The Olympic Games and the “Soft Power” of the World’s Leading States

The article is devoted to the study of the role of the Olympic Games in the structure of the “soft power” of the state, as well as the transformation of the “soft power” tools associated with the Olympic movement in recent years. The article focuses on the political role of the initiatives to boycott the Olympic Games in Russia on the eve of the XXII Winter Olympic Games 2014 in Sochi and the XXIV Winter Olympic Games 2022 in Beijing, as well as the role of the Olympic agenda in international political discourse in the context of sanctions related to Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.