Humanistic Olympics

Humanistic Olympics - renwen aoyun - is the key concept of the Beijing 2008 Olympics. But what does it mean and does it relate to human rights at all?

The term has two meanings: the ’People’s Olympics’ and ’Humanistic Olympics'

  • 'Humanistic Olympics' means the Games will promote a blending of Chinese and Western culture and enrich both cultures in the process.

  • 'People's Olympics' means that the Games will provide an opportunity to train Chinese people for a globalized world.

Learn more

Humanistic Olympics Studies Centre
The Centre is based at Renmin University of China


Articles

China could redefine the Olympics
The key question is not how the Olympic Games will change China but whether - in the spirit of Humanistic Olympics - China will change the Olympics.

Olympic Games will teach China to cooperate
A journalistic article about the Play the Game 2005 presentation given by Hai Ren, of the Centre for Olympic Studies at Beijing Sport University (page 2)

Humanistic Olympics: Where will it lead to?
Hai Ren on current social developments in China and what the Olympics can teach the Chinese.

The Beijing Effect  (published in Olympic Review)
Susan Brownell argues that changes that occur in China in relation to the Olympics will not be those forced upon China by others, but will be those that China voluntarily seeks out so that it may play a key role in the global society of the 21st century.

The Beijing Olympiad, China's Human Rights Record And Western Orientalism

Olympic impact across the Chinese Wall: Human rights and humanism

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