Branding Olympic Idealism: The Kenya Amateur Athletic Association's Commercial Sojourn in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, before the 1996 Atlanta Games

Abstract

Before the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, the Kenya Amateur Athletic Association (KAAA) organized a two-week training camp in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, for its athletes to acclimate to the heat and humidity of the American South. Half of Kenya's best runners never showed, instead competing at prestigious track meets in Europe offering lucrative prizes. In the media frenzy that followed, the KAAA characterized the athletes as self-centered deserters, while the Hattiesburg tourism bureau used the opportunity to sell southern Mississippi as a desirable travel destination. To make their respective narratives more compelling for the press, the KAAA and Hattiesburg infused them with the language of Olympic ideals, such as global unity and representing one's country well. The success of both the KAAA and Hattiesburg in furthering their narratives demonstrates how organizations and communities unaffiliated with host cities can harness the power of the Olympic brand for their own commercial ends.