Acknowledgements

This is the second Olympic and Paralympic Analysis report, following our report in 2021. It is a privilege to share this journey with contributors to this report: many of whom we know well, and many of whom we met through this collaboration. This project requires contributors to work at short notice and with very tight deadlines – during the holiday season for some. In this context, we were delighted with the response to our invitations to contribute and we are grateful for our contributors’ expertise and commitment throughout the project. 

For their financial support, we thank the Center for Sports Communication & Media at the University of Texas at Austin. 

For their granting of permission rights for photos taken during the Olympics and Paralympics, we thank the students and staff at the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, Penn State University; Leandro Couri and the Brazilian Ministério do Esporte. 

We are also very grateful for the support of the International Communication Association (ICA) Sports Communication Special Interest Group and the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR Media), Communication and Sport Section, for mobilizing their members to participate in this report.  

We owe a special debt of gratitude to our outstanding Research Assistants Julia Weiss and Mirva Villa who worked diligently in designing and developing the website and pdf reports. 

We are also immensely grateful to our longstanding collaborator, Prof Einar Thorsen, for his help in fixing website issues and logistical challenges that are an inevitable part of these projects. 

Finally, a special thanks to our friends and family for their love and support in the making of this project. 

Additional photo credits

Section 1. Blind football courts CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Photo by John Pendygraft. Assistant Teaching Professor of Visual Journalism. Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications. Penn State University. 

Section 2. Gymnastics podium. CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Photo by Leandro Couri/Estado de Minas/No Ataque

Section 3. Frech celebration. CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Photo by John Pendygraft. Assistant Teaching Professor of Visual Journalism. Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications. Penn State University. 

Section 4. Leon Marchand. CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Photo by Leandro Couri/Estado de Minas/No Ataque

Section 5. Opening ceremony boat parade. CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Photo by Willian Meira/Ministério do Esporte

From: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ministeriodoesporte/albums/72177720319159885/

Back cover. Olympic balloon. CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Photo by Willian Meira/Ministério do Esporte

From: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ministeriodoesporte/albums/72177720319159885/