The Guardian: Euro 2012 no longer scores any political goals

Every major sporting event contains a political narrative, usually a story about emerging or enduring strength that leaders hope to sell to populations both at home and abroad. Sometimes, such stories are universal and easy to spot. For example, the favoured narrative of the 2008 Beijing Olympics was China's symbolic arrival as a global superpower, a story that was accepted with varying degrees of enthusiasm both in China and abroad. At other times, the story that emerges is more relevant to local audiences.


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