This comprehensive, state-of-the-art reference collection fills a long-standing gap in the fields of Olympic studies and sports sociology by applying a critical lens to a wide range of issues and controversies that have surrounded the Olympic movement. Mapping the past, present and future of the Olympic Games and drawing together an impressive line-up of international scholars from across a variety of disciplines, this essential guide provides an authoritative overview of the core debates and key social and political issues related to the most established and influential sporting event in the world. Divided into five parts - Olympic History, Olympic Case Studies, Olympic Disciplines, Social and Political Issues and the Olympics: For and Against - this substantive reference work includes debates on race, gender, amateurism, the environment, security, sponsorship, housing, Indigenous peoples and the mass media and provides in-depth case studies on individual Olympic Games ranging from the St Louis Games in 1904 to the most recent Games in Beijing in 2008, and discusses the forthcoming Olympics in London and Rio. Global in its perspective and definitive in content, this one-stop volume will be an indispensable reference resource for a wide range of academics, students and researchers in the fields of sociology, sports studies, sports history, Olympic studies, politics, media and communication studies and leisure and tourism studies.