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Article: A persistent desire: an account of Buenos Aires' efforts to host the Olympic Games.
- Article from:
- Proceedings: International Symposium for Olympic Research
- Article date:
- October 1, 2006
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 International Centre for Olympic Studies. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Throughout the twentieth century, Argentine elites have attempted to prove that their country has adopted the tenets of modern civilization. Their attempts included projecting an image of Buenos Aires as a South American enclave in which Western ideals flourished. It is no coincidence then that despite Argentina's troubled history of serious political, economic and social crises, those elites coveted hosting the Olympic Games in Buenos Aires on many occasions. The last concerted effort was the bid for the 2004 Olympics, ultimately awarded to and successfully staged by Athens. Buenos Aires was the only South American city among the five finalists, a fact that many portenos (1) ...