According to the charter of the Olympic Games, the logo - symbolised by five intertwined rings - is supposed to be "universal and permanent". The five rings represent the five continents of the world. From 1896 onwards, the concept of universalism, as proclaimed by the Olympic Games, has been growing in all parts of the world.

In the first modern Olympic Games held in Athens in 1896, only 14 countries took part. The number of participating countries increased to 201 when the same city hosted the Games in 2004. If in 1896, 241 athletes showed their skills, then there were 11,000 in 2004 who vied for the top honours. Geopolitical factors contributed to the growing number of athletes taking part in the Olympic Games. The first wave was linked to decolonisation which took place in the mid-1950s and 1960s and the second, due to the break-up of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia in the 1990s.

When Japan participated in the Olympics in 1912, all the five continents were represented in the Games for the first time. It was a turning point for the Games since from then on the five rings of the Olympic flag exhibited their true form and meaning.

Before the Second World War, participation at the Olympic Games reflected the beginning of the 20th century's balance of power with countries from Europe and North America being over represented in comparison to other continents. The participation of Africa at that time was limited to Egypt and South Africa, which was under British rule.

We must also note that, at the beginning of the 20th century, the host country was usually over-represented, like at St Louis in 1904 when 531 athletes from a total of 651 were from the United States. At that time, the journey to the Olympic Games' venue was long and expensive. Moreover, few people could take time off from their jobs as the Olympic Games were organised only for amateurs.

Financial benefits

The globalisation of the Olympic Games took place at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games and it was indicated by the number of medals won by various countries. The top five nations won 63 per cent of all medals. In 2004 these countries got only 41 per cent of the total medals. In 1988, 31 countries won gold medals, whereas in 2004, there were 57 countries.

There is no doubt that in 1988 the Olympic Games became a globalised event as it was watched on television by the entire world. Indeed, the end of mass boycott, linked to the end of the Cold War and the emergence of big financial benefits such as sponsors and telecast rights, made it the most important event in the world.

Even though the Fifa World Cup still attracts more viewers worldwide, at the Olympic Games, every single nation and almost every single sport is being represented, which marks a double universalism status for the Olympic movement.

The partnership of the media and the Olympics is one of both love and reason. The athletes are kings of the stadium who are worshipped by their fans and supporters. On the other hand, more people follow the media during this period. Moreover, the media coverage of the Olympic Games increased the social, political and economic impact of the Games.

Media coverage of the Olympic Games started at the beginning of the 20th Century with the launch of newspapers dedicated to cover sports. The Italian Gazetta Delle Sport was founded in 1896 in order to cover the first modern Olympic Games. In 1924, over 700 journalists came to Paris from all over the world in order to cover the Games. For the first time, the Olympics were commented upon on the radio, thanks to wireless transmission (TSF). Famous sports caster, Edmond Dehorter, even send a balloon over the stadium to have a full cover of the Games!

Twelve years later, Adolf Hitler installed huge TV screens in the streets of Berlin so that the German people could watch the supremacy of German athletes. During this occasion, Leni Riefenstahl shot his famous film Gods of the Stadium, a widely praised movie.

Media coverage was further extended, thanks to the first live broadcast at the Olympic Games of Rome in 1960. For the first time, viewers could watch the events without having to be present in the city in which they took place! The stadium then became more and more of a virtual place from which millions could follow the Games at a low cost.

In 1964, a satellite linking Asia, Europe and North America provided a better worldwide coverage of the Games. The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) refused to cover the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games due to the boycott of the Games by 80 countries in protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.

From then on, price paid for exclusive rights to telecast the Olympic Games increased exponentially.

It increased from $34 million in 1976 to $400 million in 1988. NBC broke the record in 2004 when it bought the exclusive rights for more than $2.3 billion to telecast the 2004 Athens Summer Games, the 2006 Turin Winter Games and the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games. In Beijing there will be more than 20,000 journalists who will cover the event.

Thanks to the media, the Olympic Games have become a globalised event that can no longer be ignored and in which so much money is poured into. The fact that the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games will probably be watched by 3.7 billion people around the world explains the reason for so many companies that are willing to invest their money in order to boost their image.

Dr Pascal Boniface is the founder and director of IRIS (Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratgiques). He has published or edited more than 40 books dealing with international relations, nuclear deterrence and disarmament, European security and French international policy.