Reassessing the Institutions, Actors and Politics of International Sport amidst Global (Dis)-Order

Modern sport has evolved into an international institution increasingly and intrinsically intertwined with the dynamics of global politics. This article traces the historical internationalisation of sport, from the universalist ambitions of the early Olympic movement to contemporary geopolitical reconfigurations reflected in the shifting geography of mega-events, showing how transformations in global power are inscribed into sporting arenas. It also examines the mounting challenges to the Olympic ethos posed by commercialisation, technological transformation, and intensifying politicisation. By analysing these developments, particularly in light of the recent Olympics and the upcoming Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Games, the article foregrounds the key tensions, actors, and normative struggles that the subsequent contributions in the volume explore in greater depth. In doing so, it underscores how sport has become an ever more tightly interwoven component of the contestation and rearticulation of the emerging world order.