Wednesday, February 2, 2022
Experts from Queen’s University are available to speak about the 2022 Winter Olympics being held in Beijing, China, from Feb. 4-20.
The Olympics is a time when teamwork is put to the ultimate test in events like hockey, bobsleigh, and ice dancing. This month, eyes from around the world will be on Beijing—and not just because of the sporting events. The 2022 Winter Olympics brings questions around surveillance, with reports that the app that athletes are expected to download to their phones could be monitoring them. There has been speculation around whether Russia will invade Ukraine during the Games or hold off for political reasons. As well, this is the first Winter Olympics with 100 per cent artificial snow, which leads to the larger discussion of climate change and the future of winter sports.
Available experts and their area of expertise:
Thomas Hughes (Political Studies): Interpretation and understanding of Russian motivation about whether Russia will invade Ukraine during the Olympics or wait until after the Olympics to appease China.
Luc Martin (Kinesiology and Health Studies): Team dynamics, team identity, team building, cohesion, and culture.
David Murakami Wood (Director of the Surveillance Studies Centre): Surveillance at the Winter Olympics including the below topics.
- Authoritarianism, surveillance, and the Olympics: Why is the Olympics being held in China at all? What kinds of surveillance will athletes be under? What are China's surveillance capabilities and how are they spreading? How and why does the International Olympic Committee (IOC) enable authoritarian regimes?
- Securing the Olympics (based on his research in Japan and Brazil): What are the threats to the Olympics? How do host countries prepare for security threats?
John Smol (Biology, Canada Research Chair in Environmental Change): How ecosystems change over time in response to both natural and human-induced environmental change. The demise of lake ice can affect recreational sports like hockey, skating, and ice fishing.
To arrange an interview, please contact media relations officer Victoria Klassen (343-363-1794 or victoria.klassen@queensu.ca) at Queen’s University News and Media Services Department in Kingston, Ont., Canada.
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