Identities through Big Sportive Events

This paper focusеs on the identities’ problems of participants of big sportive events: Olympic Games, international championships and competitions. This topic hasn’t yet received enough attention, especially in sociological researches. In real practices of last years it was seen increasing of athletes who participate in different competitions as representatives of foreign countries. From the other side many fans go to the games identifying their self with sportive clubs and fan-movements and with their states. Thus the new forms of identities appeared. The paper analyzes the sources and manifestations of such new forms of identities in real sportive practices. I’ll try to give certain contribution that looks into the role of national factors and local cross-national relations in the region of the residence of big sportive events in formation of different identities. Many local places of international championships are characterized by multinational population with very long and complex history (London, Sochi, Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and so on). Haw big sportive events impact on local, regional and national identities in different countries? From the other side sport contains reserved possibilities of cooperation and solidarity not only on the local and regional but also on the global levels. Haw the Olympic spirit and changes of political life in the Region of the residence of big sportive events could influence the choice of identities? Thus the paper focuses attention on this background of people’s identification. My analysis builds on media accounts, interviews with officials from the Organizing Committees of big sportive events and data’s of sociological monitoring of different materials. The paper provides useful information for an outlook necessary for understanding national and regional identities.