This article was downloaded by: [University of Canterbury]
On: 06 March 2015, At: 01:29
Publisher: Routledge
Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

The International Journal of the
History of Sport
Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/fhsp20 The Globalization of Sports, the Rise of
Non-Western Nations, and the Impact on International Sporting Events
Amit Gupta

a

a

USAF Air War College , Maxwell AFB, AL, USA
Published online: 10 Sep 2009.

To cite this article: Amit Gupta (2009) The Globalization of Sports, the Rise of Non-Western
Nations, and the Impact on International Sporting Events, The International Journal of the History of Sport, 26:12, 1779-1790, DOI: 10.1080/09523360903172390
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09523360903172390

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE
Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the
“Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content.
This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms &
Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/termsand-conditions

The International Journal of the History of Sport
Vol. 26, No. 12, September 2009, 1779–1790

The Globalization of Sports, the Rise of
Non-Western Nations, and the Impact on International Sporting Events

Downloaded by [University of Canterbury] at 01:29 06 March 2015

Amit Gupta

International sports have been traditionally dominated by the Western nations that monopolized the decision-making process of various international sporting bodies, determined the rules of the game and decided on the venues, television schedules and formats that the games would take. This article argues that with the advent of globalization non-Western nations are increasingly asserting themselves in the decision making and economics of international sporting events. Consequently, this will result in reshaping the power structure in international sporting bodies as well as in how the allocation of sporting events is determined.

International Sports: The Domination of the West
The internationalization of sports began in the 1870s and continued until the 1920s with tennis, soccer and rugby creating international administrative institutions – the most prominent achievement being, of course, the establishment of the International
Olympic Committee. [1] Given the unrepresentative nature of the colonial international system it was obvious that the Western nations would dominate the new sporting institutions. As Douglas Booth points out, however, the West’s domination of international sports continued well past the colonial period. As late as
1966, the 37 Caucasian nations in the International Amateur Athletics Federation had
244 votes while the 99 non-Western nations had 195 – thus resting decision-making power in the hands of the former. [2] Because