In the annals of sport history, the 1908 Olympic Games in London stand as an unprecedented success, setting new standards in organisation, event planning and sporting achievement. The games are also remembered as an occasion for competitive national self-assertion, as Great Britain and its trans-Atlantic cousin the United States clashed in a desperate struggle for Olympic mastery. Fuelled by Irish-American nationalism, biased British officiating, competing sporting ideologies, as well as sensationalist reporting on both sides of the Atlantic, an intense Anglo-American rivalry plagued the 1908 London games. The scenes of controversy and bitter recriminations between British and American athletes, officials and high-ranking politicians went a long way to solidifying negative British attitudes towards Pierre de Coubertin's international Olympic revival.View full textDownload full textKeywordsIrish-American nationalism, amateurism, Theodore Roosevelt, a âspecial- relationshipâ, national declineRelated var addthis_config = { ui_cobrand: "Taylor & Francis Online", services_compact: "citeulike,netvibes,twitter,technorati,delicious,linkedin,facebook,stumbleupon,digg,google,more", pubid: "ra-4dff56cd6bb1830b" }; Add to shortlist Link Permalink http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09523367.2011.554180
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