‘Legacy’ as Managerial/Magical Discourse in Contemporary Olympic Affairs

Abstract

This article critically explores the semantics and pragmatics of legacy discourse among central administrative players in today's ‘Olympic Family’. Through an ethnography of Olympic speech focused on the IOC administration, candidate city committees, and transnational consultants, I show how legacy discourse generates a perception of common and laudable purpose while flattening standards of expertise and reinforcing the IOC administration's preferred model of franchiser/franchisee relations with other Olympic bodies. This case study indicates the significance of discursive routines in furthering the transnational managerial revolution in Olympic affairs, sometimes at the expense of the Olympic movement.