This book examines the environmental credentials of Olympic Host cities and the opportunities afforded by hosting the Games towards the ecological modernization of the host nation by using perspectives offered by environmental sociology. It also sets out projections for the environmental legacy of London 2012.

JOHN KARAMICHAS Lecturer in Sociology at Queen's University, Belfast, UK. He has recently published articles on environmental politics and policy in theJournal of Modern Greek Studies, South European Society and Politics, Mediterranean Politics, Human Ecology Review, and Environmental Politics. He has also published with Graeme Hayes, Olympics, Mega-Events and Civil Societies: Globalization, Environment, Resistance.

Introduction Olympic Games: A Quintessentially Modern Project The Environmental Issue: Opposing Development and Progress Environmental Concern and Environmental Sociology: Parallel Developments Reflexive Modernisation: Connecting the Environment with Modernity and Modernisation Olympic Games and the Environment Olympic Games and Ecological Modernisation: Three Case Studies (Sydney, Athens, Beijing) London 2012: Evaluating the Prospects Concluding Remarks