Mega sporting events are frequently promoted as vehicles for global citizenship and peace education. However, recent Olympic restrictions imposed on Russian athletes, contrasted with the absence of comparable measures against Israel amid ongoing conflict, have generated widespread public debate about selective moral accountability. Drawing on 35 interviews with sport spectators from across Europe, this paper explores how such asymmetries shape popular understandings of fairness, responsibility and global belonging. Specifically, the study examines how spectators interpret Olympic governance and construct narratives of justice and collective punishment. Findings suggest that many respondents experience moral dissonance, perceiving international sport institutions as embedded within unequal geopolitical power structures. For these individuals, the Olympics no longer represent neutrality or unity, but function as informal sites of political education where global hierarchies are reproduced. The study argues that mega-events operate as powerful spaces of public pedagogy, shaping how citizens learn about peace and legitimacy. By foregrounding lived perceptions, this research contributes to humanities scholarship on global citizenship and peace education, highlighting how inconsistent ethical practices risk eroding public trust in sport’s capacity to foster intercultural understanding and social cohesion.

Authors:
Anna Farmaki, Cyprus University of Technology, Cyprus

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Anna Farmaki is Assistant Professor at the Cyprus University of Technology. Her research interest lie in the fields of tourism planning and development and tourist behaviour.

Connect on Linkedin
https://www.linkedin.com/in/anna-farmaki-67623640/

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