And the winner is... an analysis of the transformation of Rio de Janeiro surrounding the 2016 Olympic Games
Author
Jensen, Line Hede
Term
4. term
Publication year
2016
Submitted on
2016-05-31
Pages
97
Abstract
This thesis examines how preparations for the 2016 Olympic Games reshaped Rio de Janeiro and deepened the divide between favela residents and urban elites. Using the concept of the Olympic Transformation, it analyzes the municipal government’s agenda-setting tools—urban planning, public–private partnerships, and media conduct—as mechanisms that produced a narrative of public crisis and fear, enabling human rights violations, favela pacification, and the prolonged deployment of UPP police units. These measures prioritized elite interests and the development of Barra da Tijuca, the main Olympic venue. In parallel, the study documents emergent bottom-up mobilization through a case study of Vila Autódromo, a community bordering the Olympic Park: leveraging social media and a strong visual presence, residents built broad support and resisted evictions and repression, culminating in April 2016 when remaining families secured legal rights to their land. This outcome is read as insurgent citizenship with potential to catalyze wider claims to civil rights. The thesis concludes by discussing how a more explicitly political and equality-oriented Olympic model, guided by International Olympic Committee policies and global agendas such as the 2030 agenda, could be used to promote social equality in host cities.
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan forberedelserne til OL 2016 omformede Rio de Janeiro og forstærkede den sociale kløft mellem favela-beboere og eliten. Med begrebet den Olympiske Transformation analyseres de dagsordensættende værktøjer, som kommunen tog i brug – byplanlægning, offentlig-private partnerskaber og mediepraksis – for at skabe en fortælling om offentlig krise og frygt, der legitimerede menneskerettighedskrænkelser, pacificering af favelas og en langvarig tilstedeværelse af UPP-politienheder. Disse tiltag muliggjorde en prioritering af eliten og udviklingen af det velhavende Barra de Tijuca, som var hovedområde for OL. Samtidig dokumenterer afhandlingen en ny mobilisering blandt favela-beboere gennem en case om Vila Autódromo, der deler land med den olympiske by: via sociale medier og synlig tilstedeværelse i bybilledet samlede beboerne bred støtte og modstod rømninger og repressiv magtanvendelse, hvilket kulminerede i april 2016, da de tilbageværende familier sikrede juridiske rettigheder til deres jord. Denne udvikling tolkes som udtryk for insurgent medborgerskab med potentiale for bredere krav om civile rettigheder. Afslutningsvis diskuteres mulighederne for at politisere sport og reformere OL-modellen, så den via internationale retningslinjer og lighedsprincipper, herunder 2030-dagsordenen, kan fremme social lighed i værtslande.
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