Sport Management Review 16 (2013) 120–121
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Book review
R. Cashman, S. Darcy, Benchmark Games: The Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games, Walla Walla Press, PO Box 717, Petersham, NSW 2049 (2008). 278 pp., ISBN: 978-1876718-05-3 Benchmark Games: The Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games is a unique publication. The main authors, Richard Cashman and Simon Darcy, have sought to explore and dissect a major sporting event that has received very little attention, either from academia or the general press. In doing so, Cashman and Darcy seek to lay the foundations for understanding the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games in comparison to previous Paralympic Games (and the Sydney 2000 Olympics Games). The authors also seek to draw out various legacies and influences the event may have had for future Paralympic Games as well as within Australia. While the Paralympic Games older and more established sibling, the Olympic Games, has received a great deal of scrutiny and discussion, there is a paucity of literature focusing on the Paralympic Games. This is not to say there have not been any publications that have discussed the Paralympic Games, for example recent books from Brittain (2009) as well as Gilbert and Schantz (2009). However, these have mainly focused on the Paralympic Games evolution and establishment and have not devoted a large amount of discussion on any single Paralympic Games. This publication from Cashman and Darcy has broken that mould with some depth and a good deal of thought. It should be noted that while Cashman and Darcy are cited as the authors for this book, there are several other writers who have been involved, Dominique Tremblay and Alana Thomson collaborating with Cashman in Chapters 6 and 7 as well as Ian Brittain (Chapter 2), Tony Sainsbury (Chapter 10) as well as Anne Jobling, Ian Jobling and Hayley Fitzgerald (Chapter 11). This cast of authors provide a wide range of perspectives concerning the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games, drawing from a variety of positions including historical, economic, anthropological and sociological disciplines. As a consequence, this book takes the reader through an assortment of writing styles and directions that allows a deeper understanding, and appreciation for the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games. This book is presented in three parts. Firstly, the authors set the scene by providing the reader with some historical perspectives regarding the Paralympic Games as a global sporting event as well as a number of ‘benchmarks’ established prior to the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games. Ian Brittain (Chapter 2) provides a useful overview of the Paralympic Games evolution especially for those students and academics unfamiliar with this event. This is then followed by Cashman and Darcy providing a brief synopsis of Paralympic Games held in Seoul (1988), Barcelona (1992) and Atlanta (1996). The authors then detail a number of key ‘benchmark’ indicators comparing these three Paralympic events with the Sydney 2000 Games. Areas covered include spectator attendances, media coverage, athlete participation and sports coverage. This chapter also provides some critical analysis of gender and geographic disparities regarding athlete participation. Overall this initial section enables a reader to gain a broad perspective of the Paralympic Games and the legacies inherited by the organisers of the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games. Section 2 of the book delves deeper into the Sydney 2000 Paralympic games through exploring a number of key factors in relation to the planning and delivery of the event. Darcy gives a very useful and in depth description of the planning process adopted by the major statutory authorities involved in preparing for the event. This chapter would be very useful to any student or academic interested in event management, especially in gaining an understanding of the complexities and scope of the processes involved in such a global sporting event. Chapter 6 focuses on the media’s involvement with, and representation of, the 2000 Paralympic Games. This chapter, while providing a very useful overview of the scope and range of media involved in the event, changes tack about half way through by reverting to a case study of newspaper representation of the Sydney Paralympic Games. As a consequence, this chapter appears a little disjointed as the writing style and direction changes from a very broad overview to a specific exploration of one media type. The case study section of this chapter feels more like a journal paper than previous and subsequent chapters. Following the focus on the media, the subsequent chapters explore community involvement, issues regarding the delivery of the various sports involved in the 2000 Paralympic Games and the physical infrastructure for spectators and participants. These following chapters provide a wealth of depth and information that enables the reader to gain an insight 1441-3523/$ – see front matter doi:10.1016/j.smr.2012.02.003
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into the complexities and issues involved in the planning and delivery of this event. The authors of these chapters highlight both the positive aspects and achievements created through the hosting of the Paralympic Games in Sydney as well as some of the missed opportunities and contentious issues that arose prior to and during the event. The final chapter in this section focuses on a very specific issue that arose from the Sydney Paralympic Games. This being the initial inclusion of athletes with intellectual disabilities within into the 2000 Paralympic Games and the subsequent exclusion based on the controversies surrounding the Spanish basketball team. This chapter is particularly useful as it covers various historical events leading up to the Sydney event as well as issues concerning eligibility and classification of athletes with intellectual impairments at an elite level. As such, this chapter could be used as a teaching text to assist undergraduate students studying sport management an insight into the complexities and difficulties regarding sport for and with people with impairments. The final section of the book brings together the previous chapters by discussing the various legacies and ‘benchmarks’ established by the staging of the Paralympic Games in Sydney. Darcy and Cashman once again compare selected statistics, such as spectator participation and performance achievements, as examples of the positive milestones achieved at the event. The final chapter provides an overview of research agendas that could be explored in the future. Darcy and Cashman challenge sports researchers to build upon the documented evidence presented in the Benchmark Games to further assist in developing a deeper understanding of this particular mega-event. Overall, Benchmark Games is a valuable addition to literature concerning mega-events, particularly as there has been very little exploration or interest of the Paralympic Games by academia. With such a broad scope of topics and positions taken, this publication would be useful across a variety of sports and physical activity disciplines, including management, sociology and history. The authors should be congratulated for the depth of information presented and the boldness to dig into, and present, readers with insights into an event that rarely is discussed or debated amongst those interested in elite sport and major sporting events. References Brittain, I. (2009). The paralympic games explained. Abingdon, UK: Routledge. Gilbert, K., & Schantz, O. (Eds.). (2009). The paralympic games: Empowerment or sideshow? Maidenhead, UK: Meyer & Meyer.
Richard McGrath School of Health Sciences, University of South Australia, Australia E-mail address:
[email protected]
