Soon, even breakdancing may be an Olympic sport. My reflections on how the inclusiveness of sport may help to counter rising populism. A member of Japanese team ‘The Flooriorz’ competes in a breakdancing match during the ‘Battle of the Year World Finale 2017’ in...
By Paul Radford After three decades of reporting on an endless succession of scandals in international sport, I sometimes feel the need to ask myself two obvious questions. “Why do you still watch sport obsessively? And why, oh why, do you love it so much?” The...
The author before tackling the Beijing velodrome. (Photo courtesy of Deborah Charles) I’m not an Olympic athlete. But for half an hour in Beijing, I got to act like one. I was in China’s capital to cover the 2008 Olympics. An avid cyclist, I had lots of...
By Paul Radford I have covered 17 Olympics and can assure you, they are much more than sport. Consider them international politics with sports thrown in. North Korea’s sudden enthusiasm for taking part in next month’s Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang on the southern...
By John Mehaffey Evidence that the 2012 London Olympics were tainted by Russian doping and a French police investigation into the former president of the world athletics governing body on charges of accepting money to cover up positive drugs tests represent another...