A renowned sportswriter describes the reinvention and modern history of the Olympic Games, from its rebirth in 1896 Athens to the present, highlighting all the classic moments of highest achievement, including Jesse Owens, Nadia Comaneci, the Miracle on Ice and Usain Bolt. --Publisher's description.

"First published in the U.K. by Macmillan Publishers International Limited"--Title-page verso.

Introduction -- This grandiose and salutary task : the reinvention of the Olympic Games -- All the fun of the fair : The Olympics at the end of the Belle E´poque -- Not the only game in town : the Olympics and its challengers in the 1920s -- It's showtime! : the Olympics as spectacle -- Small was beautiful : the lost worlds of the post-War Olympics -- The image is still there : spectacle versus anti-spectacle at the Games -- Things fall apart : bankruptcy, boycotts, and the end of amateurism -- Boom! : the globalization of the Olympics after the Cold War -- Going south : the Olympics in the new world order -- Conclusion.