Fan Hong is a Professor at the School of Asian Studies, University College Cork, Ireland. Her main research interests are in the areas of culture, politics, business, gender and sport.Lu Zhouxiang is a Lecturer at the School of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Ireland. His main research interests are the history of sport, nationalism and globalism, and comparative studies between the West and China in the field of sport.

• Acknowledgements Fan Hong and Lu Zhouxiang 1. The Olympics and Elite Sport Policy: Where Will It All End? Barrie Houlihan and Jinming Zheng 2. Athlete Development, Athlete Rights and Athlete Welfare: A European Union Perspective Ian Henry 3. A Study of the Relationship Between Elite Athletes' Educational Development and Sporting Performance Dawn Aquilina 4. Shining a Spotlight on Public Diplomacy: Chinese Media Coverage on the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics Xin Zhong, Shuhua Zhou, Bin Shen and Chao Huang 5. The Legacy: Did the Beijing Olympic Games have a Long-Term Impact on Grassroots Sport Participation in Chinese Townships? Jing Feng and Fan Hong 6. From Hongkew Recreation Ground to Bird's Nest: The Past, Present and Future of Large Sports Venues in China Lu Zhouxiang 7. The Chinese Olympic Dream and the Beijing Olympic Legacies Shiming Luo and Fuhua Huang

Fan Hong is a Professor at the School of Asian Studies, University College Cork, Ireland. Her main research interests are in the areas of culture, politics, business, gender and sport.Lu Zhouxiang is a Lecturer at the School of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Ireland. His main research interests are the history of sport, nationalism and globalism, and comparative studies between the West and China in the field of sport.

• Acknowledgements Fan Hong and Lu Zhouxiang 1. The Olympics and Elite Sport Policy: Where Will It All End? Barrie Houlihan and Jinming Zheng 2. Athlete Development, Athlete Rights and Athlete Welfare: A European Union Perspective Ian Henry 3. A Study of the Relationship Between Elite Athletes' Educational Development and Sporting Performance Dawn Aquilina 4. Shining a Spotlight on Public Diplomacy: Chinese Media Coverage on the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics Xin Zhong, Shuhua Zhou, Bin Shen and Chao Huang 5. The Legacy: Did the Beijing Olympic Games have a Long-Term Impact on Grassroots Sport Participation in Chinese Townships? Jing Feng and Fan Hong 6. From Hongkew Recreation Ground to Bird's Nest: The Past, Present and Future of Large Sports Venues in China Lu Zhouxiang 7. The Chinese Olympic Dream and the Beijing Olympic Legacies Shiming Luo and Fuhua Huang

Fan Hong is a Professor at the School of Asian Studies, University College Cork, Ireland. Her main research interests are in the areas of culture, politics, business, gender and sport.Lu Zhouxiang is a Lecturer at the School of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Ireland. His main research interests are the history of sport, nationalism and globalism, and comparative studies between the West and China in the field of sport.

• Acknowledgements Fan Hong and Lu Zhouxiang 1. The Olympics and Elite Sport Policy: Where Will It All End? Barrie Houlihan and Jinming Zheng 2. Athlete Development, Athlete Rights and Athlete Welfare: A European Union Perspective Ian Henry 3. A Study of the Relationship Between Elite Athletes' Educational Development and Sporting Performance Dawn Aquilina 4. Shining a Spotlight on Public Diplomacy: Chinese Media Coverage on the Opening Ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics Xin Zhong, Shuhua Zhou, Bin Shen and Chao Huang 5. The Legacy: Did the Beijing Olympic Games have a Long-Term Impact on Grassroots Sport Participation in Chinese Townships? Jing Feng and Fan Hong 6. From Hongkew Recreation Ground to Bird's Nest: The Past, Present and Future of Large Sports Venues in China Lu Zhouxiang 7. The Chinese Olympic Dream and the Beijing Olympic Legacies Shiming Luo and Fuhua Huang