven organisation that resists meaningful reform. From Beijing to Brisbane, from soft power to sportwashing, this conversation reveals the contradictions at the heart of the modern Olympic project — and considers alternative models rooted in joy, inclusivity, and genuine social justice. Is it time to rethink global sport altogether?

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