From TLS, a review of books on Olympic sports. The modern Olympic Games are an international phenomenon, often criticised for their controlling commercialism; however, they owe their origins to a celebrated novel set in an English public school. The 2012 Olympic Games logo is a true example of how signs can outgrow even unpromising beginnings through cultural re-appraisal. Thucydides in London: Would the ancient Greeks approve of our modern Olympics? From Prospect, why is watching the Olympics so much more pleasurable than watching any other televised sport? This year's Olympics confirmed once again that the medal count can be predicted with great accuracy from four key variables: population, GDP per capita, past performance, and host status; everything else is pretty much noise. Michael Allen on what the Olympics medal tally says about democrats and autocrats. How many gay Olympic athletes were there? With the 2012 Summer Games in London now a wrap, the world’s attention shifts slightly westward to Llanwrtyd Wells, home of the Olympics of weird sports. So now it is Rio de Janeiro’s turn.
