The Beijing Olympics was a political act of assertion. It wass the culmination of political effort going back to 1949. In essence, it was the outcome of dramatic diplomatic, political, cultural, social and economic change born of ideological commitment.

J.A.Mangan is an internationally recognised academic with a wide range of publications in the politics of sport at various analytical levels.

Dong Jinxia is an expert on Chinese sport with experience as international performer, judge and academic.

1. Preface: Geopolitical games: Beijing 2008 J. A. Mangan 2. Beijing 2008: The Mixed Messages of Contemporary Chinese Nationalism Julia Lovell 3. Olympic Aspirations: Chinese Women on Top - Considerations and Consequences Dong Jinxia and J. A. Mangan 4. Olympian Politics in Beijing: Games, But Not Just Games Kevin Caffrey 5. Dancing around the Elephant: The Beijing Olympics - Taiwanese Reflections and Reactions Junwei Yu 6. Sport as Public Diplomacy and Public Disquiet: Australia's Ambivalent Embrace of the Beijing Olympics Peter Horton 7. The Dish Might Be Overspiced: Fears, Doubts and Criticisms in French Perceptions of Chinese Olympic and Other Successes Thierry Terret 8. Creative Tensions: 'Join in London' meets 'Dancing Beijing' - the cultural power of the Olympics Vassil Girginov 9. Preparing to Take Credit for China's Glory: American Perspectives on the Beijing Olympic Games Mark Dyreson 10. Sideshow Beijing 2008: An Absence of Euphoria beyond the Southern Clouds Kevin Caffrey