Olympic singularity: the rise of a new breed of actor in international peace and security?

Finnigan, Muriel (2017) Olympic singularity: the rise of a new breed of actor in international peace and security? PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

The Olympic Movement has a constantly expanding mandate which has seen it venture into
many fields other than simple staging of the Olympic Games. For example, it has extended its mandate into the equal representation of women in sport, but more importantly, this thesis examines its new mandate of building peace through sport, which is contained in the Olympic Charter’s 2nd Fundamental Principle of Olympism. It has also indirectly influenced the production of the UNGA Olympic Truce Resolutions, by calling on the UN to revive the ‘concept of ekecheiria’. However, the Olympic Truce Resolutions are frequently flouted, and more often than not, by the Host Nation itself, including the UK and the USA in recent years. This thesis examines a possible solution to this failing, which is the Olympic Truce Resolutions codification into a binding Treaty where states and the entire Movement
are party to it.

This thesis recognises that there is the inherent problem in this, in that the Olympic Movement is not comprised of states. Its core actors are the International Olympic Committee, National Olympic Committees, and International Sporting Federations (and to a lesser extent OCOGs). Hence this thesis submits the novel concept of Olympic Singularity, eight unusual features that amplify the EU doctrine of the specificity of sport on the Olympic playing field. These eight cumulative features unite to allow the Movement to be co-signatories to the Truce Treaty, alongside states. It also enables the Movement to govern the Truce Treaty and any sanctions thereof. Again, this is because of the features of Olympic
Singularity, the most notable of which is that the Movement is unusual because of its universal singular webbed framework which necessitates its consideration as a single powerful organ capable of action on the international stage equivalent to states. Olympic Singularity justifies the Movement’s special treatment before law, in the form of an atypical international law subject, in that it unites independent actors into one organ, enabling them to have capacity on a par with those reserved to states and international governmental organisations. This would only take the form of governing and sanctioning a Truce Treaty. This thesis examines precedent for this in that the ancient Olympic Games were governed by a single state who dispensed real sanctions for the breach of ekecheiria. It also examines
in a case study, South Africa which shows that the end of apartheid was assisted by the UN and the Movement uniting and using sport by way of a binding international Treaty, ICAAS 1985. Hence the capacity of the state system was required alongside the recognition of all involved that it was a Treaty.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Keywords: Olympic, international, peace, actor.
• Subjects: D History General and Old World > D History (General) > D051 Ancient History; D History General and Old World > D History (General); J Political Science > JX International law; K Law > K Law (General); K Law > KZ Law of Nations
• Colleges/Schools: College of Social Sciences > School of Law
• Supervisor's Name: Tams, Professor Christian and Greaves, Professor Rosa
• Date of Award: 2017
• Depositing User: Doctor Muriel Finnigan
• Unique ID: glathesis:2017-8389
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 13 Sep 2017 08:56
• Last Modified: 12 Oct 2017 07:39
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/8389