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<p>This study investigates how Chinese mainstream media constructed national image during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Drawing on critical discourse analysis of news articles sampled from the Wisesearch database, the research examines the narratives employed to frame China’s role and identity. The findings indicate that media discourse consistently portrayed China as a culturally rich, technologically advanced, and socially harmonious nation, reinforcing domestic legitimacy while serving broader soft power objectives. At the same time, the study underscores the limitations of this domestically oriented strategy, as its international impact was constrained by Western-dominated discourses, particularly critiques framed through concepts such as ‘sportswashing’. By situating the Beijing Olympics at the intersection of sport, nation branding, and soft power, this paper contributes to ongoing debates on the capacity of mega-events to shape both domestic cohesion and global perception.</p>

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Soft power through sports mega-events: Chinese media narratives during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月13日

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  • Dongye Lyu,
  • Weiguo Zhang,
  • Luis Mañas Viniegra,
  • Emanuel Leite Junior

摘要

This study investigates how Chinese mainstream media constructed national image during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Drawing on critical discourse analysis of news articles sampled from the Wisesearch database, the research examines the narratives employed to frame China’s role and identity. The findings indicate that media discourse consistently portrayed China as a culturally rich, technologically advanced, and socially harmonious nation, reinforcing domestic legitimacy while serving broader soft power objectives. At the same time, the study underscores the limitations of this domestically oriented strategy, as its international impact was constrained by Western-dominated discourses, particularly critiques framed through concepts such as ‘sportswashing’. By situating the Beijing Olympics at the intersection of sport, nation branding, and soft power, this paper contributes to ongoing debates on the capacity of mega-events to shape both domestic cohesion and global perception.